Where none have gone before
by shadow3836
Summary: A pokegirls story by kerrik wolf that I read and is the only pokegirl story I have ever liked so I am just putting this on here so I can beta for other authors
1. Chapter 1

hey there is is one of my old favorite story's from pokegirls... um yea this was from back when it was first coming out and I was bored and would read just about any type of fanfic this is mostly being put out here so that I can become a beta umm so if any one wishes to read the whole thing just comment or pm me and I will post the other 42 chapters.

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is fiction.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf .

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

A gentle mist softened the air as the newcomer strode down the street, his black hair glistening in the day's last light. He paused at the entrance to the Crown pub for a moment and then abruptly turned in.

He flicked tufted black ears to knock the water off of them and looked around the interior. "He's here. I can smell him."

_Good. I think we both are tired of chasing him around Scotland._

The newcomer snorted quietly. "I feel like I've been chasing the little twerp his whole bloody life."

A few patrons of the bar looked at him curiously. His black eyes, black hair and almond skin proclaimed him to be from somewhere to the East. Not a common occurrence around here, but not too unusual these days. His wolf-like ears merely commented on a good healthy dose of pokegirl blood in his lineage, also not uncommon hereabouts.

"There he is." The newcomer had spotted a gleam of silver hair and traced it to its owner. Faelan Wolf. "He's got company." He looked more closely. "Pretty girl. I presume she's a pokegirl of some kind, but it's wisest not to jump to conclusions." A brief smile flitted across his face. "I suppose a last drink for the condemned is in order before giving him the bad news of my presence."

He moved to the bar and slapped a handful of credits on the counter. "I want the best bottle of wine that this will purchase and three glasses." The barman counted it and produced a dusty bottle and the requested glasses. After opening the bottle, he recorked it and handed it to the stranger.

The stranger moved quietly across the room to the table where Faelan sat with the blonde and dropped into one of the empty chairs. "You're dead," he said in a flat voice. He grinned suddenly. "Or at least you would be if I were an enemy."

Faelan stared, thunderstruck. "Shikarou?"

"Greetings, little brother." Shikarou pulled the cork out of the bottle and filled the glasses before sliding one to a still shocked Faelan and another to Svetlana. "Long time, no see." He sniffed the glass in front of him and shrugged. "Westerners still don't know how to make good wine. I guess it'll have to do."

Svetlana sipped her glass as she watched Faelan regain his composure. "And who might you be?"

"I might be the king of the cosmos, but I'm not. I'm Shikarou and I'm Faelan's half-brother." He smirked at her expression.

"But Faelan's not…" she broke off suddenly with a wary look.

"Not from around here? Yeah, I know. I'm from 'there' myself." Shikarou made little quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "I take it you are one of his pokegirls?"

She nodded as she took gulp of her wine. Faelan grinned broadly. "So dad got the portal calibrated?" Svetlana looked suddenly concerned.

"He's not even close." Shikarou shrugged. "I came here on my own. Dad doesn't even know I'm here." Another shrug. "I'm trapped here just like you, until our father gets things sorted out." He frowned. "You're older than you should be. You've already got yokosuji." He gestured to the black lines that adorned his own face. "Like me. You only get those when you turn twenty five. What happened?"

Faelan shrugged. "Father sent me a scroll that let me go back in time twelve years so I could go to a magic school here."

Shikarou grunted. "It's about time you learned some formal magic. Blood magic can often go very wrong." He picked up the glass and sipped. "Ick. I know it's better than the beer, but even so this is remarkably bad." He drained the glass and refilled it. "I really hope it's because I didn't have a lot of money."

Faelan frowned. "Where did you get money? How long have you been here, anyway?"

"I've been here for a day. I got the money from a nice person on the edge of town as I came in."

Faelan gave his brother a suspicious look. "You robbed him, didn't you?" Svetlana gasped.

"You just take a deep breath and relax, brother. He dropped a coin. I picked it up and duplicated it a couple of dozen times. No harm done. Didn't pick his pocket or knock him on the head or even call him an unpleasant name."

Svetlana glared. "No harm done? You counterfeited League money. That's a crime."

Shikarou looked at his brother. "What's with the double X?"

Svetlana purpled. "What did you call me?"

"I called you a double X. You know, two X chromosomes? I thought it better than calling you a sphincter, which, by the way, is how you are behaving."

Faelan put a hand on Svetlana's arm to forestall her response. She took a deep breath and filled her wineglass again before gulping it down. Her eyes glared at him over the glass.

"Svetlana is a Megami-sama and she's hardwired to be good."

"Oh. I only did it because I don't have any money right now. As soon as I get some I won't do it again. You also might be pleased to know that I only made a little and I'd only do it for things I need. And some wine." Svetlana's glare didn't soften. "Ok, maybe not."

Shikarou turned to his brother. "Speaking of the redistribution of wealth, I noticed after falling into that little graveyard of yours that you hadn't finished setting up your beacon, so I took care of the possession rights."

Faelan blinked. "Possession rights? Those belong to our father."

"No, while technically they belong to whomever explores the new world, in practice they belong to whomever claims them first." Shikarou shrugged. "Father wanted them for himself, which only made sense. They are going to be worth a great deal of money, after all. However, now our sire is going to have to deal with us and we are going to get extraordinarily rich. He'll just have to settle for very rich."

Faelan's ears went flat. "And just how did you take care of the possession rights?" A low growl sounded.

Shikarou reached out with both hands and pulled Faelan's ears back up. "Be of good cheer, little brother, I gave you half. We each get fifty percent."

Faelan pulled his head away. "And just what do you think Father will have to say about it?"

"Father respects cleverness. He'll bluster a little bit, but deep down he'll be proud that we screwed him over." Shikarou grinned. "Look, the way it works is that we will offer him exclusivity. We sell our findings to him. We get the pure profit, or at least most of it. He turns around and sells the stuff to the rest of the clans and to the individuals who will be clamoring for it." He glanced around the room. "The pokegirls should be a popular item, and they'll be treated a damned sight better there than they are here."

Faelan's ears slowly came back up. "I think Dad's going to rip your lungs out."

Shikarou filled up his brother's glass again. "So? They'll grow back. Even if he does, he still has to abide by our law. We have first claim, at least as long as we live to see him open a new portal."

"Now, on to other business. I got the download from the beacon and was rather surprised. Pokegirls instead of pokemon. I hadn't quite expected anything like this, but I had to get away from the rest of the family before I seriously hurt someone."

Faelan looked surprised. "What were they doing?" He looked at Svetlana. "Despite the fact that my brother here is, well, very annoying and sometimes free with the laws he finds inconvenient, Shikarou isn't violent towards family."

"They started harping about Pallaius again. She hasn't been dead that long and everyone has started in on how they want me to find someone new." He grimaced. "That's the main reason I'm here. I only hope that portal doesn't get opened until you and Svetlana's grandchildren have grown up." Svetlana choked on her wine.

"So, anyway, tomorrow I'm going to go to the pokecenter and become a beginning Tamer."

Svetlana looked at her Tamer. "Who is Pallaius?"

Shikarou rubbed the bridge of his nose as Faelan suddenly looked uncomfortable. "She was my wife. She was killed about a year ago and my family, especially my mother, thinks I have mourned enough." He drained his glass and refilled it. "I happen to disagree and I got tired of all of my sisters trooping over to see me and tell me about this girl or that girl. So I packed up my toys and came here." He stared into his glass as he swirled the wine slowly. "If I'd known about the whole pokegirl thing I just might have gone somewhere else, but the damage is already done. I might as well bite the elemental round and get it over with."

Svetlana was looking at the bottle of wine with an odd expression. "Shouldn't that thing be empty by now?"

"I just refilled it." Shikarou refilled her empty glass. "I know some magic too." He grinned. "I'll take the bottle with me and see just how drunk I can get tonight." He carefully pushed the cork back into the bottle and scooped it up as he stood. "I wish you two a good night. Will I be seeing you in the morning, or am I on my own?"

Svetlana smiled. "We'll see you in the morning." The smile died slowly. "I can let the wine pass, but I can't let you use counterfeit money to get a room." A challenge gleamed in her eye.

"Pull in your claws, girlie. I'm going to be in a tree on the edge of town. A room is not a need." He turned and walked out into the darkness.  
"You know, Faelan, we could get him a room." Svetlana glanced at him. "He is your brother."

"He wants to be alone with his memories of Pallaius." Faelan shrugged. "He can't get drunk on human wine, so he won't be a threat." He drained his glass. "Let's find some dinner and go to bed."

Shikarou was waiting outside the pokecenter when Faelan and Svetlana showed up, still wearing the same scruffy looking shirt and jeans, but now he had a scruffy looking backpack to go with it. He pushed away from the wall where he'd been leaning and waved.

"I've got to ask this, but are you the guy who blew the front off of the local bank yesterday? Everyone is talking about that one."

Faelan grinned. "Yeah, that was me."

"While it has elements of style usually missing from your life, I must admit to being moderately impressed. Maybe you are my brother after all. Now why did you do it?"

Faelan shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

Shikarou clapped softly. "Did you get into any trouble?"

"No, I work for a special organization that lets me do things like that and get away with them."

"Ah, this Planetary League Council your updates referred to. I have to admit I was a little surprised to find you working for them, I mean you can make a good living as a traveling Tamer, so why bend your knee to some group of wannabe kings?" His ears flicked. "Then I remembered that you always had to belong to something bigger than you are. Everyone has to walk their own path, I guess." A sudden grin. "Later you can belong to my group. I'll save you a place."

Faelan shook his head amusedly. "Thanks, brother. So when are you going to take your Tamer's test?"

"Already done. That wine really sucked so I ditched the bottle and ended up here around midnight. Since the place was open, I went in and took my test. The NurseJoy on duty was even nice enough to feed me breakfast after we spent most of the night chatting. Now I'm waiting for my starter pokegirl to arrive."

Svetlana gave him a suspicious look. "Did you tame her?"

"Nosey, aren't we?" He smiled gently. "I did."

Svetlana looked surprised. "That's the shortest answer you've given since we met."

Shikarou gave her a level look. "Girlie, unless you are offering, my sex life has got to be one of the handful of subjects that is the least of your business. What happened between Candace and me is between Candace and me." She stepped back from the anger in his gaze.

Faelan blinked and touched his brother on the arm. "Relax, she didn't mean any harm."

Shikarou shuddered and then placed his hands together and bowed. "Please accept my apologies. You aren't one of my sisters and I overreacted."

Svetlana smiled. "I apologize as well." She cocked her head. "May I ask you something else?"

"Of course, not only are you cute, you are also one of my brother's wives."

Svetlana favored him with a startled look. "When you seemed angry, your ears never moved."

"I grew up in a place where everyone was always looking for that little edge so they could take advantage of you. One of the first things you master is not letting your emotions show." He smiled. "While my recent outburst might indicate otherwise, I am usually quite good at it when I want to be."

The door to the pokecenter opened and a NurseJoy poked her head out. She was dressed in the normal short outfit but her hair had been done up in an elaborate knot and pinned into place with what looked like chopsticks. "Shikarou, your stuff is ready."

Faelan stared at her hair. "Are you Candace?"

She smiled cautiously. "Yes, I am. Oh, you must be Faelan. Your brother's told me a little about you." She looked at Svetlana. "So, you must be Svetlana. You are as pretty as Shikarou said." She looked back at Shikarou. "I've got your gear together whenever you are ready." She disappeared back inside.

Svetlana gave Shikarou a curious look. "Do you have your brother's problem about not being able to lie?"

"I'm not sure I would categorize it as a problem. However, it's a family condition, so the answer is yes."

"So you think I'm pretty?"

"You are. In fact you are stunning."

Svetlana smiled and looked at Faelan. "You could take some lessons from him, you know."

Shikarou sighed. "If you two are going to fight, I'll be inside." The closing of the door cut off Faelan's response.

Candace looked up from her computer. "I've got your equipment over here." She started piling stuff on the counter. "Here's your book and your pokedex. We don't have the latest version of Taming for Dummies, but you can exchange this one for the updated book when you get to a larger town."

"I'm sure this copy will be fine." He smiled. "I trust you wouldn't give me substandard taming equipment."

She sighed. "No, I wouldn't."

"What is the matter?"

"I wish you could stay for a while." She was staring at the countertop. "Do you know it's been almost a month since someone asked me what my name was? It's been even longer since someone didn't shorten it to Candy. I hate that."

"Look at me." Candace raised her eyes. "I can't stay. Why don't you come with me?"

Candace stared at him for a second. "I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've got commitments here. You know how it is."

"Indeed I do." Shikarou leaned over the counter and kissed her gently. "I am sorry you can't come with me. I'd really enjoy your company."

She chuckled quietly. "With an attitude like that, I'm sure you'll quickly find a NurseJoy who isn't as dedicated as me to join your harem."

Shikarou gave her a crooked smile. "I'm not looking for a NurseJoy for my harem. I just wanted you to come along with me."

A smile bloomed on her face. "That's very nice of you to say." Candace turned and took a pokeball from a shelf. "Now, here is your starter pokegirl. Like we discussed, I found you a Boobisaur."

"You are a delight." Shikarou hefted the pokeball as the NurseJoy turned slightly pink.

"You'll need to tame her right away, so she'll bond to you. I've already run her through a healing and cleaning cycle."

"Conscientious as well. Are you sure I couldn't convince you to join me?"

She smacked him on the arm lightly. "Stop that. I can't go with you. Not right now."

"Not right now? Very well then, I'll ask again later." He gathered up the stuff on the counter. "Can I tame her here?"

She grinned. "Not right here, but you can use one of the taming rooms down the hall."

Shikarou returned the grin. "Right here was good enough for you last night."

Candace smiled and rubbed her butt. "Yes and I've got the bruises to show for it. That counter is hard on the rump."

"You were the one that wouldn't leave her post. Next time I'll wait until you are off duty and we can do that right." He winked at her. "It'll have to wait until I get back to Wick, but trust me, I'll be back."

She gave him a soft look. "I'll be looking forward to that." The look vanished and Candace became completely professional as Faelan and Svetlana came in the door. "Here is a key. You'll use room three, just down that hall."

"Thank you very much." He gave Faelan and Svetlana a wave. "I got a Boobisaur and I'm off to tame her." Shikarou headed down the hall and went into room three. After locking the door behind him he dropped his backpack and settled down on some pillows.

He pulled out his pokedex, booted it up for the first time, and spent the next fifteen minutes playing with the configuration until it was to his satisfaction. Then he read the entry on the Boobisaur and just to be thorough, its evolutionary forms.

_You are avoiding the fact that you have to tame your Boobisaur._

"No, I'm trying to learn what I can about them before I screw this up."

_If a fifteen year old can do this, how hard can it be?_

"When you put it that way, you have a very sad point." He closed up the pokedex and pulled the pokeball from his belt.

The Boobisaur appeared in a beam of red light and looked around slowly. Shikarou could appreciate her dappled green skin and dark green hair, even if her hair was shorter than he liked. She wasn't very tall, probably a good thirty centimeters shorter than his 183cm height, but he could live with that too. She had an adorable face with big red eyes, high cheekbones and little bow of a mouth. Her bulb was an unusual color, a light blue instead of the normal green. Shikarou looked forward to finding out what color her flower would be when she evolved.

He waved slowly to get her attention. "Hi." He'd always liked that. A greeting in English, it was also an affirmation in Japanese, his native tongue. "My name is Shikarou and I am your Tamer."

She cocked her head. "I don't have a name, master."

"I looked your file over and you were born and raised on Pokeranch, right? What did they call you there?"

"I was called 12B. The people at the ranch told me that my master would name me when I went to him."

Shikarou kept his ears upright with difficulty at the idea of such a place and thought quickly. "Your name is now Misaki."

"Misaki," the Boobisaur repeated. "Ok." She frowned slightly. "Are you going to tame me here?"

"You don't like it?"

She shrugged, her breasts bouncing slowly. "I'd rather be outside." One hand gestured vaguely. "It doesn't feel alive in here."

She started when Shikarou jumped to his feet. "Then let's go outside and find someplace nice."

"Could you put me back in my pokeball? I don't like crowds of people."

"Consider it done." After returning Misaki to her pokeball, Shikarou grabbed his stuff and headed back to Candace's desk.

The NurseJoy gave him an amused look. "Finished already?" A smile flickered around her lips.

"Not hardly. Misaki would rather be outside when I tame her, so that's where I'm headed. I'll probably continue on my journey after that so I wanted to say goodbye to you before I left and remind you that I'll be back when I can to see you again."

She nodded with a sad look. "When will that be?"

"As soon as possible. I take it you still won't come with me?"

Candace reached out and stroked his hand. "You really shouldn't keep asking me that. They only have three NurseJoys on staff here, one to cover each shift, and they really couldn't afford to lose me." She gripped his hand hard before letting go and taking a deep breath. "Dammit, I can't."

Shikarou gave her his crooked smile again. "You mean to say you won't. This place got along before you came here and it will after you leave. That is the great power of institutions."

"Fine then, I won't," she snapped.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling responsible." Shikarou nodded solemnly. "I can respect that, even though I would rather have you along with me."

"Why?"

"You're my only friend here, you're kind of fun, and I'm incredibly selfish. I'd cheerfully dump more work on the people in this obviously overworked facility just to have you to myself." He looked around the empty waiting room to prove his point.

Candace laughed. "That I can believe. Look, the sooner you come back the sooner you can continue trying to change my mind about leaving." She drew idly on the countertop with a finger. "I can't believe I'm even contemplating leaving here to go traipsing off with you. I've never met anyone like you before."

"That's good. I happen to hold the copywrite on Shikarou and I'd hate to have to track someone down just to sue them over me."

The NurseJoy shook her head with a smile. "Come back soon."

"I will do my best." He winked and headed outside. "Where is my lazy brother?"

_Faelan is waiting for you at the pub. He wants to talk to you._

"Good, I've got some questions for him."

A short time later Faelan and Shikarou were sitting under tree near the edge of town. Faelan had brought a more expensive bottle of wine, one that Shikarou wasn't quite so quick to mock.

Shikarou handed his brother the bottle as he wiped his mouth. "We should pool resources, unless you are still pissed about the beacon. I'm willing to take a smaller share if you want; it's really not that big a deal."

Faelan tilted his head back and drank from the bottle. "I thought about it last night and after quizzing Alice, I discovered you are right. Father was taking the pack leader's share and I didn't realize it could belong to me." He passed the bottle back. "Learning that from you at half the profits was much cheaper than learning it from Dad; what with his 'it'll be a learning experience for you' philosophy." He grinned. "So I learned something he might not have wanted me to. He could have come here himself and gotten it all."

"You've grown. I'm glad to see that." Shikarou idly watched a man come walking down the street towards them.

"I'm almost thirty now. Twenty seven to be exact and I've been here for twelve years, on my own for the first time in my life. It tends to make you grow up." He reached for the bottle again. "I've got Alice, who's a tactical AI. I've also got some twee seeds but I'm not willing to share them. You can have access to Alice as long as you are in range, but she stays with me." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I invested my money as soon as I went back in time, so I've still got over eight million credits available. You can have half of them if you'd like, but I expect recompense."

Shikarou nodded. "Thanks for the offer of money, but I brought some gold with me and when I get to Lairg I'll change it to the local currency." His eyes followed the fellow as he stalked by, glancing at them incuriously.

"Why wait until Lairg? You could do that here."

Shikarou replied in a dry voice. "Someone blew up the bank and it's closed until repairs are complete. The estimate I got yesterday when I went there was that it would be a month or so before it opened."

"Oh, yeah."

"Bottle?" Faelan handed it back. "Thanks. My twee has had tactical upgrades, so I don't carry a spare AI. I've got the gold and a small manufactory. I'll need to know where you've put any bases as well." Shikarou was still watching when the man went into a shop just past them.

"I don't have any. Why?"

"I brought a base seed. I figured I'd put it on the other side of the planet from your base, but now I just need to find a good place for it. Any suggestions?"

Faelan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Somewhere in the middle of the ocean would be good, if you can get there. The people here don't use the seas for much, just fishing and most water pokegirls tend to stick to the coast. There aren't any real deep water pokegirls except for some large Sharptits." He shrugged. "However, that is according to the current research, and pokegirl research is spotty at best. The more adventurous researchers keep coming up dead for some reason."

"Dead? Natural or organized?"

"While normally I tend to sneer at conspiracy theorists, I would have to say a little of both. There are a lot of groups out there that don't want to be found and some of them, like the Limbec type pirate groups and the Mantis pokegirls, tend to be rather violent when discovered. They're out there somewhere, though, so caution is called for. Then you've got the Sanctuary people, who are just as secretive and may be just as violent."

"May be?"

"If they are, no one has gotten away to report it." He shrugged. "My job with the Department of Special Affairs gives me a good security level, but anything about Sanctuary is at the 'kill yourself before reading' level. All that the field personnel know are sparse rumors and much of those are contradictory."

"So how about sticking the base here on the Blue continent?"

"We'd need to make sure we claimed the land."

"Doesn't having the land in our names kind of defeat the whole secret base concept?" Shikarou refilled the bottle with a quick spell and handed it back. "Then the land could be traced back to us."

Faelan grimaced. "We may have no choice. As long as the base remains hidden it won't be an issue."

"I see. Well, if I travel around hitting the gyms, I can take a look at the landscape as I go. What about your Megami-sama? Is she likely to be a problem?"

"Not as long as our work is helping more people than it hurts. I'm glad you didn't come along right after I met Svetlana, though. It's taken several years for her to mellow to this point."

"So I shouldn't go looking for celestial pokegirls for my harem, should I?"

Faelan smiled. "I wouldn't recommend it. Svetlana is my alpha and I love her dearly, but in the beginning I might have been better off with normal pokegirls. As for you, brother, any of the celestial pokegirls would try to stop your shenanigans. For the same reason I wouldn't recommend an OfficerJenny, either. They're even worse and would turn you in if you won't renounce any lawbreaking ways."

"I only break the stupid ones. Is it my fault that they are all stupid at some point?"

"You might get away with breaking stupid laws with an angelic pokegirl, but I suspect you don't bother waiting for them to become idiotic before you break them." Shikarou's only answer was a huge grin. "I thought not."

Faelan handed the bottle back for another refill. "It's considered bad form to lose your first pokegirl quickly and since you've only got the Boobisaur and she's not that powerful, how about I tag along with you to Lairg? We can go by the Harris Conservatory and I can introduce you to Poppet and the rest of the gang there. It's a Pokeranch for rare pokegirls and maybe you can wheedle a second pokegirl out of her. If not, then we might be able to catch you a feral pokegirl on the trip."

"I thought the hard part was avoiding the ones you don't want to catch."

"It is. Especially for us. My pheromones tend to bring them out of the woodwork and I suspect you are going to have the same problem." Faelan smirked. "I'll have to tell about how I met Josephine when we camp for the evening."

"Sounds good. Oh, I also brought a handful of comsats along with me. I hadn't placed any yet since I didn't know where you had some, but now I suspect you didn't bring any, did you?"

"No. I'm not sure you can place them at all. Space here is odd and the normal rules don't apply once you leave the atmosphere."

Shikarou frowned. "Really? Well how about if I hang them right on the edge of the atmosphere? They'll work there, we'll just need more of them for full coverage. They're not big, so it's unlikely they'll be noticed, and if anyone tries anything, I'll program them to head for the surface and run away." He thought for a moment. "I'll put one of them in a polar orbit and we can use it to send each other messages if real-time contact proves unfeasible." He nodded to himself. "That will work, and it'll be able to build us an accurate map of the planet as it orbits."

Faelan nodded. "That should help a lot. If nothing else it'll give us a message lag of only hours and will be totally secure. I like it." He burped once and shifted around to get more comfortable. "Now we only need to wait for Svetlana and the twins to return."

"Where are they?"

"They went to a market in Indigo that they really like to get some more supplies. They'll be back in a couple of hours."

Shikarou handed the bottle to his brother and slid to his feet. "Then I'm going to go into the woods and tame Misaki."

"Again?"

"No, she wanted to be tamed out here instead of inside. So this will be the first time."

"That's considerate of you. What do you think of her so far?"

"I haven't known her that long yet, but I suspect that taciturn is going to turn out to be a good description of her."

Shikarou headed deep enough into the woods to be out sight of Wick, but remained close enough that hopefully feral pokegirls wouldn't be an issue. He found a sunny clearing that looked perfect and carefully took a deep breath, sniffing to ensure that someone else didn't also find it perfect. His ears rotated as he searched for sounds of occupancy.

Finally satisfied that the clearing was actually empty, he pulled out her pokeball and released Misaki into the sunlight.

She smiled as she coalesced. "This is nice."

Shikarou nodded. "I hoped you would like it." He kicked off his boots. "I'm afraid we don't have a whole lot of time for this."

Misaki smiled and stepped up to him, placing her hands on his belt and started undoing it. "Help?"

He smiled. "I would like that, Misaki." He pulled his shirt up and over his head as she quickly opened his pants. He was still peeling out of his shirt when her lips closed around his cock.

Shikarou fell over backwards with a thump, still wrapped in his shirt. He heard Misaki giggle and drop to her knees next to him and felt her engulf his cock again.

"You are a determined girl," he muttered as he fought his way out of the shirt. Misaki giggled around his cock and sucked harder.

Shikarou gave up and ripped the shirt apart. Misaki watched him, her mouth full of his cock and her eyes glittering with laughter. "Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" She nodded and nipped him with her teeth before taking him down her throat.

His head fell backwards and audibly hit the ground. She giggled again. "You win," he groaned.

Misaki raised her head and smirked at him. "Good. Now lie still and let me play."

"You drive a hard bargain, but ok." She giggled again as she went back to sucking him.

"You know, normally I don't care for giggling, but I think yours is kind of cute, considering the situation," he muttered to himself.

She nipped him again. "Hush and be still."

"Fine." He lay still, enjoying her ministrations.

After a while she lifted her head from his cock and crawled on top of him. Shikarou looked up at her. "Can I move now?"

She grinned. "No." She positioned herself over him and dropped, driving him deep inside her. She hissed as his cock disappeared into her body and then began riding him, her body rising and falling.

She sped up until the clearing echoed with the sound of their bodies meeting. Misaki looked down at him, her face frantic. "Help me," she moaned.

Shikarou grabbed her hips and began meeting her thrusts as she rode him. Misaki's eyes rolled back as she orgasmed. Her body convulsed as he thrust faster, feeling himself build.

Misaki came again, shuddering. Shikarou was suddenly covered in tentacles as she went limp. He ground her down onto him and her eyes went wide as she felt his cock swell inside her and his heat spilled into her body. She thrashed on top of him as another orgasm ripped through her and slowly collapsed onto his chest.

She sighed and nuzzled his chest. Shikarou ran his fingers up her back and stroked her bulb. Her eyes opened and she gave him a pert look as a tentacle wrapped around his wrist and pulled his hand away.

He smiled. "Later, then." Misaki nodded and returned her head to his chest.

The sky was starting to turn a reddish gold as the sun started its descent to the ground. Dark clouds were bunched on the western horizon and the wind was full of the promise of rain.

Faelan looked back at Shikarou. "We'll need to make camp soon. Storms come quickly here and you can never predict how bad they will be, thanks to changes Sukebe made to the environment." He waved to Svetlana, who ghosted in and landed.

Shikarou nodded. "Sounds good." He watched as Faelan pulled out a wand and muttered something. Suddenly a blazing campfire and tent appeared ahead of them. "Now that is a useful spell. Can I get you to teach it to me?"

"Sure. I'm sure there are spells that you can teach me, so we'll trade spell for spell."

"It's a deal. I'd like to learn that one tonight if possible."

Faelan grinned. "It'll take as long as it takes for you to learn it. If it takes more than one day, I get a new spell for each day it takes, like normal. We'll get started after dinner. Why don't you catch it for us tonight? There are a lot of rabbits but if you are too slow you can always catch fish."

Shikarou snorted. "Rabbit it is. I'm on it." He tightened the straps on his backpack before slipping silently into the forest and disappeared.

Svetlana frowned at Faelan as she watched him getting the cooking gear out of the tent. "He's older than you, right?" He nodded. "So why is he taking your orders?"

"Shikarou isn't stupid. He realizes that I know more about this place than he does right now and so he's willing to listen to me." Faelan stroked his braid thoughtfully. "Don't underestimate him. He's extremely independent, and won't take anything he doesn't want to from people. I really hope that the two of you can be friends."

"Why? Is he that important to you?"

"He is my brother, but you come first. It's just that if he gets aggravated enough, he just might avoid us until you die of old age and we could probably use his help."

Svetlana gave him a startled look. "And if I don't? Or if I do and then come back as some kind of ghost pokegirl or reincarnate."

"Right now you haven't really made him mad. Let's just keep it that way."

"Is he likely to do something that would cause me to jump all over him?" Svetlana gave him a curious look. "He already agreed not to counterfeit any more money unless it was vital. As long as he's willing to be reasonable, we shouldn't have any problems."

Faelan gave her an even look. "Blood and darkness. I'll talk to him and see if he'll try to be understanding about you."

Svetlana sighed. "So he's not likely to be reasonable." She frowned and got that far away look that warned Faelan that the cosmic awareness was back. "Your brother is being attacked by something."

Faelan nodded. "We can't go barging in unless he asks for help, but I can't think of any reason not to see what is going on."

They followed the sudden ring of metal on metal until they got to the battle site. While Faelan hadn't really been expecting anything specific, what he did see was amusing.

A long haired brunette with black bat wings was straddling some guy and riding him like her life depended on it amid the ruins of their clothing while Shikarou was holding a katana he'd never seen before and battling some pokegirl who was armed with a Western style sword. Misaki stood to one side, intently watching her master and the pokegirl as they fought.

Svetlana hissed in anger and pointed at the brunette. "That's a Succubus." She started forward only to be stopped by her Tamer.

"We don't get involved unless Shikarou goes down or asks for our aid." The Megami-sama glared and folded her arms. Faelan pointed his pokedex at the pokegirl fighting his brother.

"Slicer, the swordswoman pokegirl. Slicer is proficient with any weapon she can wield."

Svetlana frowned. "Can your brother defeat a Slicer?"

Faelan shrugged. "I don't think it matters. Look."

Shikarou had slipped while backpedaling for some room and in a flash the Slicer was on him, only to jump away as Misaki slapped a razor leaf attack at her while her Tamer recovered. The Slicer screamed in anger and lunged at Misaki, only to pull short as she had to defend herself against Shikarou's renewed assault.

Misaki slid sideways toward the Succubus and the unknown human while still watching the fight between the Slicer and Shikarou. She shook suddenly, releasing a cloud of blue dust from her bulb that slid over the infernal pokegirl and her victim.

Faelan quickly checked the wind direction to make sure they were clear. "That must be lust dust."

The Boobisaur hurled more razor leaves and this time scored on the Slicer, who bellowed in pain. It distracted her enough for Shikarou to knock the sword from her hands and flip it away. She frantically lunged after it, only to be slapped away from her prize with the flat of his blade.

The Slicer growled and dodged another strike as she tried to reach her fallen weapon.

Svetlana gasped. "What just happened?"

Faelan followed her gaze to watch the Succubus collapse on top of her partner and slowly roll off of him, her wings folding up as she fell. The guy struggled out from under her unconscious form as Misaki clasped her hands over her head and did an impromptu victory dance. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is Misaki thinks she won it."

His attention was drawn back as the Slicer finally made it past Shikarou to jump for her sword. She screamed in pain as Shikarou whipped in a circle and caught her hard in the ass with the flat of his katana, catapulting her high over her fallen weapon and headfirst into some bushes. She threw herself to her feet with a cry of frustration as Shikarou once again put himself between her and her sword. His grin faded as she suddenly glowed like the sun.

His voice echoed around the clearing. "Shit!" Shikarou stuck his katana point first into the ground and held his hands in front of himself, summoning a white ball of energy which erupted into a beam that smashed the still glowing pokegirl through the tree behind her. The glow died as she hit the ground amid a flurry of feathers and bits of falling tree.

Faelan's jaw dropped. "I know the spell he's going to teach me, now."

Shikarou shook his head and looked around in time to notice the man slipping into the woods. "Misaki, get him." She ran after the guy into the trees as Shikarou checked the former Slicer's pulse and verified that she was still alive.

Satisfied, he picked up the human's fallen belt and pulled two pokeballs from it as a scream sounded from the forest. He started to lunge for the trees when a grinning Misaki appeared, dragging the guy by two tentacles. He was flailing and screaming as she pulled him through whatever was in the way.

Shikarou hunted through the fragments of clothing until he found some strips long enough to bind up the man before returning the two pokegirls to their respective pokeballs.

Faelan watched as his brother draped an arm over Misaki's shoulder and hugged her to him. She hugged him back and said something. He grinned and nodded before recalling her to her pokeball.

Shikarou pulled his katana from the dirt and wiped the blade. Then he held it in a ready position and said clearly, "Thank you." The sword vanished as Svetlana watched in surprise. He picked up the Slicer's weapon and sauntered over to the Megami-sama and Faelan.

Shikarou suddenly looked tired. "Did you like the show?"

Faelan shook his head. "I've seen better acting and the musical score needed work. What happened?"

Shikarou took a deep breath and placed his hands in the small of his back as he stretched. "That was the Tamer who walked by us while we were talking this morning. Apparently he heard me talking about my gold and came along to lighten my load, so to speak. He came out of the woods and demanded that I give him my pack. I told him to go fuck himself and he attacked me with the two pokegirls you saw."

He rolled his head in a slow circle to stretch out his neck as he kept talking. "I got Misaki out before they reached me and the Succubus went after her while I was summoning my sword. I ordered Misaki to hit her with lust dust and follow it with leech seed and she got through with both attacks. She shows a lot of promise. The Succubus jumped our resident idiot for some taming and you two showed up not long after. I guess the leech seed took out the Succubus eventually."

"What was that spell you used to take out the Slicer," Faelan asked eagerly.

Shikarou sighed. "That was the Light of Heaven." He eyed his brother warily. "It's a really difficult spell to master."

"I don't care. You are going to teach it to me." He glanced at Svetlana. "And to her, if she can master it."

"I'll teach it to you. What you do with it after that isn't my problem." He smiled at the outraged look which crossed the Megami-sama's face. "Look, we didn't get off on a good footing when we met, and trying to teach you a complex spell like this isn't going to endear you to me any more, so I'd really like to teach it to Faelan and then let him work with you until you learn it." He smiled slowly. "Besides, he's going to teach me a new spell each day he tries to learn this one. What do you have to offer?"

Svetlana turned bright red. "I am shocked at you. I happen to be your brother's pokegirl and you know that!"

Shikarou shrugged. "You are either property or a person. If you are property then I'm not going to teach you and if you are a person you will have to make your own deals with me for lessons or learn from Faelan."

Svetlana blinked and suddenly looked thoughtful.

Faelan looked suddenly unsure. "You'd sleep with my alpha?"

"I'd look at what she was willing to offer me and make any decisions at that point, just like I would anyone else." He rubbed his eyes. "If Svetlana is a person then she can offer me many things, at least in theory. She could offer me sex, of course, but she could also offer to transport me around when I needed, or to help me find a pokegirl with teleport, or even do my laundry for a century or so, or the gods only know what. Whatever she decides to offer, if anything, I'll evaluate it and decide."

Svetlana eyed Shikarou. "What are you going to do with him?" She gestured towards the prisoner.

"I've recorded the entire event, so I was hoping you would take him back to Wick along with a copy and turn him over to the police. If not, I'll cut his throat and leave the body. In any case, since it was an unprovoked assault, I'm keeping everything he's got except one pair of pants, if he has any after the Succubus ripped his clothes off."

"Oh and before you ask, I am keeping both pokegirls." He looked evenly at Svetlana. "If you have a problem with that, then we can part ways in the morning."

Faelan frowned and obviously changed the subject. "What did the Slicer evolve into?"

"I'm not sure. Whatever it is has wings." Shikarou pulled out the pokeball and his pokedex.

"Valkyrie, the Northern swordmistress pokegirl. Valkyrie evolves from Slicer or Airmaiden due to the stress of battle."

"Well, that should be fun." He glanced at Svetlana. "If you really have a problem with my Succubus, you could always help me evolve her to a Demon-Goddess." He smiled. "I'm sure your cosmic awareness knows how that happens, right?"

Svetlana nodded. "Yes, but I don't know until I need it."

"Then perhaps you should work on needing it."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Oh, have you ever tried?"

"What an odd question. Of course I haven't."

Shikarou's crooked smile appeared. "Then how do you know it wouldn't work? If this cosmic awareness can send you stuff, then perhaps you can request knowledge from it as well." He ran his hand through his long hair. "Look, while you try to come up with a rejoinder to that, both Misaki and I need a bath before the taming I promised her, so if you two will excuse me?" He turned and headed towards camp.

Svetlana watched him go. "You have finally introduced me to someone who may turn out to be more impossible than you." Her eyes lingered on where Shikarou'd disappeared into the trees. "He asks the strangest questions."

"Makes one think, though, don't they?" Faelan grinned at her surprised look. "He's always challenging the status quo. Sometimes I think that is why his mother ran him out of her home. She doesn't like disruptions."

He frowned. "So are you going to take our guest back to Wick?"

"After I get a copy of the fight and make sure Shikarou is right about what happened. He was kidding about killing him, wasn't he?"

"Wouldn't that be a lie?"

"Oh. I better get that recording right away."

Three days later Faelan pointed down at a large grouping of buildings. "There lies the Harris Conservatory, one of the world's best known breeding facilities of rare and valuable pokegirls. They lay claim to just about everything to the north along Loch Naver and the associated river as well. They're also allied with the local ElfQueen and her band of lovelies. The Conservatory has been here for centuries and the whole time Poppet has run the place."

"I'm not paying for the guided tour." Shikarou waved up at his Valkyrie. "Bonnie, get down here."

She banked and glided in to a landing, spattering him with leaves and twigs as she touched down. "Sorry." She brushed the stuff off of him. "I'm still getting used to landing around you."

"It's ok. You'll get better with practice." She smiled at his words and touched the gem on her breastplate, sending her wings back to wherever they went when she wasn't using them.

Faelan hitched up his pack and gave a short whistle. A purple head appeared out of the brush and disappeared as he waved one of the twin Eva forward. He turned to his brother. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." They moved out.

A short time later Shikarou and Faelan sat on a bench and sipped tea. Poppet brushed back her golden hair and leaned back as she picked up her tea. "I find it a little hard to believe that you are Faelan's brother. You don't look anything like him."

"We have the same father." Shikarou smiled. "Dad has several wives and loads of children."

"I see. How did you come to be here? I was lead to believe that Faelan was here by himself."

"He was supposed to be. I'm here without our father's knowledge, not that it matters to me."

Poppet nodded to herself. "Would you mind if I, um, helped myself in understanding? Your mental shields are quite good."

Shikarou looked at her evenly for a moment. Poppet smiled as she felt his wards drop. "Thank you." She was quiet for a moment. "So you came here because your sisters and mother were trying to get you to remarry in what you considered an unseemly hurry."

"That's right. I wasn't expecting this, but I think everything will work out ok, as soon as I get rid of my Succubus."

"You have a Succubus?" She smiled slightly. "It just so happens that our last breeding Succubus has become a pokewoman, so now she gives us Youma. I think we might be able to work something out if you wanted to sell her to us."

"Fine, she's yours."

Poppet's brow creased slightly. "Aren't you going to name a price?"

"I don't think you will cheat me." Shikarou picked up a biscuit and nibbled it.

Poppet frowned. "Are you, by chance, a telepath?"

"No, I'm mostly a mage." He smiled. "I used your carrier wave to skim through your mind, as you suspect. A complex spell, but one that has kept me healthy."

Her frown deepened. "You are very good. I never felt your presence."

"Magic doesn't feel like a psychic intrusion. There wasn't anything for you to notice." Shikarou shrugged. "I hope you aren't mad at me." He brightened. "I know. I am like my brother in that I cannot lie. I promise you that I will never tell anyone what I learned unless you allow it."

She seemed to consider it. "I'm not sure if I could have you safely killed, so I suppose that will have to do."

Faelan smiled at his brother. "Now you understand why Svetlana is in her pokeball right now."

Shikarou nodded. "She'd be frothing at the mouth right now, wouldn't she?"

Poppet smiled. "We can only hope. Are you as practical as your brother?"

"I'm more practical than Faelan has ever dreamed of being, but then my upbringing was just a little different than his and I'm older than he is."

"Your Tamer record says you are twenty five. Faelan is older than that."

"I am twenty five." He put his cup down. "I'm also older than that. No one ever bothers to ask if that is my maximum age. They just ask if I'm the indicated age."

Poppet smiled. "Ah, a verbal fencer. Just what is your maximum age?"

"I'm halfway to my third century." Shikarou smiled at her expression. "Faelan is still a babe in arms compared to me."

Poppet nodded. "Are the two of you staying the night?" She continued at Faelan's nod. "Shikarou, may I ask a favor of you?"

"I'm willing to hear what you want," he replied pleasantly.

"Would you stay the night with me, please?"

Shikarou's ears flicked and he glanced at Faelan, who looked surprised. "I'm very honored by your generous request, but I cannot in good conscience perform such a favor for you." Poppet looked disappointed. "However, I would be more than happy to stay with you tonight without any obligations on either side, as long as you don't try to keep any of my semen for your breeding projects."

Poppet slowly waggled a finger at him. "You did learn a lot earlier." She shrugged. "I wouldn't bother. Your brother's sperm proved unviable with my pokewomen." Faelan started in surprise.

"That's because our father sterilized him before he came here." Shikarou nodded at his brother's expression. "I suspected it since our kami traits breed true in humans and most likely with pokegirls, since they are human too." He took a deep breath. "I can reverse it later brother, if it becomes an issue. I know the spell father used." His gaze returned to Poppet. "I, however, am not sterile." He got a thoughtful look. "Perhaps I should remedy that in case I run across any pokewomen or humans who want to sleep with me." He fixed Poppet with a flat look. "Or who may want to collect my seed."

She smiled easily. "That might be a good idea, or I might not be able to keep my collection bottles out of the bedroom tonight."

Faelan finished his cup of tea. "I thought you were trying to get Devon more into your life."

"He's been sent off to the Sunshine league and a girl has needs. I know Svetlana doesn't like you and me being together, which is why we were only lovers for a brief time. And your brother is cute."

"What about Devon's spy?"

"Letitia? I don't bother myself about her. She's busy being pregnant anyway." She smirked. "I don't know if I'm jaded, but I grow a little weary of every female who's pregnant for the first time carrying on like she discovered childbearing."

Shikarou snorted. "You aren't jaded. It's very annoying."

"See, your brother and I already have something in common." She gave Shikarou a curious look. "Do you have children of your own?"

"Four daughters. All grown and out of the house, thankfully long before Pallaius died." Shikarou leaned back.

"I thought so. You sounded like you'd been there."

He smiled. "I should hope to say I was there. I put my seed into her belly and I was there to deliver all of my children."

Poppet smiled back. "I like the fact that you were involved for the whole course. I think you and I could get along quite well." She put her cup down and rose. "If you two would be willing to wait here for a moment, I'll see to having rooms made ready for you." She glanced at Faelan. "I presume you will be wanting to use the guest house again?"

"Yeah, it'll help to keep Svetlana calm."

She looked at Shikarou. "What about you?"

"I'm already calm."

Poppet laughed. "Then I'll have a room prepared for you in the main building. You can freshen up there. I'll send someone around to collect your pokegirls for a healing and cleaning cycle. Shikarou, will you want to say goodbye to your Succubus?"

"Her name is Yvonne, and no. She's been causing a great deal of trouble with my harem in the few days I've had her, so I'm just glad you'll take her. You have the facilities to keep her under control." He sighed. "I'd probably end up killing her before too long. My pokegirls are just too young to deal with her personality type and I'm not going to let them suffer because my Succubus is an unwelcome pain in the ass."

Poppet looked pleased. "I'm glad to hear that the welfare of your entire harem is important to you."

"Of course it is. Living with a pissed off woman who's pissed off at someone else is worse than one's who mad at you. You can't make it right, you just have to live with her." He pulled a pokeball from his belt. "In fact, you can take her right now." He suddenly shook the pokeball very hard.

Poppet stared. "What was that for?"

Shikarou grinned. "I know it doesn't work that way, but I like imagining that she's really dizzy right now." He offered the Unicorn the pokeball.

"You are bizarre," Poppet shook her head, "and slightly refreshing, in some odd way. Dinner will be in two hours, so I will leave you gentlemen to freshen up."

Shikarou ran his fingers through the blonde's hair as he thought. Finally Poppet shifted her head on his chest just enough to peer at him with one blue eye. "Did you know you have been doing that for over three hours?"

He frowned and checked his twee. "You are right. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No, it is very relaxing and keeps putting me back to sleep." She yawned, sending a warm breath of air across his chest. "However, I needed to get up an hour ago."

"I never heard an alarm and no one knocked."

"I normally don't need one and nobody would dare disturb me unless the Conservatory was under attack." She stretched and propped herself up, smiling through a haze of gold hair. "So, are you afraid of morning breath?"

Shikarou chuckled and kissed her. "No."

The Unicorn finally pulled away and picked up her com. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Whatever you are having will be fine."

"You want boiled oats?"

He smiled slightly. "I've eaten gruel before."

"It's oatmeal." She stuck out her tongue at him.

"A rose by any other name." He sat up and stretched. "That was nice. It's been a while since I've been with a woman who had a good idea of what she wanted and was willing to actually share the information."

Poppet raised an eyebrow. "Is that unusual?"

"You have no idea." Shikarou leaned back against the headboard. "Most either don't know what they want or are afraid to tell. I want to pleasure them, so either case is frustrating. Then there are the ones that know and want you to find out. I've never understood why they got so uptight when during my voyage of grand discovery I did something they hated. How was I to know?"

Poppet gave a throaty chuckle. "We've got a Dominatrix who's like that. She likes to punish her partners for not knowing what to do."

Shikarou snorted. "While I understand that it takes all kinds to make the world work, she and I would get along as badly as I did with Yvonne."

"I did notice that Yvonne seemed happy to be out of your harem. Why is that?" Poppet picked up a hairbrush and started running it through her hair.

"She attacked Misaki over something and I thrashed her soundly. She'd done it once before and I warned her about what would happen if she did it again, but she didn't want to listen. She apparently thought I would just give up and knuckle under. It wouldn't have been a problem if Misaki was self assured enough to take care of herself, but she's only fifteen and just left the Pokeranch where she grew up." Shikarou sighed. "When she healed up from that then she went after me and I beat her unconscious." He reached over and pulled the brush from her grip. "Turn around."

She sighed as he brushed her hair out. "That's nice. No one has done this for a long time."

"You've been alone too long."

Poppet turned to look at him and he carefully turned her back around so he could continue. "What do you mean? I'm not alone."

"I got some of your thoughts yesterday, remember. You have been alone since Jamie died. I recognize the signs." Shikarou paused to carefully untangle a knot of hair. "Just like you, after Pallaius died, I pushed everyone away and buried myself in work." He cocked his head and thumped her gently on the back with the brush. "Take a deep breath and relax. I'm not being critical, I'm just stating facts." Poppet's back muscles untensed.

"I suspect that Jamie's death made you aware of how few people shared your longevity and you responded by keeping the rest of your relationships superficial. I've seen it happen before." He put the brush down and dug his fingers into the muscles of her shoulders. She sighed and leaned into the massage. "The problem here is that you are a member of the first generation of long lived people to occur on this planet and none of you have any elders to guide you, especially in dealings with short lived mortals."

Poppet turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "How long do your people live?"

He shrugged. "Barring accidents, as long as we need to. When we are ready to die, we just do."

"Are you immortal?" There was an odd tone to her voice.

"No, nothing is truly immortal. Even the gods will eventually die. I like to think of myself as chronologically challenged."

"Challenged?"

"Well, our relationships with shorter lived races are difficult to say the least. They often up and die at the most inconvenient times." Shikarou kept his voice deliberately light. "That's why there are so many stories about immortal beings taking revenge on the descendants of someone who wronged them. By the time they get around to punishing the transgressor, often he's died of old age. And you just don't want to waste a good punishment."

"Was your wife short lived?"

"No, she was murdered."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Shikarou thumped her on the back. "Stop that. I've never understood this habit humans have of apologizing for something that they were not involved in."

"Can I apologize for apologizing?" Poppet gave him a slight smile.

He laughed. "Sure."

"Did you get the murderer?"

"Mother specifically ordered me not to."

"So he got away with it."

"She. While my mother specifically ordered me not to, that doesn't mean I listened to her." Shikarou moved to the middle of Poppet's back and kept working.

"So you did get revenge."

"I don't think of it that way. Revenge is a useless, empty thing. What I did do was make sure she would never murder anyone again. That did mean she had to die, so I killed her." He pulled her across the bed to rest against his chest. "Don't think I didn't notice when you changed the subject. We were talking about you, not me."

"Were we?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and then leaned back against him. "People say that I've obsessed over Jamie's death. Behind my back of course, but I find out."

"Did you?"

Poppet settled herself more comfortably against him. "I suppose I did." She ground her teeth audibly. "Dammit, I loved him and he left me."

"You don't have to forget your loves. You just have to learn to live without them." Shikarou sighed. "It's not something you want to do, but your only other option is to die." He wrapped his arms around her, just underneath her breasts. "You will never replace him. What you need to ask yourself is what would he have wanted for you?"

"I don't have to ask that. He told me before his death." Poppet's voice was bitter. "He wanted me to carry on and live my life." She turned to look him fully in the face. "Why am I telling you this?"

"You need a friend and I'm being friendly." Shikarou nodded. "If not me, then someone. Frankly, I'm not a bad choice. I'm a great guy and fantastic lover. The best thing about me, at least for you, is that I don't have a stake in your life. I don't work here and you can't affect my wellbeing or state of unemployment." She smiled. "I'm also a good listener, even if I won't let you change the subject. Oh, yeah, and I already promised not to tell anyone your secrets so you can speak freely to me."

Poppet gave him an odd look. "Do you think you could be my friend?"

"That depends on what type of friend you want."

"Are there different types?"

"Yes, there is the 'oh my god you killed him but I'll help you hide the body and lie to the police' kind of friend and the 'whatever, as long as it doesn't inconvenience me' kind of friend."

Poppet looked thoughtful for a minute. "I'd like a body hiding friend. I think I have several of the other kind already."

"Then you have to realize that if I think you are being an ass, I won't hesitate to tell you." Shikarou smiled to take the sting from his words.  
"I'm not used to that, so could you take it slowly?"

"Nope, body hiding friends are all or nothing."

"All right, all it is." Poppet looked up as there was a knock at the door. "That will be my oatmeal and your gruel." She got up and headed towards the door. Shikarou admired the play of her muscles as she walked. Suddenly she paused. "Shikarou, can body hiding friends still be lovers?"

"I don't see why not." He grinned.

"Good."

Name: Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 17

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer N

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Boobisaur Misaki 15

Valkyrie Bonnie 21

_**BOOBISAUR (aka BULBOUSTITS), the Busty Plant Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Plant/Poison  
**Frequency**: Common  
**Diet**: sunlight, water, nutrients through soil  
**Role**: arousing other pokegirls, soil regeneration

**Libido**: Average to High (sunlight-based)  
**Strong Vs**: Electric, Plant, Water, Rock, Fighting  
**Weak Vs**: Psychic, Fire, Flying, Ice  
**Attacks**: Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed, Lust Dust, Vine Bondage  
**Enhancements**: Solar Rejuvenation,  
**Evolves**: Ivywhore (normal), Venuswhore (evolved Ivywhore; orgasm)  
**Evolves From**: None  
The Boobisaur, known in some leagues as the Bulboustits, is known widely as the default type of Plant pokegirl. Despite it's also being a Poison type, it is what most people think of when thinking of a Plant-type.  
This pokegirl looks less human than other "starting" types. Her skin and hair are always both a deep green, with small darker patches of green patterning her skin in a Cheetit-esque manner. The real oddity though is the large plant bulb growing on her back. It's usually small, about the size of a wreckball, situated on her lower back. Because of this, a Boobisaur will never sleep or lie on her back, always preferring to lie face-down, and is usually Tamed doggy-style, or with her being on top. Most Tamers don't mind any of this at all though, instead focusing on the most notable feature a Boobisaur has: huge breasts. No Boobisaur has ever been reported with anything less than a generous C cup, and many are larger than that. Despite their size though, they never sag, nor give a Boobisaur problems with back pains.  
Not being particularly strong, Boobisaurs prefer to fight from a distance. Whether it's tossing a parasitic seed at them, flinging razor sharp leaves, or using its vines as whips, Boobisaurs will generally wait until their opponent is down to close, usually finishing them off with Vine Bondage, where they use their vines to immobilize and forcefully pleasure their foe, or Lust Dust to drive them into a sexual frenzy. The two attacks together are a devastating combination.  
A Boobisaur's Lust Dust attack is its signature move. Any female hit by this attack experiences a temporary but drastic surge in her libido, desperately craving intense sex. The lust is so powerful that pretty much anything else is dropped to have a quick tussle with whoever is nearby. Some lucidity does remain, since she can still choose preferred partners over strangers, but most conscious thought is gone when this technique hits home. Curiously, though the dust does affect males, its effects aren't as great. A male hit with Lust Dust does become aroused, but not to the point of forgetting all else like a female does. Researchers are still trying to figure out why. Some state that men are simply always more aroused than women, so the upswing of lust isn't as bad for them, but the prevalent theory is that since almost all girls have pokegirl ancestry (and thus, have a chance of going through Threshold), they're simply more vulnerable to Lust Dust as well as certain other attacks by Boobisaur's evolutions. Opponents of the theory state that men have pokegirl genes too, just in the form of Blood Gifts, but the current paradigm remains the accepted one. Regardless of the reason, this attack remains very popular, both for capturing new pokegirls and for having an intense bout of Taming.  
Boobisaurs are Plant-types, and as such need almost no special care to be kept alive. As long as they can get plenty of fresh water, bask in the sun for a little while, and can spend some time laying on the ground (real ground, not pavement or the floor), they're healthy. If she is injured, a Boobisaur can slowly heal herself by spending several hours just laying in the sun and not moving. This heals her wounds faster than a normal person could heal themselves, but still much slower than any real form of regeneration. A byproduct of this process is that the soil she is laying on will become very healthy, and is great for growing plants. Many gardeners own a Boobisaur, and will have her lay on their flowerbeds for hours or even days before planting to ensure that the soil is nutrient-rich. Even patches of badland can be made fertile again through this process. Another pleasant side-effect of this is that, although when enjoying the sunshine they seem languid and almost drowsy, when they are finished, they are full of energy, and are quite enthusiastic to have sex. Having a Boobisaur release her Lust Dust attack on the rest of her Harem-sisters at this time will usually result in a very exhausting but enjoyable night for a Tamer.  
Boobisaur is one of the more common types for a Threshold girl to turn into. Feral Boobisaurs tend to run around tossing Lust Dust at random to get someone to screw them quickly.  
A Boobisaur's evolution to Ivywhore is a normal one, "normal" meaning that it isn't triggered by an evolution stone, and isn't dependant on orgasm or battle stress. Generally, when a Boobisaur has fought enough battles, been Tamed enough times, etc. she'll evolve. It does usually tend to be after taming, during battle, or times of great stress though.  
One curious thing that is worth noting about this pokegirl is that, given it's two names, when a feral Boobisaur is initially found in an area where she is called Bulboustits, the only thing she can say is "Bulboustits," whereas in areas where they are known as Boobisaurs, that's the name they say when feral. This isn't always true, and if transplanted (pun intended) from one area to another, they still say the name they did originally. The mystery of how one pokegirl could refer to itself by different names in separate cases sparked a series of rather brutal experiments by scientists shortly after Sukebe's Revenge, before Leagues had tighter control on things than they do now. The results were still somewhat astonishing though. The current theory (which is accepted as fact now, despite hard proof) is that Sukebe genetically encoded a "type identity" in his pokegirls, so that even if they had no memories and were feral, they could still say what they were. For some pokegirls though, Sukebe either couldn't make up his mind on what name to give them, or deliberately gave them more than one. This means that a few pokegirls, like Eelara, will say an alternate name if that's the first name for themselves they knew. Even if told otherwise, any pokegirl using an alternate name will still cling to that name and that name only as her base identity until she evolves.

_**VALKYRIE, the Northern Swordmistress Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human Metamorph

**Element**: Fighting/Flying

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: human-style diet

**Role**: Capture and rescue

**Libido**: Low to Average

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Flying, Psychic

**Attacks**: Slash, Double Slash, Cut, Sword Dance, Focus Energy, Wingover, Dive

**Enhancements**: Increased speed, strength and endurance. Can summon weapons and armor. Can make wings appear and disappear.

**Evolves**: Armsmistress (mechanism unknown)

**Evolves From**: Slicer (battle stress), Airmaiden (battle stress)

Valkyries bear a resemblance to Angels in appearance, and are often mistaken as such. They are tall and athletically built. They aren't as muscled as some types, and still possess softness and curves, but one can easily see the strength in their limbs and the dangerous grace of a warrior. Their hair is usually golden blonde (occasionally silver, and other shades of blonde), and almost always kept long, though it is usually tied in braids or pigtails. Eye color is light, either blue or green. Skin color is pale. Valkyries typically appear with a breastplate, a helm with wing motifs, greaves, longsword, and in the off-hand either a shortsword or a shield. Some Valkyries have been known to use a spear instead. Finally, they have a pair of white feathered wings, separate from their arms, much like an Angel. These wings can be summoned or dismissed by touching a jewel on her chest. Valkyries usually insist on wearing some clothes, though they need not be terribly modest, and will rarely take off their armor outside of taming or bathing.

Valkyries have an ingrained habit of searching battlefields for powerful, defeated pokegirls, and rescuing or capturing them. This should be noted, since if a Valkyrie can access a tamer's pokegirls after a tough battle, a tamer can suddenly find themselves out of spare pokeballs and with an extra handful of pokegirls added to their harem. They will also consider getting a downed harem sister out of the battlefield to be of higher priority than defeating their enemy. However, they will stop all this behavior (begrudgingly) at their tamer's insistence. It is sometimes considered a bad omen to see a flock of feral Valkyries in flight, as it can suggest that a large battle with many injured or dead is, has, or will soon occur. The phrase "flight of the Valkyries" is sometimes used as a euphemism for war in literature.

Valkyries are excellent fighters with their weapons, on par with all the other Slicer evolutions. They are also brilliant at evaluating the strength of a fighter. They tend to fight defensively, economizing movement, warding blows away with armor and shield while they wait for an opening. With great strength and precision, they seek to end the fight quickly with as little effort on their part as possible, so that they have the energy to evacuate any allies from the fight, if needed. A Valkyrie often uses her wings to quickly charge her foes, either for hit and run attacks or to quickly get into a defensive position. Valkyries usually only use their wings for movement, however, and dismiss them once in the melee. She can also use them for distance attacks against ground targets. It should be noted that in aerial combat, a Valkyrie will usually prove inferior to other flying types, especially birds.

Resembling Angels in more than just appearance, Valkyries are polite but serious and aloof, at least in public. The only exception to this is if she is drunk, which will prompt very different behavior, namely: loud merrymaking, singing, boasting, and much more friendly behavior towards her tamer. While sober, a Valkyrie won't publicly show her tamer affection; or at least nothing more than a smile and holding hands. Though, if her tamer initiates affectionate behavior with her, she will not push them away unless they try for more than a lip kiss. In a private setting, a Valkyrie is much more open and loving, though mildly bashful. Feral Valkyries are fairly docile, and do not commonly attack humans. However, they will defend themselves from direct attack, and will resist capture to the best of their abilities. Once captured, they do not provide much, if any trouble to their new masters. If any battles occur near them, feral Valkyries will take any unconscious pokegirls a safe distance away from the fight.

Valkyries will often concern themselves with the safety of their harem sisters. They make fine alphas for this reason, though generally they are content in any position as long as the harem is in good health. Valkyries may have problems with infernal pokegirls, but likely will not get violent with them unless attacked or unless they are doing something actively evil.

There is little to note in regards to taming Valkyries. There is, of course, the standard advice for all flying types. When their wings are out, most do not like positions where weight is put on the wings (e.g.: the missionary position), and it is best to tame them in the open air, as they sometimes beat their wings during orgasm. Finally, as with many flying pokegirls, a fair few may entertain fantasies about mid-air taming.

To date, there have been no reported cases of thresholding directly to a Valkyrie.


	2. Chapter 2

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is fiction.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh.

Chapter 2: Branwyn

Poppet paused as she saw Shikarou up ahead. He was talking to a boy with close cropped powder blue hair while he held the wing of his Valkyrie. Bonnie was watching them with an air of amusement as he moved it around. Shikarou flexed the middle joint and said something. The boy nodded, his face serious. Popped moved silently closer in order to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"So now you know that it takes about fifteen kilos of pressure to snap that wing joint if she hits you with her wing. I also showed you what to do if she grabs you, right?"

"I rotate the thumb and arm under and take it around behind her before rolling it out of the socket hard enough to tear the tendons and ligaments," the boy replied.

"Correct, Tobias. You'll have to be quick, a Dragoness isn't going to be a pushover. What else?"

"If she tries to get me to go down on her, I bite her clitoris off and if she sticks a breast in my face I bite her nipple off."

"Right. A word of caution is in order here. Just like I do, you have a complete set of fangs. If you bury them in any tissue, sometimes it is very hard to pull them free. They are after all, designed for gripping meat. If you get them stuck and she starts flailing around you are going to look like a really big nipple piercing as you flop. Remember that you are only trying to immobilize her with pain long enough to get away." Shikarou grinned. "You are a human, and to most pokegirls you are going to be what is technically termed as 'squishy'." Shikarou sketched quotation marks in the air. "If you stick around to do battle with her, you deserve what you are going to get."

"Remember, this isn't a normal battle. This pokegirl is trying to force you to tame her. Try any of this stuff in a normal fight and you are one dead boy."

"The other thing you have to consider before you do any of these things is the first question of life."

"I understand," Tobias responded.

Poppet realized the one of Shikarou's ears was pointed straight at her. She came forward with a smile. "I don't. What is the first question of life?"

Tobias gave her slightly guilty look but Shikarou only smiled. "Answer her, Tobias."

"The first question of life is 'Am I willing to live with the worst case consequences of the action I am about to perform'."

Poppet nodded. "A very profound question indeed." She put her hand on Tobias' shoulder. "Is Geraldine still harassing you?"

The boy nodded. "She doesn't believe that you won't let anyone hit me anymore." He shrugged. "She's always had her own way, first with Devon and now me, so she's not willing to give up the tamings, and we both know she likes young Tamers and violent sex."

Poppet nodded. "I'll have another talk with her. However, if she doesn't listen to me, you do what Shikarou showed you. If you cripple her, then so be it." Her face hardened. "I'll just let her heal on her own if she wants to play that game."

Shikarou smiled. "You are a hard woman."

"Not really. But like you commented earlier, if she wants to disobey me then she deserves what she is going to get."

"It wasn't a complaint. I admire that kind of spirit." Shikarou turned to Tobias. "If you have to do anything to the Dragoness, you run straight to Poppet afterwards."

Poppet shook her head. "If Geraldine steps one claw out of line you come straight to me. I won't wait until you are attacked to deal with this." She smiled grimly. "It looks like I may need to make an example of someone before the others will believe I am serious about you being off limits. We have three breeding Dragonesses, so she will do just fine."

"Yes, Poppet."

"Tobias, I would like to have a private word with Shikarou. Would you mind?"

"No, I probably should go anyways. There's some stuff in the incubatory that I need to take a look at." He held out his hand. "Thanks, Shikarou."

Shikarou looked at the hand for an instant before taking it. "You are quite welcome."

Poppet turned to Bonnie. "Could you also give us some privacy?"

Bonnie nodded and looked at her Tamer with a wicked grin. "Ball me, master?" He chuckled and recalled her into her pokeball.

Poppet cocked her head. "I see you are getting along well with your new addition."

"Both of my pokegirls are new additions and, yes, we appear to be working out a relationship." He gestured at a nearby bench. "Shall we sit?"

Poppet smiled. "Yes, let's." Once they were seated, she turned to him. "I can't be beholden to you for the Succubus so I've decided to give you some gifts in exchange for her."

"You don't owe me anything, but I won't turn down presents."

Her smile broadened. "Actually the presents are to soften you up for a huge favor. The Succubus is just an opportunity to shower you with them."

"Then you'd better get to the giving part. I don't soften easy, even for someone as beautiful as you."

Poppet favored him with a coquettish look. "You are too kind." She became serious again. "I started to put some money into your bank account only to discover that you didn't have one yet, so I took the liberty of establishing one for you. Your Tamer entry doesn't list a last name, so you will have to update the account information when you get a chance."

Shikarou shrugged. "I don't have one. If I have to have one I'll use Urufu, but I figured that since most pokegirls don't have last names it wouldn't be an issue."

"Urufu?"

"It means wolf."

"Cute. You may be able to get away with it since there wasn't a problem with your Tamer entry." She frowned. "Whoever put in the entry should have made you give a last name, but I suppose it doesn't matter now."

"She might have felt lenient since I'd just gotten through taming her," Shikarou commented wryly.

The Unicorn smiled gently. "I was willing to do you favors this morning, so I can understand her attitude. Nevertheless, you may have problems in other leagues since pokegirls are considered property in most places and that is why they often have one name. In other places, they automatically take the last name of their Tamer, which would of course be problematic in your case."

Shikarou shook his head. "The reciprocity agreements should keep me safe."

"Those aren't always followed, although since you know about them you can always argue your case."

"I'll deal with it if it becomes an issue." Shikarou poked her gently in the knee. "I'm not going to argue with you about it."

"Fine. Here is your account information." Poppet handed him a slip of paper. "Please remember that until you change your access code, I also can get into your account, so you'll want to change it as soon as you can. A rare pokegirl like a Succubus can bring over a million credits, depending on the location where you sell them and how reputable the dealer is. You won't often get that much. I've given you three hundred thousand. Rare pokegirls aren't all that rare here at the Conservatory, you see." She smiled. "The rest of my gifts will bring the total up to over half a million."

"More presents? But I didn't get you anything." He placed a hand on her knee theatrically.

Poppet smacked his hand lightly. "I'm softening you up for a favor, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"My other gift is a portable healing device. It's back at the main house and you can pick it up before you leave." She gave him a serious look. "I want you to have it so you can keep my favor healthy."

"That sounds fairly ominous. I suppose that is a perfect segue into this favor you are going to request."

Poppet patted him on the hand. "I thought you were bright." She took a deep breath before pulling a pokeball out of her pocket. "I want you to take Branwyn with you."

She activated the pokeball, which released a young Unicorn wearing a pretty blue smock. "Branwyn, this is Shikarou and he's going to be your Tamer."

Branwyn dropped a curtsey. "Greetings, master Shikarou."

Shikarou scratched an ear. "No disrespect to you, Branwyn, but I don't remember agreeing to this favor yet."

Branwyn looked startled, but Poppet merely frowned. "I was hoping you wouldn't catch that part." She sighed. "She's my daughter. I had a litter about fifty years ago and I've been slowly giving them out to Tamers who I think can treat a Unicorn like she deserves. Branwyn here is the last."

"I see." Shikarou turned to the young pokegirl. "Do you want to come with me? I'm going to do a lot of traveling, but more importantly, I'm doing your mother."

"Shikarou!" Poppet sounded shocked.

Branwyn looked puzzled. "Doing?"

"Taming."

Her confusion faded. "If you take me with you, will you stop 'doing' her?"

"No," Shikarou responded breezily.

She cocked her head in a manner eerily reminiscent of Poppet. "Why not? I'm young and pretty and she's old."

Shikarou collapsed back against the bench as he howled with laughter. Poppet shot her daughter an appalled stare. "Branwyn!"

Shikarou held up one hand as he fought his laughter under control. "No, it's ok. I like them with spunk."

Poppet straightened herself up proudly. "And do I have this 'spunk'?"

He gave her a serene smile. "You should. I gave you plenty last night."

Poppet stared at him incredulously for a moment and then turned beet red. "Shikarou!" She sputtered in shock. "I… you… argh!"

Branwyn looked blank and then clapped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter.

Shikarou took a deep breath and fought the smile off of his face. "How old are you?"

"I'm fifty."

"Are you? How much of that time did you spend in a pokeball?"

She looked confused. "Roughly eight hours a day."

"Since you are in stasis when you are in a pokeball, then aren't you actually thirty three?"

Branwyn frowned. "But in a pokeball, my mind is awake. Only my body is frozen in time."

"And that is a creepy thought." Shikarou folded his hands in his lap. "Nonetheless, age is calculated as a physical component, so you are only thirty three."

"I never thought of it that way, but I suppose you could be right. However, the leagues will compute my age from the day of my birth, so I'm fifty."

Shikarou smiled. "Good. You can think and argue logically." He leaned back. "What kind of an education have you received?"

Poppet smiled. "She's had an extensive..." She broke off as Shikarou raised a finger.

"I was asking Branwyn." He looked at Poppet evenly. "Unless you are the one who wants to join my harem, you shouldn't be answering."

Poppet glared at him.

Branwyn watched the interchange intently. "I have what would be the equivalent of a master's degree in science and administration, if pokegirls could go to the university."

"Science, huh? What do you think of the Unified Theory research currently going on?"

She looked puzzled but responded without hesitation. "I think that they aren't going to get anywhere until they include magical theory into their research, and so far they are unwilling to consider it."

"Excellent. I'll take you with me if you would like to go. I must warn you, I need an alpha, and I'm probably going to stick you with the job if you do decide to go with me. Do you think you can do the job?"

"Yes, I do. However you might want to choose someone else."

"Why would I want to do that?"

Branwyn smiled. "I'm a Unicorn, a rare and valuable pokegirl. Most Tamers won't even see one during their lifetime and even fewer will catch one. The only way most Tamers will have the opportunity of acquiring a Unicorn involve getting one from salvage or by theft, since we can't be caught unless we want to." She paused briefly as she marshaled her thoughts. "As your alpha, I will spend a lot of time by your side and therefore whenever you go into a town, you are going to be hit with a flurry of challenges over me."

"So, a lot of people will hear me tell them to piss off." Shikarou shrugged. "I'm not going to get into pokebattles unless there is a possibility of gain for me, so in any pokegirl battle I'm willing to put you up as a prize for, that Tamer will have to possess at least one very special pokegirl." He grinned nastily. "This hypothetical Tamer will also have to be willing to risk his own skin because any pokebattle over you will be a grand melee, and I can almost guarantee that as soon as I get my hands on him the battle will end."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "However, you do have a point and it will be worth all of our whiles to train hard and catch some powerful pokegirls to defend you with." He nodded absently. "I can deal with that. So, do you want to be my alpha?"

Branwyn smiled. "As long as you understand what you are getting into." She reached over and plucked her pokeball from Poppet's grasp and climbed into Shikarou's lap, squirming a little as she got comfortable. "So, are you going to tame me now?"

"When we make camp for the evening."

"Why wait?" She rubbed her cheek against his. "She won't mind. She might even want to watch."

"Eager, aren't you."

Branwyn rested her nose against his and looked into Shikarou's eyes. "I am fifty years old…" She began.

"Thirty three," he interrupted.

"Fifty." She gave him a slight glare. "Fifty years old and I have never been tamed by a man. Only pokegirls and toys. I'm ready for the next step." She wiggled slightly. "More than ready."

"Why haven't you been with a man yet?" Shikarou sounded puzzled.

"Because all of my sisters bonded their first time with a male." She smirked. "So mother couldn't take a chance on me doing the same."

"On some level, it could be argued that pokegirls bond with every human they are with, otherwise you couldn't trade pokegirls." Shikarou's puzzled look grew.

Branwyn looked surprised. "I take it mother didn't tell you that until we grow powerful enough, we don't alpha bond at all. We immediately form a delta bond with our Tamer."

Shikarou's ears flicked as he raised his head to look at Poppet. She had the grace to look embarrassed. "No, I don't believe that came up."

"Well it's true. It appears to be one of those peculiarities that are unique to our line of Unicorn. We aren't able to form an alpha bond until we pass level forty five or so. Mother was delta bonded to Jamie, but after that she was powerful enough to keep from doing it with any of her other Tamers." She rubbed her cheek against his again. "Of course, we have to wait for our current Tamer to die before we get the opportunity to try again, but one of my sisters was unfortunate enough to have her Tamers die every couple of years. Her life was miserable until she reached a high enough level to stop delta bonding." Branwyn nuzzled her lips against his. "You smell good. Kind of warm and fuzzy," she murmured.

Shikarou carefully picked Branwyn up and settled her down on the bench next to him. "This evening. I want to make some kilometers before camping and you will have to wait. I don't have enough time to give you the attention you deserve right now, but this evening you can have the whole night."

"You think you can give me the whole night? I can't wait to see that."

Poppet cleared her throat gently. "He's right, Branwyn. He kept me busy for four hours last night." She smiled fondly at Shikarou. "I suspect he could have kept going, but I was worn out."

Branwyn looked skeptical. "Endurance and recovery are rare bloodgifts, and few humans have both of them."

"I don't have any bloodgifts and I'm not human." Shikarou frowned. "I'm kami."

"What is that?"

"A Japanese spirit. Edo, if you prefer. I'm stronger, faster, and have much more endurance than a human. I'm also a moderately powerful mage."

Branwyn looked interested. "I've been told I could learn magic. Do a spell."

"Are you asking or demanding?"

She made a face at him. "Asking? Please?"

"If you are asking." Shikarou held out his hand and concentrated. A ball of glowing energy formed and lifted off to hover in front of him. "There, one light spell."

Branwyn jumped off of the bench and moved to peer closely at the glowing light. It slid around on the other side of Shikarou and tucked itself under his arm. "What is it doing? Bring it back."

He shrugged. "You scared it."

She stared at him. "I what?"

"You scared it. I have the only cowardly light spell I've ever seen." He chuckled. "Now that I can cast other forms of light spells, I only use this one for entertainment, but when I was younger it was the only light I had. Many times this little thing abandoned me in the dark when a monster lunged out at me." He snorted. "I once chased it for an hour after a partial cave-in almost got me." He glared at the ball. "Get out of there." It pushed further under his arm.

"You have got to be kidding."

Poppet was staring at the two of them. "He can't lie. It's one of the unique things about him and his brother Faelan."

"That's pretty fucked up. How do you get by without being able to lie?"

"Branwyn, language please!"

Shikarou shook his head. "It's all right, Poppet. I curse, so I'm not going to ask my pokegirls not to. Branwyn, I get by, as you put it, by telling the truth. Of course, I may parse my sentences very carefully, but anything I say will be the truth."

"That could be interesting."

"I think so."

"So I have to wait to get tamed tonight, but in return I get the whole night. I can wait for that." She frowned. "Do I have to wear this stupid dress?"

"You can wear whatever you want. As much as you want or as little. I don't have any nudity taboos or religious proscriptions."

"Ok. I'm going to go change into my jumpsuit and get my stuff. Is that ok?"

Shikarou took Branwyn's pokeball from her. "That's fine. Come find me afterwards because we are leaving fairly soon." He dismissed his light spell as she headed off. "Anything else, Poppet?"

"Yes. I have one more gift to give you." She pulled a com unit out of a pocket on her dress. "I took the liberty of setting you up a com account and paid it up for a year out of your funds." She smirked. "This way you don't have to worry about me not having your com code."

Shikarou put his hand to his brow. "That's a relief."

Poppet stuck out her tongue at him and then suddenly looked startled. "I can't believe I did that."

"Believe it. I am corrupting at the most base level. Soon you'll be doing even more scandalous things like not wearing underwear beneath your dress."

"You'll never know." She smiled sweetly. "Not after you embarrassed me so in front of Branwyn."

"Oh, is the lover part of our relationship over?"

"No, but I was going to offer you the opportunity to see if I'd been corrupted that far today. Now you don't have time, so you'll just have to wonder."

"I see. Damn."

Poppet looked him full in the eyes. "Will you visit me?"

Shikarou smiled. "I will. How often would you like me to come by? I know you have other things you could be doing besides spending your morning with me, so what would you like?"

Poppet frowned and then her eyes widened in shock. "You know, I have total recall and I can't remember when someone has asked me my opinion of that particular subject. Not in three hundred years. Mostly I get variations on 'as often as I can' or 'I'll see what I can do'."

She gave Shikarou an odd look. "Can I have a few minutes to think about it?"

"Take all of the time you need." He smiled and took her hand. "Even if you can't decide by the time I leave, you can always call me."

She squeezed his fingers. "That's right. Thank you."

He squeezed back. "That, my dear Poppet, is what friends are supposed to be like." He rose to his feet. "I need to get ready to go."

She nodded. "I'll meet you back at the main building before you leave."

"Ok." He headed off. Poppet watched him go, her eyes thoughtful as they followed him.

The camping spell that Faelan had taught to Shikarou had certain inherent limitations, insomuch that there was a certain level that the caster couldn't go below in reducing the spell. The result of this was that evening, there were two tents and two campfires, Faelan's was a nice cheery normal fire and Shikarou's a bright blue to match his blue tent.

Faelan looked at the camp and sighed. "Why a blue fire?"

"I haven't figured out how to color just the tent." Shikarou frowned. "I also haven't figured out how to move the bathroom to the other side of the living area."

Faelan gave him an odd look. "Why does it matter?"

"It screws up the feng shui where it is right now and I don't have any mirrors."

"Do you have any idea how silly that sounds?"

"You taught me a spell that makes a tent with an extradimensional space in it that has a huge living area, bathroom, seven separate bedrooms, kitchen and hot tub and you want to talk to me about silly?" He shook his head. "By the way, I have figured out how to modify the spell enough to soundproof the bedrooms."

"And?" Faelan gave his brother a hard look.

"You're still working on mastering Light of Heaven, remember?"

"I'll tell Svetlana about this mod," Faelan threatened in a low voice.

"Sorry, she's going to have to wait. I've already got a queue forming at my bedroom door and I'm thinking about putting up one of those number systems."

"What?"

"You know, 'you are now serving number three'." Shikarou grinned.

"Has anyone told you recently just how twisted your sense of humor is?"

"You are probably going to try and explain it to me again, no matter how recently someone else has tried." Shikarou paused for a heartbeat. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Faelan punched his brother in the shoulder. "Stop that." Shikarou just grinned in response.

Shikarou pulled his backpack over and started rummaging through it. Faelan watched him curiously. "More wine?"

"No." Shikarou pulled out a golden sphere about 15 centimeters in diameter. "Might as well launch one of the comsats now." He set the sphere on the ground and stared at it while accessing his twee.

_Accessing orbital communication system. Handshake complete, beginning programming._ There was a pause. _Programming complete, beginning initialization. _Another pause. The sphere rose into the air until it hovered a meter off of the ground. _Systems initialized. Initiating launch protocols. Launch protocols ready. All systems nominal. Initiating artificial intelligence._ _Artificial intelligence online. All systems nominal. Awaiting orders._

Shikarou took a deep breath. "Begin launch sequence."

_Activating evasion systems. _The sphere faded from view. _Evasion systems nominal. Launch sequence initiated._ _Orbital communication system launch in ten seconds._

Faelan and Shikarou folded their ears back and moved away. There was a sudden sonic boom and air rushed into the space where the satellite had hovered. Leaves were sucked up behind it and fluttered to the ground.

_Launch successful. The communication system will reach eight hundred kilometers in one hour and six minutes. The system will begin final initiation in three hours, nine minutes and twelve seconds._

"Let me know a couple of minutes before the system is supposed to complete final initialization. I'll want to verify successful deployment." Shikarou looked at his brother. "In a little over four hours we'll know if eight hundred kilometers is too far out or not."

Faelan nodded. "Fine. Let me know what happens. I'm supposed to tame the twins tonight so you won't see me until morning, unless the world ends.

"What about security?"

"I've put Tetsuyo on watch until morning. She'll be fine."

Shikarou glanced at his own tent. "I wonder what's going on in there?"

"Who cares? Why don't you teach me that spell modification?"

"I guess I can live with you being that much more in my debt."

Inside his tent, Branwyn was talking to her two harem sisters in the living area. "I know Misaki doesn't know how to cook but what about you, Bonnie?"

The Valkyrie shook her head. "Sorry. My former Tamer didn't get far enough from town to worry about cooking. When we traveled, we did so by ship or airship."

Branwyn sighed. "Great. None of us knows how to cook."

"Maybe Shikarou knows how. I think he cooked the other day." Bonnie looked around the room. "This place is unbelievable."

The alpha refused to be distracted. "It doesn't matter if he's a bloody chef. We're supposed to be taking care of him."

Misaki shook her head. "He wants to take care of us. We should let him help."

"When we get to Lairg we'll see about buying a cooking T2 for us to all use." Branwyn grimaced. "And some cookbooks, since we've got this place to stash them in." She turned to Bonnie. "Svetlana told you that everything comes back like it was before?"

"For the most part. She said that the chores are all done, the beds made and clean, and the dishes are clean and put away, but everything else is like you left it. She keeps all sorts of stuff in her room."

Branwyn smiled. "I like Shikarou's idea of roughing it."

Misaki sighed. "I don't. I'd prefer to be outside."

The Unicorn gave her a mysterious smile. "You haven't looked around, have you?"

"No. No reason. It's inside." Her tone indicated that she was quite sure that inside was the first vestibule of Hell.

"Well, I have. Shikarou told me that he was changing the spell that made this place, and I think some of the changes he made were for you." Branwyn took her harem sister's hand. "Come on, I think you'll like this."

She led the Boobisaur to one of the bedrooms and pushed the door open. The room had no bed, instead the floor was covered with soft grass and a noon sun glowed overhead.

Misaki dropped her hand and walked into the center of the room. "It feels like outside." She looked back at Branwyn. "But it isn't. It's night outside."

Branwyn smiled. "Our master made this for you."

Misaki settled down in the grass and stretched out. "I like this." She waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the door. "Go away. I am tired."

Branwyn cocked an eyebrow. "You do not give me orders, young lady. Get up; there are still chores that need to be done." Misaki grumbled but climbed to her feet and followed her alpha out.

They quickly split up the chores and had them done, except for the meal. Branwyn sighed. "I have to go back to the Conservatory anyway, so I guess I'll grab some food for us while I'm there." She looked at the other two. "This is the only time I'll be allowed to do this, mother was quite firm in her instructions. I have to go back to get some gifts for the two of you. I'll be back in a little bit." She vanished as she teleported out of the room.

There was a slam as Misaki returned to her room and shut the door. Bonnie shook her head and laughed. "We are going to be so spoiled. Any pokegirls he loses are going to be soooo whiney to their new masters." She poked her head into the room with the hot tub and watched the hot water swirl. "Well, let the spoiling begin." She started shedding armor and clothes.

When Shikarou entered the tent, Branwyn was waiting for him with a nice dinner. She smiled. "We've got small problem."

"What is it?"

"None of us can cook." She looked embarrassed. "I never thought I would be in a harem without at least one pokegirl who can cook."

"So where did this come from?" Shikarou gestured at the meal. "Ah, the Conservatory."

"Correct. But I can't do this every night." She sighed. "I'm sorry I let you down."

"It's not that big a deal. I can do some cooking."

"You are supposed to be taken care of by your pokegirls. If they can't I, as your alpha, look bad."

Shikarou sighed. "You shouldn't be so worried. I didn't expect the harem to click smoothly at first. None of us have worked together before, and if you think about it, you'll realize that it's going to be a while before we work well together." He took her hand. "And to top it off, I chose an alpha who has not only had no experience as alpha, she's had no experience in a harem and whom I suspect Poppet has kept as far from any authority role as she could."

Branwyn hung her head. "Is it that obvious?"

"I know Poppet that well."

"How? You'd never met her before yesterday. Why did she give me to you?"

"When we met, Poppet tried to read my mind and failed. I have magical shields, which I'm sure you've noticed. She asked me to drop them and I did. When she went skimming through my mind, I used the carrier wave of her thoughts to go through hers, whereupon I learned several things that she didn't want anyone to know."

Branwyn stared at him in shock. "You learned about her project, didn't you?" She almost whispered the words.

"I can't tell you what I learned. I promised Poppet never to tell anyone until she gave me permission." He smiled.

"I see. What are we going to do about the cooking issue?"

"I'm not worried about that. I'll do the cooking while you ladies come up to speed and then we'll take turns." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "That includes Misaki. I want her in the cooking rotation as well."

"Now, I want you to understand that I'm not from around here, so I don't have the ingrained prejudices about pokegirls that others might have. I also don't have the ingrained fears or automatic respect, either, but that is beside the point. I have my own issues instead and one of them is that we, and I mean me and my harem members, are partners in this Tamer's journey. We will live as a team, fight as a team, and probably eventually love as a team, although we won't do the last all of the time. I prefer to be able to give my personal attention to my ladies, and I can't do that very well if others are pulling at various body parts that belong to me."

Branwyn chuckled. "I can understand how that might prove distracting."

He smiled. "Exactly. Now I understand that eventually I will take my Master Tamer's test and get that certification and then I'll be able to keep pokegirls in storage, so not everyone will be traveling with me all of the time. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I understand the leagues are pretty firm on that particular rule, so I suspect I'll either have to live with that restriction or else get really creative about getting around it."

"In any case, I don't have six pokegirls right now, so it isn't an issue, at least not for the moment."

Branwyn shook her head. "Actually, it is an issue." At his curious look she continued. "You've got a Valkyrie and they have a habit of collecting stray pokegirls for their Tamers, whether he knows about it or not. This means that you could wake up in the morning, assuming I let you get any sleep, and find a bag full of occupied pokeballs waiting for you."

Shikarou smiled. "That only works if I have spare pokeballs, and right now I've got three full pokeballs and five empty pokeballs, so I don't see where she could do too much damage."

"I disagree. Mother gave me backpacks for each of your pokegirls and I know that she had each one customized for the particular pokegirl. As your alpha, mine has ten spare pokeballs, and I think Bonnie has another thirty or so."

Shikarou's ears flicked and his face went blank. In an unemotional voice he said, "That was really nice of her."

Branwyn kept the smile from her face. "Most of what I have is potions and other stuff. I haven't gone through the other packs, but I think that is what makes up most of their contents as well."

Shikarou looked at her evenly. "You know, it will become even harder to lie to me when we are delta bonded, so as my alpha you might want to consider not doing that again."

She frowned. "How did you know?"

"Perhaps one day you will find out. Now tell me that again without any of the lies."

"Fine." Branwyn made a face. "I figured that lies wouldn't hurt you because you would then tell anyone who questioned you what you thought was the truth."

"Cute, but unnecessary. I can not answer if I choose to. I'm also not compelled to tell anything close to the whole truth."

She nodded. "All right. Mother gave me a pokepack for each of us as well as a converter and a battery. We'll have to get an electric pokegirl for the converter but until then we can recharge the pokepacks at any pokecenter or even plug it into a wall outlet at a hotel, although the owners might protest when they get their electric bill or we blow some fuses."

Shikarou snorted. "I can cast a lightning spell that should work."

"I can't wait for you to teach me some of this magic spell stuff." She cocked her head. "Anyways, I packed the pokepacks and I heavily raided some of the medical stocks at the Conservatory. We hardly ever use them and I only took the stuff that would be routinely replaced within a couple of months anyways. I did give Bonnie forty pokeballs. I've got ten and Misaki has ten, for just in case."

He sighed. "And how is Poppet likely to react to this?"

"She gave me the keys." Branwyn climbed into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. "She always makes sure her daughters are well taken care of, I even have my own com unit. And I think she likes you. I'm not sure, since I don't remember her ever liking anyone else, but I think she does."

"I'm a likeable guy."

"I'm starting to realize that." She looked up at him. "The Conservatory didn't have everything I wanted, so I went to Wick to pick up some the rest of the shopping items and while I was at the Pokecenter I met a very nice NurseJoy who sends her affections. She seemed much taken with you and became very helpful when I mentioned your name. She also told me to watch out for countertops. Does that mean anything to you?" Shikarou's shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. "I see that it does."

Branwyn twisted around in his lap and started to fill a plate with food. "You do realize that we don't have a table, don't you?"

"Well, we are roughing it," he replied in a dry tone.

"I happen to like this setup. However, if you want group meals, a table will help to define where to meet."

"I see your point. How about a nice Edo table? Chairs take up too much room and pillows are more comfortable."

Branwyn handed him the plate and slid out of his lap to sit next to him with their hips touching. She filled a plate for herself. "That would be fine. Just get one big enough for six pokegirls, one Tamer, and guests. Probably three or four guests. Most Tamers will have their own pokegirls."

"All right. We'll see what we have in Lairg."

"Oh, about Lairg. You'll want to steer clear of the Sheriff. He's very corrupt and would just love to stick it to the Conservatory or any of its allies. I will be a visible sign of you having a connection to the Conservatory, even if it is implied."

"I'll remember to warn Faelan in the morning." Shikarou started eating. "By the way, I would also like the harem to learn to use chopsticks. I'm just not too happy about forks."

"Ok." She smiled. "We'll start them out slowly and make a game out of it."

"Excellent. Now let's eat so we can go to bed."

"What about the group meal?" Branwyn gave him an arch look.

"I'm willing to let that slide tonight." He gave her a long look. "I've got other things on my mind right now."

As soon as the door to his room shut Branwyn was in his arms, kissing him hungrily, her body plastering itself against his. Shikarou ran his hands up her back and unzipped her jumpsuit. She stepped back, kicked off her boots, and peeled out of her outfit.

"Strip. Please." Branwyn helped as he flung clothes off. She ran her palms over his chest and sighed happily. She looked into his eyes. "Would you follow my lead this once?"

"I will."

She pulled him gently to the bed and pushed him down onto it before sliding in next to his body. "Just lie still for now." She kissed him gently and rubbed her lips over his cheeks. "I want to taste you." She licked his cheek and smiled before kissing her way over his chest. She nibbled his nipple and he made a noise in the back of his throat. Branwyn gave him an impish look and licked it quickly. She smiled when he repeated the noise.

She kissed her way down his stomach and over the line of his hip, pausing when she reached his groin. Branwyn stared at his cock as it moved in time to his heart. "How gentle do I have to be with it?"

Shikarou chuckled. "I'll let you know if you are too rough, but as long as you don't try to tie it in a knot or bite it off I should be fine."

Branwyn leaned forward and blew gently on him, watching it jerk. She smiled and ran a finger over his head and down the shaft. The Unicorn glanced up at him and leaned forward to press her nose against his shaft. She inhaled hard, her eyes closing.

"You still smell warm and fuzzy." Her breath tickled. She looked up at him again, her eyes filling with heat. "You smell right." Her voice was husky.

She licked his shaft slowly, her tongue leaving a shiny trail as it moved up to the head where she swirled her tongue over its surface before taking him in her mouth. Shikarou moaned loudly. She smiled up at him and released him with a pop.

Branwyn trailed her fingers over his balls and giggled. "It's so soft." She slid up his body to kiss him as she swung a leg over his waist.

"Can I help?"

Branwyn nibbled his lips. "If I say no?"

"Then no it is."

She gave him an arch look. "Yes."

Shikarou twisted his fingers in her long blonde hair and pulled her head back as he sat up to close his teeth over her throat. Branwyn moaned and rubbed her wetness against him. He bit gently and she hissed in pleasure.

She sighed. "Enough." Shikarou looked up at her curiously and nodded before sinking back to the bed. Branwyn smiled and kissed him softly. "Thank you."

She reached down between them and grasped his shaft, lining it up as she raised up slightly. Her eyes closed as she sank down, taking him in millimeter by millimeter. Branwyn moaned in a low tone as her hips dropped, engulfing him. She placed her hands on his chest and rolled her hips in a slow circle as she worked to get as much of him inside her as she could.

Branwyn's eyes slowly opened partially and she looked lazily down at him. "This feels so right," she sighed. "I could stay this way forever." Her breath caught and she shuddered as her sex clamped down on him. She slowly settled against his chest.

Shikarou wrapped his arms around her and she sighed contentedly. She yelped as he rolled, putting her underneath him. As he raised himself up on his arms her eyes opened again. "I thought you weren't going to help," she murmured.

"You stopped moving." He slowly stroked into her and she moaned. He sped up and Branwyn gasped, hooking her ankles over his hips to urge him faster as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts.

She convulsed beneath him and her nails drew a line of fire down his back as an orgasm blasted through her body. She screamed and sank her teeth into his shoulder as waves of pleasure ripped through her.

Shikarou drove himself into her faster and faster, bringing her through an almost constant series of orgasms until his cries mingled with hers as he spilled his seed into her.

Branwyn went rigid beneath him and tried to rip a piece from his shoulder blade before throwing her head back and shrieking.

Slowly their breathing eased as they came down together. Her eyes opened, glittering with unshed tears as her eyes searched his. Shikarou kissed her gently, his tongue exploring her mouth and she groaned happily as she returned the kiss. "I can feel you in my mind now, even through my shields," he whispered against her lips. "It feels right, like you've always belonged there."

The Unicorn smiled. "I feel like a part of me has been missing and I never knew it." She gave a low laugh. "I guess I wanted your help after all, I just didn't know it at the time." She looked into his eyes with a smirk. "So when will you be ready to help me again?"

Shikarou responded by pulling his hardness almost all of the way out of her and slowly sliding it back in. Branwyn's eyes widened as he smiled and murmured, "Now."

"Good."

When Faelan left his tent the sun was peeking over the horizon. He found Shikarou perched ten meters up a tree on the edge of camp.  
"What are you doing?"

Shikarou dropped to the ground, landing easily. "Just taking a look around. Didn't see anything worth noting."

"How is our comsat?"

"It's doing just fine. I should be able to download the first map information this evening. I've updated the access codes and sent them to you."

"The satellite is doing an orbit every hundred and four minutes and covers the globe twice a day. We should never be out of touch more than six hours." He grinned. "Not that I want to talk to you that often."

"Right back at you." Faelan looked around. "When will your pokegirls be ready to go?"

"In about fifteen minutes. Yours?"

"An hour or so. How was your first night in your tent?"

"Branwyn finally collapsed around three this morning. I must admire the girl's determination. Bonnie had her emergency around four." He snorted. "She burst into my room to announce that the bathtub had exploded. It turned out that she had bathed in the hot tub and it manufactured enough bubbles from her soap that it overflowed and ran into the living area. The soap bubbles were over a meter deep." He chuckled. "Then we had to talk about how to use the bath."

"Why, was there some confusion?"

"Naturally I set up a Japanese bath, so it took a little explaining."

"Ah, cold wash and hot soak." Faelan glanced at his brother. "We'll be getting to Lairg today. It's not very big, and while it had a pokecenter once, I heard it might be closed."

Shikarou frowned. "Oh, by the bye, Branwyn thought it important to warn me last night about the Sheriff of Lairg. According to her, he's so crooked he screws his socks on every day."

"Wonderful. I wonder why his OfficerJenny doesn't keep him on the straight and narrow?"

"I pulled his classified records. He doesn't have one. Just a Denmother named Molly."

"Um. She'd be willing to follow his lead. Growlie evolutions are loyal to individuals more than creeds." Faelan poked at the fire. "We'll need to be careful then. These small town sheriffs can be easily annoyed and they can have a lot of power locally. On top of that a powerful Denmother can be nothing to pick a fight with just for fun."

"Are you going to pull rank on him?" Shikarou looked curious.

"It doesn't work that way. I'm nominally a member of the BLSF Special Operations Group, but they don't have any jurisdiction in normal police affairs. He'd just tell me to go to hell if I tried to butt in to anything he was involved in."

"So why do you bother to belong to all of those acronyms?"

"Because working for the DSA is fun. I get to travel and beat up bad guys."

Shikarou laughed. "I'm going to do that, and nobody's going to be telling me to go to hell in the meantime. If this Sheriff gets in my face, you just stand back."

"You won't enjoy doing that. Just let him be." Faelan took a deep breath. "Can I get you to do a favor for me?"

"Ask and find out."

"If anything happens to me, I would like you to take Svetlana into your harem."

"How does Svetlana feel about this?"

"I haven't asked her."

"Then ask her out here, please."

Faelan cocked his head. "She'll be out in a minute."

A short while later the Megami-sama emerged from the tent. She was wearing a short dress that showed off her legs nicely. Shikarou looked her over and she smiled when she noticed his evaluation. "What do you want, Shikarou?"

"Faelan has asked me to take you into my harem if he gets killed. I wanted to see how you felt about this idea before telling him what I thought of it."

The smile vanished from her face as she glanced at her Tamer. "Why would you want him to take me?"

"Because I love you and want you taken care of, especially if I'm not around." Faelan took her hand. "I know that if Shikarou agrees, you will be well taken care of."

Svetlana took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "Is there something I should know about?"

Faelan looked confused. Shikarou laughed. "No. He's not going to drop dead anytime soon, he just wants me to take care of his family if he does die. Apparently you are his family right now."

"I see. What about Midori? Or the rest of your harem?"

Faelan looked uncomfortable. "I'm only really concerned about you. Besides, I figured you'd work to convince Shikarou to take the others."

"Of course I would!" Svetlana turned an outraged glare on her Tamer. She took a deep breath and sighed. "How do you feel about this, Shikarou?"

He stared into the forest. "You are my brother's wife and his acknowledged love. You would be welcome in my harem, no matter what the situation." He looked up at her. "And if you didn't want to join my harem, you would still be welcome."

She looked puzzled. "How would that work?"

"I'd give you what you needed, be it lodging, money, or taming and you'd ignore me otherwise. Look, I realize that you are uncomfortable about this, but as my brother's widow, I would be willing to do what it took to make you welcome, even if you didn't want to join my harem or even didn't like me very much."

Svetlana patted him on the shoulder. "You're not that bad. It's just that you aren't much like Faelan and we got off to a rocky start. If something happens to Faelan, you and I will work something out."

"Fine." Shikarou looked at his brother. "You heard the lady."

"Thank you. Both of you."

It was a little past midday when a path appeared, leading another hundred meters to the edge of Lairg, where a small sign announced the village and asked newcomers to step into the Sheriff's office to register. Faelan shrugged. "When in the Blue Continent."

Shikarou snickered. "Do as the Blue Continians do." Faelan just shook his head sadly.

The office was nicely decorated and sunlight cast a bright glow over everything. "May I help you?" She was over two meters tall and well proportioned for her size. Shikarou reflected that this must be Molly, the sheriff's Denmother.

"Hi." Shikarou smiled. "I'm Shikarou and this is my brother Faelan. We're here to register."

"Ah, I see." The Denmother moved to a desk and pulled up a file on her computer. "Sit down, this will take just a few minutes." She turned to Faelan. "Let's take care of your paperwork first." She ran through the questions efficiently if not quickly and turned to Shikarou. Difficulties began almost immediately.

"I'll need your full name, please."

"Shikarou."

She glanced up at him. "Your full name." She stressed the word full.

"That is my full name." He watched her ears go flat and then back up.

"Let me see your Tamer entry," she sighed. "I guess some people just have to be difficult."

Shikarou pulled up his entry and handed the pokedex over. The Denmother gave it a glance and then a second look. She glared at it briefly and then pulled up the same entry on her computer. Now the glare was aimed at him. He kept his ears up and his expression helpful. It didn't appear to work.

"Would making up a last name help this along?" Shikarou spread his hands helplessly. "I'm willing to if it will help out."

She frowned. "It won't make any difference. Only a pokecenter can update a Tamer record and ours closed recently. I'm going to have to call the sheriff." The Denmother picked up a com and made a quick call. "Now, while we are waiting on him, how about we settle up your fees?"

"Fees?" Faelan sounded pleasantly curious, but the cant of his ears indicated annoyance. "What fees?"

"You came into town on the road didn't you? Well, there's a toll for using the road and there is also a city entry tax." The Denmother's voice was brisk, but she looked vaguely unhappy. "It totals up to C1500 each." Faelan choked but recovered quickly.

Shikarou's response was interrupted as a tubby gray haired fellow came into the building. He looked around. "Now what was so important as to interrupt my lunch, Molly?"  
"Sheriff, we've got a problem with this young foreigner. He's got no last name listed and there was something else you needed to take a look at." She motioned to the monitor.

The sheriff stomped over to the Denmother and leaned over her shoulder. "This had better be good." Shikarou noticed that she edged away from the sheriff's touch.

The sheriff peered at the screen for a moment, his mouth moving slowly as he read. Suddenly his face froze for an instant and then his eyes shifted up to Shikarou. He stood up suddenly. "Boy, I need to inspect your pokegirls. Get them out so I can see them."

"Why? Don't you need to see his too?" Shikarou sounded sincerely curious.

The sheriff's eyes narrowed. "If I get any more attitude from you, you'll be spending the night in my jail, son. Now release your pokegirls so I can inspect them."

He came around the desk and grabbed Shikarou's arm. "Right now."

Shikarou's face didn't change and his ears never moved as he looked at the sheriff's hand. Molly stood up suddenly, shoving her chair halfway across the room. Her ears were flat and she watched Shikarou intently. "You are going to have to let go of my arm so I can release my pokegirls." His voice was calm.  
The sheriff let go. "That's better. Now let those pokegirls out so I can inspect them." His eyes gleamed.

Shikarou smiled at the sheriff as he stood. Molly made a movement. He glanced at her and his smile grew. She took a step backwards and glared. Faelan put his hands on the arms of his chair. "Now you just stay still, son." The sheriff watched Faelan carefully. "You don't want to start something in my town. Molly here is tougher than you can imagine."

Faelan did his best to look harmless as he kept an eye on his brother. "Of course not sheriff, I am not going to start anything."

Shikarou carefully pulled his pokeballs from his belt and, one by one, activated them. "Ladies, this is the sheriff of Lairg and he says he needs to inspect my pokegirls." He turned to the sheriff. "Would you like an introduction?"

The sheriff had eyes for only one pokegirl. "Hello, Branwyn." He almost leered. "I saw the name in this fellow's pokedex and was concerned that you might have been kidnapped. You weren't, were you?" He sounded hopeful.

"Sheriff Godwin, what a pleasant surprise." Branwyn nodded her greeting. "This is Shikarou, my Tamer. Poppet thinks that Shikarou would be a good Tamer for me."

"How can she be sure? He's a bloody wog." His eyes brightened. "You know, I could take you away from him, if you'd prefer a real Scot."

Branwyn seemed to consider it. "Mother has made up her mind and we both know she'd find out. Then we'd both be in trouble. No, I can't do that to you." She sighed. "I might be willing to try to convince her, but she's still upset about that little affair with Devon in Glasgow. For some reason, she still blames you for what happened. I'd hate to think what she might do if she found another reason to be unhappy with you, so for your own safety I couldn't let you take me from Shikarou."

Shikarou could hear the sheriff's teeth grind. "How was I to know that little bastard would blame me for his raping a whole police station full of pokegirls? The little shit gets to fuck all kinds of pokegirls and I get the fallout from it." He almost growled. "Fine, take your pokegirls and get out."

Molly hesitated. Shikarou smiled again. "Sheriff, we need to pay our tax and toll."

The sheriff visibly started. "Oh, really? Then pay them and leave."

Shikarou nodded. "Of course." He pulled out his account information as the sheriff slammed the door shut on his way out. "I've got the whole C3000," he announced to his brother. He smiled at Molly again. "I'll need a receipt."

After paying the tax and putting his pokegirls up except for Branwyn, the brothers headed outside. The sheriff was sitting in a chair, puffing on his pipe. He glared at them over the bowl. A calculating look crossed Shikarou's face and vanished. "Sheriff, I'm going to be heading to the gym up at Stornoway. Could you tell me what the roads are like between here and there?"

Sheriff Godwin snorted a blue cloud. "There aren't any roads up that way. You have to go due west across the wilderness and follow the coast north once you hit it." A speculative look came into his eyes. "You do that and you'll get right up there close to it. Of course, you'll need a way to cross to the island, but I'm sure a resourceful young man such as yourself won't have too much difficulty."

"Thank you, sheriff." Shikarou nodded. "That's a great help."

Shikarou poked Faelan. "What!"

"Your growling is frightening Misaki."

Faelan looked around. The Boobisaur was crouched against her Tamer, on the side opposite his brother. He gave her a guilty smile. "Sorry." He looked at Shikarou. "I'm just frustrated about what happened at Lairg. Can you believe that human?"

"I believe it. I was there, remember? I must admit, I do think that a city entry tax and a county road toll a bit excessive for a bloody spot in the forest that has less than two hundred meters of path, much less a road." Shikarou snickered. "I, however, am not mad."

Faelan stared at his brother suspiciously for a moment and then sighed. "What do you have planned?"

"I'm going to let human nature take its course." Shikarou nodded wisely. "That's all I'm going to have to do." He slipped his arm around Misaki, who cuddled against him with a smile.

"Explain." Faelan's voice was flat. "Svetlana isn't around to protest, so let me in on the fun too."

"Did you happen to notice how the Sheriff reacted to Branwyn?"

"If he'd been any more excited, he'd have creamed his pants." Misaki giggled at Faelan's words.

"He was also paying close attention when I asked about the condition of the roads up towards Stornoway and the gym there." He smiled. "I was so disappointed to find out it is all wilderness." A snort. "Not that I really expected otherwise. So now the Sheriff knows where I'm going and thanks to his directions, he knows almost exactly the path I'm going to take."

Faelan frowned. "Do you really think he's going to attack you?"

"No, but I do expect to be attacked on my way. Someone like that usually has a gang tucked up the sleeve of their kimono." Shikarou gave a savage grin. "He's going to lose some gang members after I'm through with them, if not the entire gang."

"Don't forget, their plan is going to be somewhat similar, only they intend to do it to you."

"Hey, if everyone could play, the game wouldn't be any fun. And these guys are planning to attack an angry mage. Clueless bastards aren't even playing the right game. I almost feel sorry for them."

"Aren't you supposed to let your pokegirls do most of any fighting? If not, why have them in the first place?"

"I'll let them fight first. However, when those idiots resort to cheating, I'll have no choice but to open up a potion bottle of hurt on them." Shikarou had a saintly look on his face. "It'll be a clear cut case of self defense, and I'm going to edit the video records to make sure of that."

"You're going to attack them first, aren't you?"

"That is not what the video will show."

Faelan sighed. "My sticking around will only ruin your plans, won't it?"

"You could put Svetlana up. Only you can't, can you? Not if she gets a whiff of what is going to happen." Shikarou shrugged. "I hadn't planned on your help, but I would have accepted it. So where are you going?"

"I need to return to the Indigo Plateau. I've got a line on a group of pirates who have an unfortunate tendency to eat their captives." He frowned. "I realize that protein is protein, but according to the forensics, they don't wait until their victims are dead."

Shikarou frowned. "Be careful. That is a behavior pattern of the Mantis, at least according to the pokedex entry. Don't go getting yourself eaten right after I've agreed to take your celestial pokegirl into my harem. That wouldn't be fair. You've got to live for at least another century."

"Svetlana most likely won't live that long."

"Really?" Shikarou sounded surprised.

"Oh, right. I get it now."

"Gee, for a Celt, you're pretty quick on the uptake."

Faelan smacked his brother. "Right. And the peasants from your lands are so dumb they had to make swamps and fill them with their own excrement before they could feel at home."

"Good one! There's hope for you yet." They grinned at each other.

"Now here's the plan. You go around and get on the other side of the camp and Mark and I will hit them from this side." The leader whispered as he pointed towards the campfire, a blue glow barely visible thirty meters ahead.

Shikarou grinned in the night. From where he was, a scant handful of meters from his attackers, they might as well have been screaming. They had no idea he was there, or that his pokegirls were all around them. He glanced over at Misaki, who leaned against him. He whispered to her. "Ready?" She nodded and smiled bravely.

Red glows appeared as the criminals released their pokegirls. "Go," Shikarou whispered. Misaki shivered and released a fine blue powder from her closed bulb, the lust dust drifting in the breeze towards her victims.

A female voice spoke from ahead. "Master, I smell-." The voice broke off with a choking cough as the dust drifted through the group. A female moan sounded suddenly and men started shouting.

Shikarou grabbed Misaki up and ran. She continued to stream lust dust out behind him, coating him with the powder. She giggled against his chest. "You will need to bathe before getting too close to your pokegirls." He just laughed.

"Bonnie, give me a sitrep." Before the battle, he'd cast a communication spell on all of them, giving them the ability to communicate regardless of where they were. He'd also cast a nightvision spell on all of them.

Her voice came like she was standing next to him instead of circling twenty meters over the field he'd chosen as a battleground. "One of the pokegirls is tearing the clothes off of one of the men and another man is yelling. Oops, I think she's his pokegirl. Yes, the yelling man is now hitting the man being tamed." She laughed brightly. "There is at least one pokegirl on your trail and I think there are two others, location unknown. No one has taken to the air as far as I can see. I saw one other man before you got started, his location is also unknown."

Shikarou pulled to a stop and let Misaki down. "Hide." She scampered off into the forest and vanished. "Bonnie, move over me and be my eyes if you can. Branwyn, move to where you can see me. Most likely I'm the target, since they heard me crashing through the bushes."

"I'm on it." That was from Bonnie. Branwyn merely clicked her tongue twice. Evidently she'd picked something up about communications etiquette from their delta bond.

Shikarou turned to face the oncoming pursuit and held out his hand. "Light." His light globe appeared and hovered. He put a slightly panicked look on his face. "They're right behind me! Move to where I can see them coming." The light jumped a handful of centimeters and zipped away from him, heading forward.

Shikarou grinned. "Sucker." There was a sudden flare of light as a flamethrower attack went off and almost instantly his light came zipping back and raced past him. He cupped his hands and spit into them, murmuring a spell. The saliva quivered and began to grow. He tossed it onto the path he'd run down and started backing up quietly. A form appeared out of the darkness as it raced after the light. The pokegirl hit the pool of water and briefly shrieked as the water surged up and over her, engulfing her entire body. Light flared briefly as she tried to use flamethrower again, but the water merely surged down her now open throat.

The bubble of water jerked as she tried to claw her way free and then collapsed as the water sucked the air from her lungs. Shikarou listened as her heartbeat started to slow and broke the spell. With a low roar, the bubble of water disintegrated into a cool cloud of vapor and dissipated.

Shikarou was slammed sideways as a power bolt took him under the arm. He slid along the ground and flipped to his feet, grinning at the Dark Elf who stood staring in shock. "You'd better hit harder than that, precious." She growled and levitated into the air to get some room. Suddenly she jerked as tentacles whipped up her legs and wrapped around her waist.

Branwyn grabbed Misaki's tentacles and began to hand over hand the Dark Elf

down to her. The Dark Elf responded with a power bolt into Branwyn's chest. The transformed unicorn shrugged off the bolt, laughed and kept pulling.

"Behind you!" Bonnie's voice rang in Shikarou's ears and he spun. Behind him was a nude woman with multicolored hair that gleamed oddly in the moonlight. She hit him repeatedly with fury swipes, the needles she held slashing his shirt and chest. Powder drifted up from his clothes as she hit him. Suddenly she gasped and coughed as she sucked the lust dust into her lungs. Her eyes went big and round and she suddenly grabbed him and kissed him hard, her body writhing against his.

"Down, bitch!" Branwyn hit her with takedown, almost knocking Shikarou from his feet as the two pokegirls went tumbling along the ground. Only the unicorn rolled to her feet, her four hooves carefully stepping on the prone pokegirl. Bones snapped as she pranced. She looked up to see Shikarou's expression. "What?"

"Don't kill her." Branwyn grumbled but stepped off of her target.

Shikarou turned to see how Misaki was doing, but the fight appeared to be over. Bonnie slammed the hilt of her sword against the Dark Elf's head one last time and stood as Misaki retracted her tentacles. "Now we need to get the other one," the Valkyrie said as she spread her wings and launched herself into the air.

Branwyn paced up next to Shikarou. "Get on."

He slid onto her back with a leer. "How can I resist such a pretty girl or such a nice offer?" She flashed him a smile over her shoulder and teleported back to the original scene as Misaki pulled some restraints out of a belt pouch and started binding pokegirls.

Branwyn looked back at Shikarou as the arrived near where he'd waited for the ambushers. "Are you badly hurt?"

Shikarou slid off of her back and winced. Branwyn turned her body and leaned down so she could look at his injury. "Raise your arm." He did so and she sucked air. "I can see your bare ribs. They look intact and there is little bleeding." She looked at his face. "What does that tell you?"

"That I'll be fine and I need a new shirt." He frowned. "I don't hear anything." His ears swiveled. "Nothing." He took a deep breath and pointed. "Blood. That way." Branwyn followed as he loped off.

There was a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He was nude from his waist to his knees and a knife protruded from his throat. Shikarou chuckled quietly. "I guess this was the guy that wasn't her Tamer." He glanced upwards as Branwyn moved so he could lean against her shoulder. "Thanks. Bonnie, we appear to be short two humans and one pokegirl. Do you see anything?"

"No. I don't see any movement."

"Great. The lust dust has overwhelmed any scent they left, so we appear to be out of luck."

Branwyn reached down and touched an ear tuft gently. "Can you track the dust itself?"

Shikarou blinked at the question. "Are you aware that smart girls make me hot?" Branwyn colored slightly and then smiled. "Let's find out." He sniffed carefully and then took his shirt off and blew his nose in it, hard. He tossed the shirt aside and sniffed again, slowly casting about. "Aha. The nose knows. Three people, one female. The dastardly villains went that away."

They tracked the group for an hour, moving slowly in case of an ambush, while Bonnie circled overhead. Suddenly her voice sounded. "I see movement about twenty yards ahead of you. It looks like them."

Shikarou and Branwyn halted. "Bonnie, I'm going to launch a flare. When you see it head up, close your eyes. You too, Branwyn. Three, two, one." He held up his hand and a bolt of light shot skyward, exploding into brilliance once it reached a hundred meters. The ground below lit up as if bathed by the noon sun, revealing three figures moving through the darkness. They sped up.

Shikarou sneered. "Wrong move. You freeze when a flare lights up. Motion draws the eye. Bonnie, wingover and slash as you go by. Mow them down. Branwyn, trample the pokegirl right after Bonnie hits them. Ladies, remember I would like prisoners, but not at risk of yourselves." Branwyn shot ahead as the Valkyrie dived with a shriek of joy. Shikarou rotated his arm and winced before trotting after the Unicorn.

Up ahead someone yelled "Kill that bastard."

Shikarou hadn't considered that his opponent's attention would also be drawn to moving objects revealed by the flare, but he remembered the possibility belatedly when the armored pokegirl teleported in front of him, her sword already swinging. He threw himself backwards with a yelp, the sword leaving a smell of ozone as it whipped through the space his head had occupied milliseconds before.

There were screams from up ahead as Bonnie ripped through the suddenly undefended humans. They cut off quickly.

As Shikarou backpedaled furiously, he ran through his options. Jumping was bad against an opponent who could teleport to your destination before you got there. He didn't have his sword out and for spellcasting you had to have the time to focus your will. It looked like he only had one option remaining.

He turned and ran, moving in a zigzag pattern. He mentally patted himself on the back as a mystic bolt shot past. He tore through some bushes and dropped to the ground in a sliding halt before throwing himself in a very low arc a meter to his right. "Sword." It appeared in his left hand as the armored pokegirl teleported in right where he'd dropped into the cover. He spun without rising and took her leg off at the knee, his enhanced strength cutting through her armor easily. She shrieked and fell, twisting to drive her sword through his belly, pinning him to the ground.

Shikarou hissed in pain and muttered through gritted teeth, "That could have gone better." The armored pokegirl raised herself up on one hand and pointed the other at him. It began to glow as he hissed and started a spell of his own.

Suddenly she vanished in a flurry of hooves as Branwyn trampled her prone form, stomping until her enemy stopped moving.

She looked down at him grimly as she grasped the hilt of the sword. "This is going to hurt," she warned him.

"No shit." Shikarou gasped as she pulled the blade free. He muttered a spell and the pain faded. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the twinges the spell left behind as a warning.

Branwyn watched him anxiously. "Are you functional?"

"I'm a quart low and I think I need some new wipers." The Unicorn gave him a blank look. "Nevermind, I'm going to be fine. I'd have been doing much better if she hadn't pinned me like a Buttitsfree, however." He stuck his hand in the hole in his belly, exploring carefully. Branwyn turned green and looked quickly away. "I'm glad she missed the spine. Everything is mending properly and I'll be healed in an hour or so." Branwyn looked over again just in time to see him licking the blood from his hand.

She threw up on him.

Name: Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 20

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Unicorn Branwyn 41

Valkyrie Bonnie 23

Boobisaur Misaki 16

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

_**UNICORN, the Extremely Hard To Capture Horse Pokegirl **_

**Type**: Near Human, Metamorph  
**Element**: Magic  
**Frequency**: Very Rare  
**Diet**: near human diet, preferably vegetables  
**Role**: excellent Alphas  
**Libido**: Average to High (when with Tamer)

**Strong Vs**: Normal, Electric, Fire  
**Weak Vs**: Magic, Fighting, Psychic  
**Attacks**: Takedown, Stomp, Agility, Mach Breaker, Teleport, Charm, Taunt, Quick Attack

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed, Metamorphing, Enhanced Dexterity and Stamina, Enhanced Hearing,  
Danger Sense, Telepathy, minor psychic talents  
**Evolves**: Pegaslut (Bird E-Medal), NightMare (Dark Stone)  
**Evolves From**: Ponytaur (mechanism unknown)  
Unicorn is the other evolved form of the Ponytaurs. They can be considered as quite human except that they have a horn sticking out of their forehead. This can usually be seen in both their human and horse form. They can be also be considered as one of the more beautiful pokegirl breeds. Their human form can be quite a sight to behold, they have long blond hair that reaches down to their waist. They have creamy white skin. Their breast size range from B cup to C cup. And their appearance range from extremely cute to absolutely beautiful.

Feral Unicorns are usually found in thick secluded forests where they can easily hide from humans and those wandering tamers. They are extremely shy and quite reclusive only mingling with feral pokegirls native to their homes. They usually band together with other pokegirls especially plant types in taking care of their forest, driving away evil humans and caring for the plant life and other pokegirls, and trying to make it a more safer home for them to live in.  
They are a careful breed, very wary of humans and seldom seen interacting with humans, with their powers they can quite easily escape roving tamers quickly, returning to their havens.  
Capturing them is extremely hard, they are highly intelligent even the Feral ones, add their danger sense and teleporting can easily beat a hasty retreat. Researchers also cannot explain pokeballs malfunctioning or failing to activate after being thrown at a Unicorn even the illegal ones, making them quite elusive to your average Tamers.  
Gaining their trust or their gratitude would be the most effective way of capturing one, they will lose their ability momentarily to repel your pokeball just so you can capture them. This ability is quite useful, other tamers can't capture your Unicorn, and it saves money buying those anti-capture devices for your pokegirl.  
They are really quite affectionate and competitive against other fast pokegirls, joining races or contests of speed to prove their prowess. And they especially love being tamed after a long satisfying race specially if they win. They also like to compete against your other pokegirls for your attention and trying to earn extra Taming sessions.

_**DARK ELF, the Mystic S&amp;M Woodsgirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Poison/Magic  
**Frequency**: Rare  
**Diet**: omnivore, tend to lean towards meat diet  
**Role**: trackers, hunters, and spies. Dark elves tend to make great tacticians but excel in working in the dark environments like caves and caverns. However they make poor pets in urban environments  
**Libido**: Average to High, changes with mood will get higher with a trusted Tamer  
**Strong Vs**: Ghost, Poison, Rock, Psychic, Dark  
**Weak Vs**: Steel, Electric  
**Attacks**: Levitation, Bondage Attacks, Poison Attacks, Mystic Bolts, and Shield

**Enhancements**: Longevity, Elemental Affinity, Darkness, Magical Affinity, Night vision, and a high thresh hold for pain, Bondage Affinity and reduced Feral

**Disadvantages**: Light attacks tend to disorient and in rare cases cause temporary blind ness or light-headedness  
**Evolves**: Dark Lady (Moon Stone), Bondage Elf (normal), Bondage Queen (evolved Bondage Elf; normal)

Evolves From: Elf (Dark Stone)  
Dark Elves are found in areas away from civilization like there cousins but unlike their cousins they thrive in polluted and dark environments, they are weaker in clean environments and tend to attack, dominate and kill each other (this explains why they are so hard to find).  
So they are no large groups of them in any one place. Trainers are all ways looking for these Dark Elves for their loyalty and skill (spying, and tracking) they are considered to be one of the most well rounded Pokegirls, but trainers try to avoid them when they are in mating season (only five known Tamers have been recorded to have Tamed a Dark Elf, and only two have during mating season, only one of them survived and is now in retirement calling that the longest three days of his life) Dark Elves are high maintenance and are considered to be worth the extra effort for their extreme loyalty and skill.


	3. Chapter 3

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is fiction.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

You should not read this work if you are over the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh.

Chapter 3: On the Road

Shikarou was sitting on his bed and brushing his hair when Branwyn came in. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

He cocked his head. "I just got out of the bath. What do you want?"

"You need to fill out this form." She handed him her PDA. On the screen was an official looking document.

Shikarou read through it carefully. "A BL1046, whatever that is. It looks ominous."

"It's a waiver for the waiting period between your Tamer's test and the Master Tamer test. You need to fill it out so you can start keeping extra pokegirls in storage. You did pick up four this evening."

His ears flicked. "Don't remind me. That was an absolute fiasco."

Branwyn looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Not one of the men lived. I was really looking forward to getting some video evidence that they had been sent by the sheriff. Now all I have is a pile of ashes, since I went ahead and cremated them."

"You know he sent them. Why do you want other evidence? You're not going to be able to accuse him of anything no matter what you discover."

"True. However, video evidence would be nice for when I have to justify myself to Faelan and Svetlana."

"You were attacked and you defended yourself. What's to justify?"

Shikarou put the brush down and picked up some silk strips. "I'm going to kill the sheriff and I'd like to have a good justification for when I get around to it."

Branwyn gave him a cautious look. "When did you decide this?"

"In Lairg. That man is a poster child for justifiable homicide. He laid his hands on me and more importantly he tried to steal you. Twice."

"What about Molly?"

Shikarou gave her an even look. "What about her?"

"I'm not sure you want to be hauling around her pups. They aren't even ten yet and won't go into pokeballs for years." Branwyn smiled. "That's the only reason Devon hasn't done anything to him yet. Poppet, too, I suspect."

"So you are telling me that there is a queue to kill the sheriff?"

"That is how it looks."

Shikarou groaned. "So whoever is willing to deal with Molly's children gets him." He looked thoughtful. "What if we gifted her and them to the next sheriff?"

"No. It is very likely that he won't be interested in her or them, and even if he is, are you sure you want to give the next sheriff someone who will very likely be a material witness to the previous sheriff's murder. She goes everywhere with him." Branwyn smoothed the legs of her jumpsuit. "So just fill out the form and I'll get you the Master Tamer test. The sheriff will have to wait."

Shikarou handed back the PDA. "Here."

Branwyn sighed. "You really need to fill out…" She frowned at the display and then looked up at him. "How did you do that? You never touched the stylus and yet it's all filled out and the completed test is attached."

"I have access to most things digital through my twee." Shikarou finished tying up his hair. "It means I can fill out paperwork by thinking about it."

"Would it be possible for me to get that ability?"

"Once I get the base established, I'll be able to make twees, so yes. Before you ask, the base will take about six months to grow after I plant the seed and first I need to find some land to claim for it." He shrugged. "I've got a couple of places I want to look at after we hit the gym that might be what I want." His ears flicked. "Do you know how to file a claim for land out in the wilderness?"

Branwyn laughed. "In fact, I do. I've been involved with the Conservatory's land grabs for the last thirty years." She leaned against him. "Just point out what you want and we'll get it together." She nuzzled his cheek. "Master."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you coming on to me or checking to see if I still smell like vomit?"

She smiled primly. "It was the latter, but since I know you smell fine can I change it to the former?"

"I suppose so." Branwyn climbed into his lap. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"I feel comfortable and warm and safe here." She kissed his chin. "Even though I am Poppet's daughter, I never really felt that way at the Conservatory."

He snorted. "Shouldn't that be especially since you are Poppet's daughter? I don't think she tolerates potential rivals at all, much less well."

"You did learn a lot about her." She eyed him speculatively. "Is that likely to cause trouble in the future?"

"I don't think so. I've been careful so far to make sure she likes me, and I'm going to keep doing that for at least as long as I'm in the Blue League." He wrapped his arms around Branwyn. "Besides, she's lonely and I can understand from experience how that feels. Because of that, I'm willing to be as much or as little a friend as she wants because I do understand it so much."

Branwyn snuggled close. "You loved Pallaius a lot didn't you?"

His arms tightened around her. "She was my center, my universe. Pallaius was the mother of my children and my best friend." He sighed. "Her murder devastated me and after I destroyed her killer, I probably would have killed myself, except for my father. I didn't care about anything then, and so it really didn't matter when he put me to work. Sent me on these long, horrible assignments against the foulest monsters I'd ever seen. I thought at the time he was trying to wring some last value from my death. It was only later that I realized that he was making me save people and deal with their joy and gratitude in order to give me a reason to live."

"After almost a year I returned home and my mother told me that she'd started the negotiations for me to take a new wife." A low growl trickled from his throat. "I've always known that she was only concerned about the universe that rotated around her, but that was just too much for me to stomach. I openly refused her, and that just isn't done. So I went into seclusion and she started sending my sisters to visit, since she was not welcome. It only took a month or so of that to convince me to seek out Faelan and offer him my humble assistance."

Branwyn stirred slightly. "So you aren't in any hurry to return to where you came from?"

"For better or worse, this is my home now. I belong here." He nuzzled her cheek. "With you. After all, we're delta bonded, so while not exactly of one mind and one heart, you go where I go, until one of us dies."

"You could still go back. You'd just take me with you."

Shikarou nodded. "I could. But mother is still waiting. Like a dragon, she has infinite patience and will still be waiting until I return or time ends. On top of that, I suspect that she would be unwilling to see you as a proper replacement for Pallaius."

"What do you think?"

He looked into her eyes. "No one could ever replace Pallaius in my heart. However, there is no reason why you couldn't have a place of your own."

"I don't yet, do I?"

"No. I've only known you for a brief time. Very brief as people like us count the years. But barring an accident, we've got centuries together." He smiled mysteriously. "Who knows what that kind of time will bring?"

Early the next morning Shikarou reached across Branwyn and picked up his pokedex. She sighed and opened an eye. "When do you sleep?"

He grinned and turned the unit on. "You wanted me to decide which pokegirls were worth keeping, remember. Want to help?"

"Sure. I wish Misaki wasn't in her pokeball though." Branwyn sat up and leaned against him. "She makes good tea and I could really use a cup right now."

Shikarou leaned over and grabbed his backpack. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the bed carefully. A silver tray with a pot of tea, two cups and some bread and cheese appeared on the bed. He put the wand away as Branwyn helped herself to some tea. "We put everyone into their pokeballs last night because you thought it a good idea, remember?" Branwyn grunted her assent.

"Wow, there's even sugar cubes and milk." She frowned suddenly. "Wait a minute, if you can do this, why did I spend C10000 on a cooking T2?"

Shikarou smiled. "I seem to remember volunteering to cook until you came up to speed."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm holding a cup of hot tea, Shikarou."

"So?"

She just humphed and delicately picked up some bread. "Can I get some fruit as well?"

"Next time."

"Can you create raw materials as well? Like potatoes and onions?"

"Sure."

Branwyn grinned. "Outstanding. We're going to eat much better." She paused. "Do you create them out of thin air or do you get them from somewhere?"

"They are created whole cloth. Why?"

"Well, that means we can get fruits and vegetables out of season as well as items that are hard to get. In addition, if you really want to stay on Poppet's good side, I know all of her favorite foods. And if we have to, we can always set up a quick market stall somewhere and sell produce to get by."

Shikarou winced. "I sincerely hope it never comes to that. I think I'd rather steal."

"Why?"

"I'm from a samurai family and we aren't common merchants. That could be really insulting."

"Oh. If we only sold a small number of really expensive items, would that insult your honor?" Branwyn looked at him curiously.

"That kind of business I could countenance." Shikarou nodded. Branwyn relaxed slightly.

The Unicorn gave him a hesitant look. "Would it be all right if I made up a list and gave it to you?"

"I don't see why not. Be sure and put some of your favorite foods on there as well and let the others know about this. If you go overboard on the list, we'll work something out." Shikarou waggled his pokedex. "Now, back to business?"

Branwyn gave him a mischievous look. "Shikarou, if you can create a bag full of prime truffles or chocolate out of season, we are talking business. Good business."

"I see. How about we get on to other business then?"

His alpha poured him a cup of tea and let her body rest against his as she handed it to him. "Command me and I obey, oh lord."

Wisely, Shikarou refused the bait and instead looked at his pokedex. "Now we picked up four new, uh, wait a minute." He played with his pokedex for a minute. "That didn't help." Finally he looked up. "I think something may be wrong with my pokedex."

"Let me see." Branwyn handed him her tea and took the pokedex as he juggled the two cups. He compromised by draining her cup and putting it on sheets next to her leg. "Wait. Oh, I understand. It looks like Bonnie did some scavenging last night. That has got to be where the three feral pokegirls came from."

Shikarou gave her a studied look. "That much I deduced on my own. What do you think about Bonnie?"

"What do you mean?" She changed the display. "Damn. In her pokeball, too. That's odd." Branwyn looked up. "Well, no one knows what causes that particular evolution."

Shikarou sighed. "I was afraid it would be something like that. So now I have an Armsmistress instead of a Valkyrie. At least I won't be getting any more surprise pokegirls again if it's true."

"I suppose not. That is a pity, though." Branwyn changed the display back. "Now we need to decide which of these you are going to keep." She handed him back the pokedex.

Name: Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 17

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer N

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

WARNING HAREM OVER LIMIT – REMOVE EXTRA POKEGIRLS IMMEDIATELY

Species Name Level

Boobisaur Misaki 16

Armsmistress Bonnie 23

Unicorn Branwyn 41

Dark Elf Maggie 26

Dark Kitsune Kit 35

Magic Battle Maiden Camilla 37

Tats Lauren 30

Ladyba Feral 19

Oni Feral 22

A-Bra Feral 17

WARNING HAREM OVER LIMIT – REMOVE EXTRA POKEGIRLS IMMEDIATELY

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Shikarou cocked an ear. "Do you think that they are aware that I'm over my allowed number of pokegirls?" He sounded amused.

"They won't know until you uplink again. Can you do that inside our tent?" Branwyn gave him a curious look.

"Normally, no. However, I can if I want to." He grinned. "On the other hand, no one will hear your cries for help."

"I always suspected as much." She kissed his shoulder and frowned at her teacup for a moment before shooting him a quick glare as she picked it up and refilled it. "Which ones do you want to keep? I think we should keep all of them."

"I disagree." Shikarou looked over everything again. "I think perhaps the Dark Kitsune, the Battle Maiden and the Ladyba." He frowned. "I'd like to keep the Oni and the A-Bra, but we aren't a cohesive harem yet and adding a whole group of ferals would be too much of a strain. We'll get an electric and a psychic type later." He looked up. "The rest we'll offer to Poppet and any she doesn't want we'll sell. What do you think?"

"I still think we could keep them all, but your choices seem sound. That gives you one plant, one poison, two steel, one fighting, two magic, one dark, one fire, one bug and one flying, although Bonnie will also be able to fly." She frowned. "Are you going to want to evolve Bonnie to a Seraph?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"That's an interesting choice of words." Branwyn smiled softly.

"I need a celestial pokegirl like I need a psi-dyke in my harem. And I need a militant one even less."

"So, angel stones should be off of the shopping list?"

"Absolutely correct."

Branwyn nodded. "All right." She finished her tea. "I think we need to return to the Conservatory before we do anything else. We don't want to get rid of the Tats or the Dark Elf anywhere near Lairg and mother will be able to send them far away." She looked thoughtful. "Have you considered that the issue of you not having a last name is probably going to keep coming up? The Conservatory has the security access to update your record with a last name."

Shikarou sighed. "All right, let's go give Poppet the chance to tell me she told me so."

Poppet looked up when a knock sounded at her door. She frowned and called out, "What is it?" The knock came again.

The Unicorn reached out with her mind and scowled when she detected nothing. The knock came again, louder this time.

"Whoever is playing games is going to be in a lot of trouble when I find out who is behind this little prank," she muttered as she put down her book and pushed herself to her feet.

She pulled open the door. "Whoever you are…" Her voice broke off as Shikarou grabbed the front of her dress and pushed her backwards quickly. He kicked the door shut behind him as he pinned her to the wall and covered her mouth with his.

She tried to push him away as one of his hands pulled up her skirt and slipped underneath it. There was the sound of ripping fabric as his claws shredded her panties and then his hand cupped her mound and gently rubbed her clit.

Poppet stopped fighting and returned his kiss as he opened his pants. His other hand grasped her ass and lifted and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly forced his finger inside her, teasing her growing wetness out.

Shikarou pulled his finger out and forced his cock inside her as she hissed and bit his throat. He stroked once to coat himself with her juices and then slammed his cock inside her fiercely again and again as Poppet howled until he exploded.

Shikarou looked into her face and slowly licked the sweat off of her cheeks. "Hi."

She tried to glare and failed. "Hi, yourself. So how does this qualify as an emergency?"

"It doesn't. I just wanted to see you again."

She smiled. "See me? Is that what you call this?"

"No, I call this a quickie." He grinned.

Poppet tightened her legs around him. "I have some bad news for you. You have seriously violated etiquette and now you are going to have to make amends."

Shikarou looked mildly concerned. "What do you mean?"

"It's after dark." Poppet said it like it made all of the sense in the world. She smiled at his baffled expression. "Quickies are outlawed in the Blue Continent after sundown."

Comprehension dawned. "Ah. I beg your forgiveness. And what must I do in order to make this right?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his lips. "Well, first you have to carry me safely over to the bed. Then you have to put my bookmark properly where it belongs and then place my book on the shelf next to my bed. After that, you must help me to get undressed without destroying any more of my clothes. If you do all of these things and then make love to me all night long, I might be willing to call honor satisfied."

Shikarou ran his hands up the sides of her body. "Oh, really?" His claws extended and ripped downwards, carefully shredding the dress while only lightly scratching her. She shivered. He leered at her. "What do I have to do to make **this** right?" He grinned. "I know, how about I fuck you until you beg for mercy?"

She flashed a mock look of fear and tried to twist away from him. Her legs, however, wrapped more tightly around him. "No, no matter how often you ravage my body, I will never yield."

Shikarou pulled her close and turned towards the bed. "My lovely, we'll just see about that."

"So, you want to sell me the Oni, the Tats, the A-Bra and the Dark Elf." Poppet looked thoughtful for a second as she settled behind her desk. "I can either use them here or find someone to take them. Now the Oni and the A-bra are feral, so you will only get half price for them. That's the industry standard pricing requirement." She looked up from her computer at Shikarou. "If you are willing to sell only to me, I can set you up with the transfer codes so you don't have to waste time haggling with dealers every time you want to sell a pokegirl. You'll be able to send them to me from any standard transporter. I can offer you the standard rates, and if you find something truly special that you still want to get rid of, we can always discuss her." She frowned. "I've already got the infrastructure in place to move pokegirls to wherever they'll bring the most value or be of the most use, so I'm not going to lose any money over this, and you'll have the ease of quickly moving any unwanted stock."

"That sounds reasonable." Shikarou sipped at his tea. "Are there any restrictions?"

"Well, the Conservatory doesn't deal in common pokegirls, but I can offer you the standard credit program that most ranches make available for wandering Tamers. I'll give you a credit for half of the value of a common pokegirl and you can later use that credit towards up to two thirds of the purchase price of a pokegirl from the Conservatory or a Pokeranch that we have an agreement with and frankly that would be most of them. All Tamers are expected to pay for any pokegirls after their first one that they get from a ranch, so this program was set up to help defray the costs, both to the Tamer as well as to the ranch, who has to spend time and money domesticating the common pokegirls to the point that a beginning Tamer can handle them." Poppet smiled. "What this program is designed to do is make a wider range of pokegirls available to beginning Tamers without ranches having to keep more breeding stock on hand... It also encourages active Tamers to harvest the ferals in the wild and helps to keep their numbers down."

"Before this program existed, Tamers would often ignore common pokegirls in order to only chase the valuable ones or only the ones that they were interested in. This meant a whole bunch of feral pokegirls were being ignored. Tamers have been much more willing to collect feral common pokegirls since the program was instituted, since each one they catch puts them that much closer to being able to afford their dream pokegirl."

Shikarou nodded. "Is there an additional credit if I go ahead and tame them to start the domestication process?"

"No. The results of Tamers working on pokegirl domestication are too varied to help a ranch produce a good starter pokegirl and we really don't want to deal with having to remove the alpha bond. Sometimes they run away to be with their Tamer and getting them back can be such a trial. Your best bet, once they are caught, is to ship them here immediately so I can get started on them. In the long run it will save both of us a great deal of time."

"What about threshold cases?"

She sighed. "Those are the hardest for me to deal with. In the case of a feral pokegirl, for over ninety percent of them, capture leads to a better life. For thresholds, the poor girl finds her previous life ending and a new, often terrifying one beginning. Those are the ones with the most psychological problems." She met his gaze squarely. "I would be happier if you steered clear of thresholds if you could, unless you are rescuing them from a seriously abusive situation."

"I see. You may have a valid point about avoiding them."

Poppet nodded absently. "The issues that can develop when a pokegirl goes through threshold can haunt her for the rest of her life, especially if it is coupled with any sort of abuse from her family. I see that a lot. Fortunately, there are a handful of ranches that specialize in dealing with psychologically damaged threshold cases. Unfortunately, we need about thirty more of them." She poked at her keyboard. "That only covers the Blue League. Once you get into places where women are more routinely oppressed, the mental damage can become even worse. There are many cases of threshold pokegirls, both here as well as elsewhere, being tamed by members of their own family. Genetically, the girl isn't really related to them anymore, but psychologically, the trauma is incredible, especially in societies where there are strong taboos associated with incest. The men and occasionally women don't feel that they are taming a family member, but the pokegirl feels she's being raped by her father, brother, mother or sister."

She gave Shikarou a sad look. "Those girls are really screwed up. Since you are a kind person, stay far away from them unless you want to be taking care of them for the rest of their lives. They tend to become quite attached to anyone who shows them the slightest bit of kindness, if they haven't already had their personalities completely shattered. Many times the only thing that can be done for them is a complete mindwipe. I hate that procedure, being a pokegirl myself, but in their case it is often the only peace we can give them."

Shikarou nodded. "I will definitely think twice before getting involved with a newly thresholded pokegirl."

Poppet looked relieved as she changed the subject. "So, are you going to teleport back to where you were attacked?"

"No, I think it'll be safer if we head northward from here and avoid Lairg and the O'Malley Institute entirely. We'll then cut straight for the location of the ferry to Stornoway."

"Be warned that the ferry is based in Stornoway and only travels infrequently." Poppet tapped her desk with a finger. "You may want to find alternate means of travel." She cocked her head. "You could use the transporter here to send one of your teleporting pokegirls to Stornoway and then she could take you the rest of the way at any point in your journey."

"I don't know. I'd have to trust the people on the other end with whomever I sent and that kind of trust is hard for me to place in complete strangers. I thought instead that I could have Bonnie fly across to the island with Branwyn or one of the other pokegirls who can teleport and then I could teleport across the ocean. Either that or I could have her just fly me across and skip that extra step. In any case, we'll make it without too much delay. Another reason that I want to travel there is so I can make some money sending you pokegirls along the way."

Poppet nodded. "A laudable idea, just don't forget that you could ride Branwyn to cut down on the travel time. I also suspect she might enjoy stretching her legs." She smiled. "We like running when we can get the opportunity."

"It sounds like you miss it." Poppet shrugged at his words. "I'll make sure Branwyn gets enough exercise."

"Good. Now get cracking, and bring me more pokegirls." She smiled.

"Hai."

"Stop here." Branwyn pulled to a halt at Shikarou's order. He hopped off of her back and looked around carefully. "We've got a stream about a hundred meters behind us and this is a nice clearing." He turned her. "Is there any reason that you know about that would preclude us camping here for a couple of days while I get to know my new harem members?"

Branwyn cocked her head. "Not that I can think of. We're a good thirty kilometers from the Conservatory and we're probably still in the lands that are nominally claimed by Queen Xantha, however her court isn't near here, so all we might get is an Elf or Avariel dropping by."

"Anyone likely to jump into a pokeball or demand to join my harem?"

Branwyn grinned. "Nobody like that."

Shikarou nodded. "Excellent. We camp here." He pulled out his wand and concentrated.

Branwyn looked at the result critically. "Well, the fire is the right color now, but the tent is reddish-yellow."

Shikarou sighed. "Maybe I'll be happy with blue fire. Would you go see where the bathroom is?"

The Unicorn gave him an odd look. "Where might it have gone to? Never mind, I probably don't want to hear the possible answers. I'll be right back." A minute later she came back out of the tent. "That was actually a very good question to ask. Where is our bathroom? It and the hot tub room appear to have wandered away."

Shikarou sighed and used his wand again. "What about now?"

Branwyn disappeared into the tent again. "Everything is back and where it is supposed to be," she called.

He sighed and put his wand away. "Fine. I'll work on it later."

Shikarou started into the tent but halted when his twee signaled_. I have solved the encoding process used on the Cooking T2. While it will take the resources of a base to manufacture them, I can reprogram this one for whatever you want. If this one is similar in construction to the rest, I can reprogram any that we can get._

"Outstanding. Reprogram this one for a comprehensive program of the English language. Can you do that?"

_Can I do that? Would you prefer a Russian or Jamaican accent?_

"I think a local Scottish accent will be sufficient. Can you keep the cooking instructions?"

_I could but it would be a waste of your brain's storage capacity. I know how to cook better than this, and I don't have hands._

"Keep the basics anyway. Go ahead and update them if you want. Later, we'll see how much the locals would pay for an upgraded cooking T2." Shikarou had a thought. "How much information can you cram into one of these things?"

_Get me a couple more of them and I'll take one and test it to destruction and then we both will know the answer to that question._

"That sounds like a bargain." Shikarou proceeded into the tent. "Branwyn?"

She stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Yes?"

"Can you get more T2s? I think I've discovered how to reprogram them for other things, but I need some more to work with to know for certain."

"I can, but they aren't going to be cheap." She cocked her head. "If you'll make me some prime truffles, I know a place in Glasgow where I can unload them quickly and at a good price, especially since it's now October. Daren will pay through the nose for truffles out of season." She nodded. "From there, I can go to the pokecenter in Glasgow and see what they have. Does the kind matter?"

"Not really, but get some good ones if you can find them. The higher quality ones may be programmed differently and I can store whatever they hold and return it to them for later use. I'll also want some cheap ones as well, since I'm going to be testing a couple of them to death to ensure everything is safe."

Branwyn stared at him. "That has the potential to be very useful. I can get started on that later today, if I can get everything done before they close in a few hours. Now I'm glad we stopped early. Can I have Misaki to help? I know you want to talk to Bonnie first."

Shikarou released Misaki. "Would you please help Branwyn set things up? We stopped early today, so when she says you are done you can do some sunning outside."

Misaki smiled. "Ok. I'll be glad to help her. I cook better than she does anyway." She headed into the kitchen, sliding past the Unicorn, who watched her evenly.

"While I am glad to see Misaki is developing a stronger sense of self, I may have to have a talk with her the next time she uses it to insult me." Branwyn's eyes narrowed. "On the other hand, I can possibly make her support my position against the newcomers if I encourage a little familiarity." She glanced at Shikarou. "What do you think?"

"I think that I chose my alpha, but letting her get the occasional dig in will help to cement the harem together without harming anyone. I also think you are thinking like a good alpha."

Branwyn's eyes sparkled. "I'm glad to see you noticed."

Shikarou grinned. "I'm going outside. I'm going to start with Bonnie. Do you want to help me?"

"Actually, yes I do. Bonnie is one of mine and I am her alpha. Can I have ten minutes?"

"I'll be chasing rabbits."

Branwyn gave him a mock glare. "Just rabbits, mind you. No Bunnygirls."

"I'll see what's out there."

Shikarou released Bonnie. The Armsmistress appeared with a frown. She pulled a hank of red hair around and glared at it. "I knew it. Occidental, again." She turned to Shikarou and brightened with an effort. "Master."

"It appears that something is bothering you, Bonnie. Out with it."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter; nothing can be done about it. I'll get used to the new me eventually."

Shikarou sighed and settled down crosslegged on the ground. "I can't make you tell me what's wrong, but I'd like to know. Perhaps I can help somehow." His ears flicked. "Are you somehow dissatisfied with me?"

Bonnie pursed her lips. "You are going to harass me until I tell you, aren't you?"

"I prefer the term pester. It's more childish and suits me better."

She didn't smile. "I'm unhappy with the way I look. I know that an Armsmistress is a powerful pokegirl and once I master my new abilities I'll be stronger than I ever was, but I still look like a gaijin."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? Where were you born?"

"In Edo, the city of Tomakomai, in the Hokkaido prefecture. I underwent threshold when I was thirteen. It was scary. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see myself anymore. My family was very understanding, but rules were rules. Edo doesn't consider pokegirls and women to be the same legally. I was supposed to be transferred to a pokeranch for reeducation and assignment to a Tamer, but instead my family sent me to my uncle's shop in the mountains. I worked there until I was sixteen and then one day an official who'd come to the shop to pick up his commission checked my status with his pokedex."

She sighed. "He was going to claim me, but he didn't have any pokegirls with him and my uncle chased him out of his shop. Then my uncle smuggled me out of Edo to Crescent Moon where a cousin of mine was living. I lived there for several months, working on a spice plantation as a guard. One day, my cousin sent me on an errand to buy some cheese and I got caught by a passing Tamer." She looked up at him. "I passed through a couple of other Tamers before ending up with you."

"And you don't like the way you look." It wasn't a question.

"Of course not." Her voice was bitter. "I'm ugly. I have this huge nose and everything else is wrong. When I was growing up, everyone talked about how pretty I was. Then, I became a Slicer and everything changed."

Shikarou nodded. "That happens to be something I think I can fix."

Bonnie looked startled. "You can?"

"I think so. Let me get my wand and Branwyn and we'll run a couple of tests, if you don't mind."

"No. Not at all." She suddenly gave him a shy look. "Can I be greedy in the number of miracles that I want to ask for?"

"I don't see why not. What is it?"

"Can I have a proper name again? Bonnie is pretty silly."

"What did you have before?"

"My name was Yushiko. I'd like to be me again."

Shikarou smiled. "I like it. I'll update your record this evening." He rolled to his feet. "Make yourself comfortable, Yushiko, I'll be back in a minute."

The Armsmistress seemed slightly happier. "Yes, lord."

Shikarou ducked into the tent and stuck his head in the kitchen. Two pokegirls looked at him. "Ladies, I want to announce that I have changed Bonnie's name to Yushiko. Use it. Branwyn, I need you outside for a little while." He frowned. "You need to be there too, Misaki."

"All right." Branwyn chivvied Misaki outside while Shikarou went into his bedroom.

He dug through his pack and pulled out his wand. He stared at it for a moment and then nodded. "I've been using it often enough." He pulled out his scabbard harness and stripped off his shirt before wriggling into it. Now his wand rested in its scabbard under his right arm, ready for quick retrieval. He changed into a red silk tunic that had been designed so that he could draw his wand without trouble, and after a few practice draws, headed back outside.

His harem had settled down in a semi-circle and the ladies were talking when he appeared.

Yushiko looked up and smiled. "That is a beautiful shirt. It makes you look more… more right. You look like you are from home now."

"Thank you." Shikarou settled down. "You know, no matter how this turns out, you are going to need your armor. Is it true that you intrinsically know how to make it?"

Yushiko considered. "Yes. I know how it is supposed to be made. I will need supplies, though."

"That's not a problem. We'll get them for you today. I was curious though, my information indicates that Armsmistresses can personalize their armor. Could you do that enough to make your armor look Japanese without sacrificing protection?"

She closed her eyes and it quickly became was obvious that she was concentrating hard. "Yes, I can." She smiled and opened her eyes. "It's easy, once I think about it."

Branwyn heard his murmur. "So the cosmic awareness can give, if you ask. Interesting." He pulled out his wand. "I thought I would demonstrate some spells before going any further. I learned these when I was younger. Obviously it has many applications for the juvenile." He grinned and tapped the top of his head with his wand. His hair turned the color of saffron. He tapped his cheek and his skin turned neon green. He laughed at the expressions on the faces of his assembled pokegirls. "What? Is something wrong?"

Misaki got up and came over, licking her thumb before rubbing it firmly against his forehead. She peered at her hand. "It doesn't come off." She giggled. "Can you make me different colors?" She held out her arm and he tapped it with his wand. She slowly became bright orange. The Boobisaur stared at her new color. "This is fun!"

Shikarou smiled at Yushiko. "This version of the spell lasts for a couple of hours. The version I want to try on you is permanent. It actually will change your external form as well, so we need to get some ground rules established before I get started."

"I think that the easiest thing to do would be to make you look like a taller version of what you looked like before you went through threshold. Changing flesh and cartilage isn't that hard, but altering the length of bone requires a very delicate touch and I'm not that proficient with this spell. Since I don't know what you looked like, I wanted Branwyn here to help me. She can use her telepathy to access your memories and through our delta bond I can use them as a template to remake you." He smiled. "It'll be perfectly safe and if you don't like the result we can keep trying until it's what you want."

He felt curiosity along his bond with Branwyn and thought hard, knowing that while he could only get emotions from her at this point, she could actually listen to his thoughts. _I realize that her memories won't be completely accurate and will actually present an idealized image of what she looked like. It won't hurt anything for her skin to be flawless or whatever she cleans up in her memories, and if she achieves her ideal form, maybe she'll be happier._ Branwyn nodded her understanding.

"So Yushiko, are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes, I am." She looked faintly scared but determined.

Branwyn moved to block Yushiko's vision and placed a hand on her head. "I want you to think about how you want to look when this is all over. Think hard about it; focus your complete attention on it." Slowly her eyes closed at the same time Yushiko's did. A long moment passed and then the Unicorn raised her other hand in Shikarou's direction.

He took it gently and the images unfolded in his mind. He saw parts of Yushiko's life flash by and finally a single image stabilized. Mentally he whistled at what her idealized image looked like, but he had agreed to remake her as she wanted. Shikarou focused his will and cast the spell.

A blue glow slowly engulfed the Armsmistress. Branwyn pulled her hand from Yushiko's head and edged towards Shikarou. The glow brightened and slowly faded away, revealing the extent of the changes.

Yushiko still stood one hundred and eighty three centimeters tall, but the shoulder length red hair had been replaced by a lustrous full shock of black that fell to her knees. Her eyes were now slightly slanted and a deep brown that seemed to absorb the light. Her skin gleamed the color of old ivory and her features were perfect. Her figure was slightly slimmer, the hips not quite so wide, but overall hadn't changed.

Shikarou nodded. So far so good. "Yushiko, I saw what you wanted, so let's see if it worked. Summon your wings."

Yushiko nodded her head. "Yes, lord." She made an abortive motion to her chest and then remembered that she no longer was a Valkyrie. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. Her wings shimmered into existence fully spread.

Branwyn gasped. Yushiko's wings were a brilliant red that seemed to glow in the sun. The color was so deep that at only a few meters the individual feathers couldn't be picked out. Each wing had two oriental dragons on it, one picked out in a gleaming gold and the other in emerald. Shikarou knew that the figures were reproduced on the back of each of her wings as well.

Shikarou created a mirror that was 3 meters on a side. "Yushiko, is this what you wanted?"

Her eyes opened and she stared at her image. Her face went slack with surprise. "I…" Tears gleamed in the corners of the eyes. Abruptly she prostrated herself in front of Shikarou. "Thank you, honored lord."

"You are welcome, but all I did was make your dream a reality. It was your dream in the first place. Please get up."

Slowly she rose to her feet. She stared at Shikarou for an instant before bursting out in sobs of happiness as she threw herself at him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her close as she cried.

Branwyn shook her head in disbelief. "So she's not interested in taming right now?"

"Not really. I'm sure she'd come with me if I insisted, but that goes against everything I believe in." Shikarou motioned towards the corner of the room where he'd conjured a worktable and tools. Yushiko was happily working with the supplies he'd provided and was presumably making her armor. Shikarou knew nothing about armor smithing so he had to take her word for it. All he knew was that whatever she was doing was loud and he was grateful for the noise blocking spell he'd erected. "When you combine the reported low libido of the Armsmistress with her dislike of being outside of her armor, I guess I can't compete." He watched her for another moment with a slight smile before returning his attention to Branwyn's notes. "It's the happiest I've ever seen her, so I'm not hurt."

"So who are you going to work with next?"

"I'm going to introduce myself to the Dark Kitsune. I'm still reprogramming the T2 and until it's ready I don't see a good reason to start dealing with the Ladyba. So I'll work with the Kitsune and the Magic Battle Maiden first."

"What are you programming it to do?" Branwyn ran a nail over the table he'd made.

"Right now I think that her having conversational English would be much better than the ability to toast bread."

"I see. Do you think I will need to pick up another cooking T2 on my shopping expedition?"

"If it is cheap then go ahead, otherwise no." Shikarou handed Branwyn back her PDA. "You've already got the spices to sell, so as soon as you collect Misaki, I guess you can be on your way."

"Should I get some raspberries for your Ladyba?"

"No, I'll take care of that." He shrugged awkwardly. "She is a person, and while feral, I intend to treat her that way. Food rewards as a method of training are for children and animals, and I'm hoping she won't be childish."

Branwyn pushed herself up from her floor pillow. "Good luck with that."

He smiled to himself as she left. "It's worked so far with you."

Shikarou patted a floor pillow as the Dark Kitsune looked around slowly, taking in the main room. She watched Yushiko working for a moment before turning her attention to him. He smiled and patted the pillow again. "Please, sit down. I've got a tray of snacks if you are interested."

She slowly settled down, watching him intently. He slid the tray towards her. "Please."

Her ears flicked. "Mark never said please to me."

He shrugged. "I'm not Mark."

"Do I still belong to him?" She picked up a biscuit and bit into it.

Shikarou shook his head. "No, I'm afraid Mark isn't in a position to keep pokegirls anymore. You will belong to me, if you want to."

"If I want to? What an odd thing to say." She smiled slightly. "I'm glad to hear Mark is in jail. He belongs there after he killed my mistress."

"Mark isn't in jail." Shikarou decided the pokegirl could handle more of the truth. "He's dead."

The Dark Kitsune barked a laugh, spraying Shikarou with crumbs. "Even better." Her ears folded submissively as she realized he was brushing crumbs out of his hair. "Please forgive me."

"Relax, I'm not like Mark. If I'm like anyone I'd like to be more like the mistress you mentioned, presuming that my hunch is correct and she's the one that evolved you from a Nogitsune. If so, then you were delta bonded with her and her death must have been quite a blow."

"Yes, she was and it hurt a lot." Her eyes darkened with memories.

"I too have lost. My wife less than a year ago." He smiled humorlessly. "Of course, I wasn't then stuck having to provide sex to the one who killed her, probably starting while she was still warm, so I can't understand what you went through."

His body quivered to the subsonic growl and then felt it die. "Did you kill him?"

"No, one of my pokegirls did."

She blanched. "I'm sorry; I hope they killed her quickly."

"Nobody killed her. I wouldn't allow anything like that to happen." Shikarou smiled. "There weren't any surviving witnesses and I'm not going to tell anyone. Besides, he had it coming, just like his boss."

"You killed the sheriff?" Her voice was filled with amazement.

He gave a predatory grin. "Not yet. But his death is a foregone conclusion. Would you like to help when the time comes?"

Her ears went flat with rage and her muzzle wrinkled, baring her teeth. "Yes," she hissed.

"Well, to do that you are going to have to join my harem. I won't tame you until you are ready for me to, no matter how long that takes. Before you disagree with me, I can't lie, so I am telling the truth."

She smiled. "The truth? As you see it now, perhaps, but what about later when you change your mind and that becomes the truth then?"

Shikarou grinned. "You are going to be fun to have around. I promise not to tame you until you tell me that you are ready or release me from my promise. However, if you seek taming from another I will presume you do not wish to remain in my harem and act accordingly."

Her eyes widened at his words. "What would be an appropriate action at that point?"

"If you don't want to stay in my harem I'd remove you from it. Since I don't have any emotional ties to you right now, I'd send you on your way or trade you off."

"And if you did have emotional ties to me?"

"I don't deal in what if. I will address that situation if it occurs." His voice was flat.

The Dark Kitsune nodded slowly. "That sounds fair. Under those rules, I would like to join your harem."

"All right. What is your name?"

"That prick named me Kit." She sighed. "Before that I was Pamela."

"Do you want to be Pamela again?"

"No, I don't. That name is special to the memories of my mistress, and I don't want to share those with you, maybe not ever."

"That I can understand." Shikarou rested his chin on his fist as he thought. "How about I change your name to Kiyoko? It's close enough to Kit to hopefully enable a smooth transition, but it is definitely not some kind of lame joke."

The pokegirl frowned. "My name is Kiyoko. Kiyoko." She smiled. "I can accept that."

"Excellent. Just remember that I can't approach you about taming you until you release me from my promise. Until then you are going to have to let me know." He frowned. "You should inform Branwyn as well. She's my alpha, and is possibly going to be cross with me for playing such havoc with whatever routine she's trying to establish."

Kiyoko frowned. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. It's Branwyn's right to be upset if I screw up her plans. It is, however, my right to mess them up in the first place." Shikarou smiled. "Just remember not to go feral, please."

"I'll try." She frowned. "Did you keep any of the others?"

"I'm going to talk to the Battle Maiden next."

Kiyoko frowned slightly. "You kept Camilla. You may have a problem with her." She watched Shikarou until he nodded for her to proceed. "She likes what she is and was delta bonded to Kevin, her Tamer. If he wasn't killed she's going to try to escape and if he was, she's probably going to be very angry."

"Since he did die, that's good information for me to know. Thank you for telling me."

She shrugged. "Mark used to give me around for favors. Camilla would hold me down for the sheriff to tame because Molly wouldn't and I wouldn't lie still for that sleaze." She met his gaze. "I thought you should know, since she and I don't get along very well."

Shikarou's face went blank. "Do you want to watch her die, or would you be satisfied if I just sold her."

"I would prefer her dead, but I'm willing to settle for gone."

Shikarou stood and offered her his hand. "Please come with me." Kiyoko looked at it for a second before taking it and allowing him to pull her to her feet. He led her outside the tent.

Kiyoko stopped to stare at the tent itself. "How does it…"

He smiled. "Magic. Later if you'd like we can discuss extradimensional spaces and how they function in some detail."

"Oh, um, sure."

Shikarou smiled. "Or not, if you don't want to." He held out his left hand. "Sword." It appeared.

Kiyoko worked hard not to stare. "More magic?"

Shikarou nodded as he pulled a pokeball from his belt. "Yes."

He activated it and the Battle Maiden appeared. She glared at him. "You killed my Tamer, you bastard."

Shikarou struck. Kiyoko gasped as Camilla's head slid from her shoulders in a gout of blood and her body collapsed. "You didn't give her a chance to defend herself," she protested.

"I know you were telling the truth and one does not give the victim a chance to fight back in an execution." Shikarou whipped his sword in a short snapping motion and a line of blood whicked into the dirt from the blade. He smiled. "Thank you." The sword vanished.

Kiyoko was watching him closely. "You are not like any Tamer I've had before. She paused. "I think, however, that I still want to stay here." She nodded towards the body. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Do you want a trophy?"

"No!" Kiyoko sounded appalled. "Of course not!"

"There is no 'of course' at all to my question. If you want, I'll keep her sword for you, so you can use it with your second power psi-blade attack. The rest I'll cart off a kilometer or so to feed the wildlife." Shikarou gave her a grim smile. "She helped others to rape you and rape is punished by death where I come from. I happen to like that particular law."

He ripped off the Battle Maiden's swordbelt and tossed it aside before lifting the body over his shoulder, ignoring the blood which immediately drained down over him. Shikarou picked up the head and looked back at Kiyoko. "I'll be back in an hour or less. If I'm gone longer then that, please tell Yushiko to come looking for me. I'll be heading north."

Kiyoko frowned. "No, I'm going to come with you to make sure you stay safe."

He grinned. "Then you'd better be faster then you were the other night." He raced off into the forest. Kiyoko growled and gave chase.

Branwyn slipped into the tent and put her bags down as Misaki carried hers past the Unicorn and into the kitchen. The alpha looked over at Yushiko, who was taking a break and drinking tea at the table. "Where is Shikarou?"

"The honored lord is in the bath."

"Why do you call him that?"

"Because he will let me." With that enigmatic reply Yushiko put down her tea and headed back to her work.

Branwyn made an exhasperated noise and headed into the bathroom. She paused when she realized that her Tamer was not alone. "Hello?"

Shikarou's voice came from behind the partition. "Come in." He continued. "That is Branwyn, my alpha."

Branwyn slid the door open. Shikarou was in the bath while the Dark Kitsune was seated on its edge. "I wanted to let you know that we have returned with most of the stuff I left to get."

"Thank you. Branwyn, this is Kiyoko. She's agreed to join the harem. The answer to your next question is no. I'm going to wait until she's ready."

"I see." Branwyn looked at the pokegirl. "Do you have any idea how long that might be?"

Kiyoko shrugged. "I'm not sure, but after this afternoon, probably not very long."

Branwyn's eyes narrowed. "Does this have to do with the blood outside?"

Shikarou twisted his hair into a rope and draped it over his chest. "Yes it does. It appears that the Battle Maiden was a rapist, so I executed her."

The Unicorn blinked. "You say that so casually."

Kiyoko's ears flicked. "He killed her about that casually, too. It was rather startling. He didn't say anything, just lopped off her head."

Branwyn's sighed loudly. "I begin to wonder if mother knew just how practical you could be when she offered me to you." She shrugged. "I guess it's too late now, but just for the record, while you are not a sociopath, you are sometimes very creepy."

"Like when I just suddenly kill people?"

A slight smile appeared. "No, I didn't have to watch that, although I would have been shocked. But remember what happened when I did watch you cleaning your own blood off your hand."

"I remember. I won't do that again for a while."

"Good." Branwyn left the room and slid the door shut behind her before going off to help Misaki put the supplies away.

Shikarou watched as the Ladyba stirred. She was kind of cute when waking up, all four of her arms stretched out to make an X as she stretched. She lifted her head and turned in his direction as he reflected that you could never be sure where she was looking. She draped her head in his lap, looking up at him and smiled as she made a contented noise.

_You should try the newly programmed T2. I'll apologize later if her brain implodes._

He reached over and picked up the silvery orb. The Ladyba made a lazy grab for it with three of her hands. The fourth was scratching an itch on her hip.

"I know that you really don't understand me right now, but I also know that you have complete recall, so you will later be able to replay this with comprehension. This is a Technical Trainer or T2 and it is going to teach you to talk by synchronizing with your brainwaves and giving you a quick course in English."

He carefully pressed the T2 against the Ladyba's forehead. Her mouth made a moue of surprise and her wing cases opened slightly and closed as her mental processes were temporarily subverted.

_It should be done by now. The entire treatment takes only 2.254 seconds._

"My name is Shikarou and I am your Tamer. Your name is Niamh."

The Ladyba sat up slowly, staring at his face. "Shikarou." She smiled and hugged him around the chest. "Shikarou. Tamer."

_Next time catch a pokegirl without total recall. The results of this experiment will be inconclusive until she actually says a word that she hasn't heard before._

She pointed at him. "Shikarou. Tamer." She then pointed at herself. "Niamh. Ladyba. Pokegirl." She frowned and pointed at her mouth. "Hungry."

_She appears to have reached the same level that a standard language T2 would have. Try something slightly more complex._

"Did you teach her math?" Niamh watched him talk intently.

_I'm a doctor, Jim, not a miracle worker. The T2 only has so much capability, even with modern compression heuristics. I'll reprogram it again later._

Shikarou sighed and picked up his pokedex. Niamh grabbed it. "Pokedex," she announced.

_Loading the visual referents was difficult, but appears to be worth it. This should give her a fighting chance to develop faster and overcome the disabilities inherent in being a feralborne pokegirl. For anything more you might as well get the base planted so you'll have a couple of teachers available._

Niamh was grabbing things and naming them. "Pillow. Sheet. Elbow." She grabbed his cock. "Penis. Cock. Erection." She grinned. "Erection. Taming. Good."

"I see you are starting to string words together. That is outstanding. Now let go of my penis." She released him. Shikarou smiled. "Good."

She smiled back.

Shikarou sat comfortably on the tree branch and listened to the darkness. Dawn wouldn't come for hours and everyone else was fast asleep in the tent.

He'd come up here to think, to face some unpleasant realizations. Night was good for that. It made one introspective. It also made one alert.

He was a quarter of a millennium old as humans reckoned time. Over a century ago he'd been force to reckon with. A hunter without peer.

Then he'd met Pallaius and his life had changed. He'd married and then settled down. Finally he'd become a father. He regretted none of it, and yet it had left its mark.

He'd become soft. Just another kami making it in his mother's shadow. A place where the fights were a well twisted word or innuendo.

Before he'd settled down, that Dark Elf would never have touched him and he'd never have been pinned to the ground like a beast. Rookie mistakes.

Here they would get him killed.

Therefore they had to stop.

When he executed the Battle Maiden a few days ago had been a good start. There hadn't been a betraying flicker in his aura. More, however, was needed.

Most of the work would be his. He'd have to give up the times like now, when he'd been comfortably in bed while someone slept next to him. He wasn't asleep, so it was time wasted in thought. Thought he could do while marching.

His harem wouldn't get out of all the work, however. He peered at the camp. The never-ending fire would have to go. He'd take care of that.

A guard also needed to be posted. His harem would help him with this.

They would also help by sparring with him. He needed to get used to dealing with pokegirl attacks and they needed the exercise. Their travel pace would slow down, but that would be an acceptable tradeoff. They weren't on any particular timetable.

And all of the feral pokegirls they ran across would be fought and captured. His ears twisted in shame at the memory of the first captures on the trip. A group of seven Hamtits. The pokedex indicated that they could be tricked and so he'd given it a try. He'd stood within site of their den entrance, whistling and juggling some imaginary balls. Sure enough the Hamtits had been curious enough to come out to see what he was doing and Branwyn had hit each of them with a pokeball.

Tricking your enemy was all well and good, but first he needed to get back into fighting trim. His harem had never been there in the first place, so the experience was going to be an eye opener for them. They would probably complain a lot.

So be it.

Once the new rules had been instituted and firmly adhered to, Shikarou had seen almost immediate results. The complaining had begun right away. Branwyn and Yushiko had supported him enthusiastically, which had cut down rather dramatically on the goldbricking when he wasn't around. Branwyn supported him because she was his alpha and she agreed with his philosophy. She also kept her bitching private.

Shikarou sometimes worried about Yushiko, she seemed to merely be happy to train because he wanted her to. Niamh had also supported him, more because she hadn't had time to get spoiled and because the new training regimen was still easier than living as a feral.

Misaki had stopped complaining right after the fight where they'd captured the Sabretooth Tigress, when she evolved into an Ivywhore. Kiyoko was still coming around, but then her last Tamer hadn't gone out of sight of the pub in Lairg more than three times a year, and two of those were so he could go home.

He'd briefly considered keeping the Sabretooth, but after mentioning her to Faelan and seeing the look of pain on his brother's face, decided that it would be for the best if he didn't.

He'd also decided to institute a program of cooking lessons for the campfire, just in case a situation arose where the kitchen was unavailable and it had turned out he'd needed a refresher as well, as evidenced by the horrible mess he'd made when he managed to not only burn the rice, but actually set it on fire. Up to this point he'd resisted Branwyn's nags about him teaching her magic, but after that he'd started her on cleaning spells. He'd promised to teach her combat and healing magic later, fortunately she hadn't though to ask what later might mean.

They'd had fun catching the pokegirls they'd run across since the Hamtits, with the exception of the Chickenlittle. Kiyoko just picked her up and carried her back for Shikarou to pokeball. The pair of Kitsune had led them on a merry chase while the Belle Awesome had put up a nasty little fight. There had also been a Tamale and a set of Geogals, but they hadn't put up too much of a fight.

He'd have kept one or more of the ones they'd caught, but all of them were feralborne and right now Niamh was proving to be more than enough of a handful.

Last night was a case in point. Niamh had noticed that Misaki hadn't yet eaten something from her plate and swiped it. Misaki had seen the theft and responded like the pokegirl who'd been raised in a tough pokeranch that she happened to be. She'd stabbed Niamh with her knife in the arm and calmly retrieved the food with her fork at the same time.

Shikarou might have called it a wash at that point and had a stern talk with both of them in private later except Niamh responded by using headbutt on Misaki and the fight was on. After separating them and cleaning up the resulting mess dinner had become, he'd been forced to take them outside and let them fight it out. Misaki had kept her cool during the fight and crushed the higher level Ladyba. Niamh was still sulking from her loss.

Then the three of them had sat down for a very long and rather unhappy talk. Misaki was still sulking from that.

He'd also finally banned forks completely. That gave everyone else something to grump about.

Shikarou reflected wryly that he didn't have to find another wife to have children here. He'd apparently already managed to acquire some.

On a more positive note, the program had also started to show some benefits, minimal though they might be. All of the pokegirls had dropped a kilo or so and their battling had improved dramatically. Shikarou had dropped six kilograms and his appetite had doubled. He was also starting to get back the reflexes he'd taken for granted when he was adventuring. Of course, when he'd told Yushiko to hold nothing back, he'd gotten cut up pretty badly, but not as seriously as he would have a week before.

They'd only had a day or two before they managed to make it to the ferry dock. Shikarou figured that once they were there, he'd take the captures back to the Conservatory and give his pokegirls a day off. It was unlikely that anything else would happen before then.

Shikarou looked over the scene in front of him and cursed himself for actually thinking that nothing else could interrupt his journey. He should know better by now than to tempt the gods. They would almost always take the time to remind you that they cared. Not that you wanted their attention.

The battlefield was littered with the dead. Actually littered. There wasn't a complete body in sight. All but one of the corpses were identical, a reptilian form that would probably be over four meters from snout to tail tip. A single huge scimitar shaped claw graced the primary toe on each foot.

Shikarou glared at the closest one and cocked an ear at Branwyn as he unlimbered his pokedex. "Do you have any idea what that is?"

She shook her head and stomped all four of her feet. "No, I don't."

"It's a fucking velociraptor. Well, almost. Raptors don't have tits. They aren't mammals." Shikarou aimed the pokedex at it and got a no data report for his pains.

_Interesting. Your pokedex is trying to uplink on its own._

"Stop it, now!" Branwyn looked at him curiously. "My pokedex is going off on independent ops and is trying to uplink, which is odd because it's out of range and really odd because it's not supposed to be that smart."

_It is trying to report to an old military satellite that is in geosynchronous orbit overhead. Hmm, the satellite is active. Your pokedex is trying to send out the equivalent to our priority one alerts and is trying to report the presence of a Dameosaur, whatever that is. I have made your pokedex think that it has already reported and received an acknowledgement. _

Shikarou frowned. "This is getting stranger. My pokedex identified this thing as a Dameosaur, but there is no entry in the pokedex itself and no records of a Dameosaur pokegirl."

Branwyn looked curious. "I've never heard of them.

_As soon as I get the time, I will explore every bit of software inside your pokedex. I apologize for the oversight._

"Make the time, immediately and be sure and check any hard ROM. In fact presume that this thing has our tech capability and work from there."

_That would be a huge amount of overkill._

"It's already doing things I didn't expect. Do it."

_Very well, after all you may be correct in your concerns._

"Honored Lord!" Yushiko was waving madly from about five hundred meters away. "Over here. This one is still alive."

Shikarou glanced at Bronwyn, who shrugged. He vaulted onto her back and grinned. "Hi-ho Silver, away." Bronwyn bucked once before settling down into a run.

"No comments from the passengers." She slid to a halt near the Armsmistress.

Shikarou swung off, giving his steed a fond pat as he did so. Branwyn seemed torn between smiling and glaring. "What is it?"

"The Sphinx is still alive."

Shikarou gave her a look as he bent and the checked again. "She's gone. No respiration, no heartbeat. She's dead. I checked her when I found her, remember?"

Yushiko shook her head stubbornly. "I can't tell you how I know she's alive but I do. She's not dead, not yet. But she will be soon, unless you do something to save her, lord." She grimaced. "I wasn't a Valkyrie for very long, honored lord, but I could look at someone and tell immediately if they were dead or not. I can still do that, and she's not dead. Please, save her."

"Is any of the lizard types alive?"

"No, lord, they are all dead. But she isn't and if you hurry, you can save her."

Shikarou sighed. "Let's presume for a moment that you can still detect brain activity somehow. It doesn't matter, she's beyond medical help."

"Yes, lord. She's beyond medical help, but not your help." She took his hands carefully. "We both know that you can save her, if but the tiniest bit of life remains. Don't let her die. Somehow she's important."

Branwyn grabbed his shoulder. "What is she talking about?"

Shikarou shook his head, still watching Yushiko's eyes. "Somehow she knows about magic that I haven't performed in two centuries." His voice was low with shock. "Do you know what could happen to her if I do this?"

Yushiko gripped his hands tighter. "What will happen is what must happen, my lord."

Branwyn shook his shoulder. "Answer me dammit. This Sphinx has been almost torn in half. She's already dead."

Shikarou sighed and shook off the two pokegirls. He shrugged out of his pack before taking off his shirt. "Not according to Yushiko, and the fact that she knows I can revive the almost completely dead even though I haven't performed that magic in two hundred and four years tells me that she may know about this as well." He glanced at Branwyn and gave her a slight smile. "It also hints that all of my efforts to keep a celestial pokegirl out of my harem may have been for naught."

"Is there any danger to you?" Branwyn took the shirt and clutched it to her chest as she morphed back to her bipedal form.

"There isn't any physical danger to me." Shikarou picked up the Sphinx and turned her onto her back.

The Unicorn glared. "I asked if there was any danger to you. Is there?"

He stopped and thought for a moment. "I don't know. I have to use blood magic to revive her and it's always unpredictable, which is why I don't use it in spite of its power. You can never be quite sure of what might happen."

He raised his arm and stopped. "You might want to back away ten or so meters. I once had one get pretty feisty when I woke him up and he hurt a couple of people before he realized what was going on."

Branwyn sighed and picked up his pack as Yushiko took to the air. "I can't talk you out of this can I?"

"I really wish you could. This always seems to come around and take a chunk out of my leg."

"Ass. It always seems to come around and bite me in the ass." Branwyn's smile never reached her eyes. "Please be careful."

"I'll do the best I can."

Shikarou held his arms up and sank his teeth into one of his wrists at a time, behind the thumb to sink his fangs into the radial artery that runs beneath the skin. Blood welled from the bites and curled up his arms to pool in his palms.

Branwyn stared. His blood glowed brightly as it collected in his hands and none dripped to the ground.

Shikarou kneeled next to the Sphinx's head and the blood arced up and out of his palms to run in a glowing line into the pokegirl's mouth and wend its way down her gullet. Her wounds began to glow and closed swiftly and her intestines crawled back into her torso which then sealed shut. The last of the blood ran into her mouth, leaving his palms unmarked and the blood on his arms began obeying the pull of gravity.

The Sphinx suddenly took a deep shuddering breath and opened her eyes. She surged to her feet, her eyes wild as Shikarou took a slow step backwards. Her gaze locked on him. "Where am I, what happened?" She looked around wildly. "Where are the Dameosaurs?"

"It's going to be all right," Shikarou spoke in a gentle tone. "You are here, with ones who may wish to be your friends and who wish you no ill. You are still badly injured and I would like to heal your injuries, but the fastest way will be to put you into a pokeball. I promise to release you afterward." He smiled slowly. "I keep my promises and my alpha there will ensure that I do so even if I was not inclined to."

"The Dameosaurs are gone?" The Sphinx's eyes were still wild.

"The five that we have found are all dead. You nearly died. Let us help you."

Slowly the Sphinx relaxed, but she still seemed dazed. "Yes, I will let you help me." She turned to face him. "Go ahead."

Shikarou pulled an empty pokeball from his belt and captured the Sphinx. He picked up the pokeball and trotted towards Branwyn, who was already pulling the PPHU from his pack and setting up the battery. He grinned tiredly. "Let's get her healed and on her way before something else happens." He sank to his knees slowly.

Branwyn loaded the pokeball and started the healing cycle. "You look exhausted."

"My blood magic seems to use my life energy to heal others, which is why I am understandably cautious about using it. The last time I used it I almost died."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I was a lot less powerful then. There was almost no chance of that happening again." He frowned and cocked his head. "I'm already starting to feel better. I'm more worried about how she's doing?"

"What are you concerned about?"

"She's human. I'm not. There is no way to know if my energy will change her or in what way it might if it does." He rubbed his ears and looked away. "I've never done this to a human before."

Yushiko circled to hover overhead. "Someone has appeared where the dead pokegirls are. I didn't want to get to close in case they didn't see me."

Shikarou glanced at her bright red wings. "Only if they are blind did they miss you." He climbed to his feet and reached for his pokeballs. He grinned suddenly and scratched one. "Ah, that feels good."

Branwyn looked disgusted. "You are sick."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I know. Stay here and finish her cycle and then join me." Misaki, Kiyoko and Niamh flashed into existence. "Brief them and bring them with you. I'll try the 'I come without pokegirls' approach first." He cast his communication spell on the group. "If I yell, come running."

Kiyoko turned a skeptical eye on Branwyn as Shikarou headed off at a quick walk. "If?"

"He's optimistic. Wrong, but optimistic. Watch him. When he gets into trouble, teleport in and bring him back here. We'll be waiting and ready for the fight, just like we've been training to."

Misaki smiled. "You mean where we fight as a team and our leader doesn't go wandering off on his own right before the battle starts?"

"Exactly like that," Branwyn replied in a dry tone.

Shikarou fell into a trot as Branwyn's voice sounded in his ears. "You've spent too much time on teamwork to go charging off at the first sign of something new, so what is it?"

"These newcomers may be looking for the dead Dameosaurs or the Sphinx. In either case, I'm going to buy you the time to finish her healing cycle. I'm the hardest to kill and the boss, so I elected myself. Keep listening in case they say something useful."

As he approached he began to make out details. Five more Dameosaurs and some very near human type pokegirl. Or maybe a real human female. He pointed his pokedex and came to a halt a good thirty meters from the group as the Dameosaurs started to spread out. A growl carried across to him.

_The pokedex just hit every alarm that I know exists and two I hadn't found yet. It is demanding a priority one verification code that I don't know to report a Sanctuary Goth incursion. What should I do? _

"Let the damned thing uplink and use the carrier to get to the satellite. Find out what is going on," he muttered.

_I'll try. Don't teleport or do anything like that until I tell you that I'm done._

"No promises. My skin is much more valuable than that satellite."

The Sanctuary Goth waved to him. "Come here," she demanded.

Shikarou smiled. "That is precisely why I'm staying right here. Orders make my skin crawl."

He noticed that two of the Dameosaurs were heading to get on his flanks. They were much faster than he'd guessed they would be. Even at a trot he suspected they were faster than his dead run. It was a good thing running wasn't on his agenda.

The Goth glared at him. "I told you to come here, male. Don't make me have one of my Dameosaurs fetch you."

Shikarou shook his head in puzzled manner. "Did you say Lameosaur or was that Dummyosaur?"

The Dameosaur next to the Goth hissed in anger. "I eat your liver," she growled.

Shikarou grinned. "You're so sweet. But I need it more than you do." Her head lowered.

"Where is the Sphinx?" The Sanctuary Goth put a calming hand on her pokegirl. "Hand her over and we'll be on our way." She smiled nastily. "And in case you were thinking of running, bad idea. You are surrounded and my girls here prefer their prey on the run."

"So she wants to eat my liver and you want to watch. A cannibalistic voyeur, now that is just sick."

The Goth smiled. "Have it your way." Shikarou heard the Dameosaur to his rear left charge.

Quickly he reviewed what he knew about velociraptors. The only question was would the attack be high or low. In any case the same defense was suggested.

He looked puzzled, hoping to throw the Goth off, while intently listening to the charge. Suddenly he shifted two meters to his right in a blur as he called out, "Sword." The Dameosaur entered the space he'd just left a heartbeat later. He struck.

The Dameosaur had chosen the high attack and was descending with her ripping talons ready as her arms closed on empty air. His strike amputated her right leg and most of her tail instead of her head. "Damn, guessed wrong."

His strike was fast enough that everything kept moving in the same trajectory, so the Goth was unaware that he'd scored until the Dameosaur landed and things suddenly went in different directions.

Shikarou took a step forward and removed the still falling Dameosaur's head. A sort of startled tableau persisted until he smiled. "Never bring talons to a swordfight, ladies. Branwyn, pickup."

Branwyn's voice sounded. "Kiyoko."

Kiyoko appeared next to Shikarou as the four Dameosaurs charged and the Goth started sprinting forward. She vanished. Kiyoko grabbed Shikarou's arm and teleported just as another hand grabbed his other arm. His sword went spinning away at the Goth's jerk.

There was a brief image of Branwyn, staring at the pokegirl on his other arm and a feeling of release as Kiyoko let him go and then jungle appeared. Shikarou extended his claws and ripped the Sanctuary Goth from throat to crotch.

"Don't touch the merchandise without permission," Shikarou snarled.

Branwyn appeared as Shikarou slashed the mortally wounded Goth again. "Thank the gods for the delta bond," she muttered as she grabbed him and they teleported back.

Shikarou looked around quickly. A Dameosaur was nearby, being held at a distance by Misaki's vinewhip while Kiyoko tried unsuccessfully to hit her with a flamethrower attack. "Branwyn, hit her from the rear."

The Unicorn tossed him a pokeball and shifted to her quad form. "Our little troublemaker." Shikarou looked for his other two pokegirls.

Niamh and Yushiko were keeping in the air, one of the Dameosaurs was down and masturbating furiously. Shikarou understood as Niamh unleashed another lust dust attack which missed a swerving Dameosaur. Yushiko potted her with a lightning bolt that sent her skidding in the dirt. She rolled to her feet and disappeared under some low trees.

Shikarou shrugged and released the Sphinx. She appeared and looked at him. "Thank you."

"Uh, sorry, but we're rather busy, so you just get on your way."

She looked around. "Dameosaurs. I can help."

"Sure. Here." Shikarou cast the communication spell on her. "Just speak and we'll hear you. Say ladies before you say anything else, like this. Ladies, the Sphinx has decided to join the fray on our side." He sighed. "Will you take my orders?"

"Yes." She nodded emphatically.

He pointed. "That is Yushiko and Niamh. Help them to kill or immobilize the Dameosaur in those trees."

"Very well." She shifted to her battle form and launched herself into the air. Shikarou headed for the masturbating pokegirl at a trot. "Sword."

Branwyn came up alongside him. "That one is finished." Blood was running from a nasty bite across her side and she had some scratches.

"Good, there are still three of them and I only know of two. Take Kiyoko and find the other. Leave Misaki with me."

"No can do. Misaki is in her pokeball and will be there until we can heal her. She got disemboweled right at the end of her fight.

"Fine. I'll take the Sphinx." He raised his voice slightly. "Sphinx, this is Shikarou, uh, the man. Come back, you are going to be with me while we fight. I need a partner."

"Ok. I'm on my way." Branwyn peeled off as the Sphinx turned in the air and flew back towards him.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Lorelei. To your right!"

Shikarou jumped for the nearest tall tree, landing a good five meters up before bothering to look back. A Dameosaur watched from where he'd been standing. Her stance indicated frustration. He grinned and chattered at her like a monkey. She hissed and bellowed in anger.

He finished the spell while she was still screaming and blue darts of light shot from his hand to slam into her torso, staggering her backwards. Suddenly white bolts of energy slammed into her from the side as Lorelei hammered her with feather shuriken. A second sleet of ki energy swept over the Dameosaur, this time red, indicating that Yushiko had entered the fight.

Shikarou hit her with the missile spell again and she went down under a second barrage of white ki bolts. Yushiko went back to circling over the wood which held the last Dameosaur as Lorelei landed next to Dameosaur who had been masturbating and had since passed out. Casually she ripped the unconscious pokegirl's head off before taking to the air again.

Shikarou grinned. He could see the little wooded area from where he was. "Yushiko, Lorelei, Niamh, I'm going to give you an assist. Be ready." He cast the spell and a dart of white light flashed into the woods where the Dameosaur lurked. There was a dull roar and fire exploded out of the trees. The Dameosaur fled, apparently right at Branwyn and Kiyoko as a flamethrower attack engulfed the luckless pokegirl.

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 20

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Unicorn Branwyn 42

Dark Kitsune Kiyoko 36

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 24

Ladyba Niamh 25

Ivywhore Misaki 17

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

_**DAMEOSAUR, Sanctuary's Speedy Guardians, the Modern Gyno-Dinosaur**_  
**Type**: Animorph, velociraptoid dinosauroid  
**Element**: Rock/Fighting  
**Frequency**: non-existent outside the Dark Continent (Very Rare there)  
**Diet**: meat. Usually they kill Feral pokegirls, but the Dameosaurs aren't adverse to eating nosy humans trying to locate Sanctuary.  
**Role**: guardians of Sanctuary. The Dameosaur serves as a "picket fence" shield and early-warning/defense system for Sanctuary. Often also serves as a babysitter or personal aide/sexual companion inside Sanctuary.  
**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Electric, Fire, Flying, Ice, Normal, Poison, Rock  
**Weak Vs**: Fighting, Flying, Ground, Plant, Psychic, Water  
**Libido**: Low to Average (when it comes to mating season)  
**Attacks (normal mode)**: Tail Slap (using her tail to hit her opponent)  
**Attacks (battle mode)**: Tail Slap, Gut-Rip Kick (using her toe claws to disembowel an opponent), Head Crush (crushing the opponent's head in her jaws), Head Butt (hitting the opponent head on at high speed).  
**Enhancements**: Metamorph; Dameosaurs transform from normal (humanoid) mode to battle (dinosauroid) mode. Possesses semi-armored skin in either mode, though it is softer to the touch in normal mode. Very fast runners, almost on par with a Cheetit. Can leap triple their erect standing height to bring down a low-flying opponent (i.e. a Griffon).  
**Evolves**: Pterodame (Angel Stone), Nessidame (Water Stone)  
**Evolves From**: None. The Dameosaur and its branch-off breeds, the Pterodames and the Nessidames, have NO direct genetic relation either to pure-bloods or other pokegirl breeds, even the Sanctuary Goths.  
In a parallel dimension Sukebe discovered in his travels, there was a place called Jurassic Park, a would-be amusement park where scientists created modern-day dinosaurs, descendants of the greatest animal dynasty in Earth's history. Taking a liking to the Velociraptor in particular, Sukebe obtained cell samples and returned them to his lab, placing the samples in storage. They remained untouched through the Revenge, somehow winding up in the very cave the founders of Sanctuary discovered years later.  
As they studied Sukebe's technology, Sanctuary's founders decided to use the dinosaur samples to create a "guardian" pokegirl who would protect Sanctuary from any land-bound threat (like a Tamer who would not take well to encountering an all-pokegirl village free of human oversight).  
The result of that, first appearing in PS 214/CE 2206, is the Dameosaur, a metamorphic reptilian humanoid. Later came the Dameosaur's evolved breeds, the flying Pterodames and the water-borne Nessidames.  
The Dameosaur, in "normal" mode, resembles a green-skinned humanoid with a thick tail as long as she is tall. The tail is somewhat prehensile; a Dameosaur can balance herself on her tail for short periods of time. She possesses soft feathers for hair branching from her head, usually shaped in a tomboyish-like cut. Feather color is usually black or grey.  
Adult Dameosaurs are big, averaging 7 feet 6 inches (229 cm) tall.  
When transformed into "battle" mode, the Dameosaur assumes the traditional shape of a Velociraptor, though she still keeps her humanoid breasts and five digits on fingers and toes. The big toe on a transformed Dameosaur's foot extends into a "hook claw" (usually about 8 inches [20 cm] in length), the most well-known mark of a velociraptoid. With the hook claw, a Dameosaur could readily disembowel most pokegirls in an instant, even those with pseudo-armor covering the abdomen.  
Dameosaurs have the same mental development as the average Tamed Feralborn pokegirl elsewhere, though they can speak normally (even when they are in battle mode). Following Sanctuary civil custom, they address Sanctuary Goths as "Ms. (given name)" (for bonded Goths) or "Miss (given name)" (for unbonded Goths). They are genetically/mentally programmed to never harm any resident or guest of Sanctuary, especially when it comes to the children residing there. Since no men are allowed within the walls of Sanctuary, Dameosaurs are mentally programmed to kill any man on sight.  
The only exception to this is when the male is the Pet of a Sanctuary Goth, though such men are not brought into Sanctuary itself.  
Most Dameosaurs live in packs supervised by a Sanctuary Goth, they protecting a sector of the community's surrounding fields. Others serve as nannies/babysitters to the town's many orphanages and schools. Dameosaurs can also be found serving as the assistant/lover of a Goth (regardless if the Goth has a Pet or no) working inside the community.

_**SANCTUARY GOTH (aka GOTH OF "YOU-KNOW-WHERE", aka DARK ANGEL), the Independent Pokegirl Who Can Choose Her Own "Pet" (Tamer)**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Magic/Psychic  
**Frequency**: Extremely Rare - save for those chosen to be a "Pet" to this type of pokegirl, the Sanctuary Goths are totally unknown (though there are some parties who have heard rumors about this particular breed, much less what they have created in the Dark Continent). If they are encountered, they are almost ALWAYS mistaken for normal Goths or pure-blood humans.  
**Diet**: human standard  
**Role**: as any one will describe her role, she's one of "society's balance-keepers." Often rescues abandoned pokegirl babies and/or abused pokegirls, then helps resettle them in Sanctuary. Also protects her Pet from any "unhealthy influence" (people like Gendo Giovanni, for example).

**Libido**: Low (unbonded) to Average (bonded to a Pet)  
**Strong Vs**: unknown  
**Weak Vs**: unknown  
**Attacks**: Aura of Danger, Aura of Menace, Aura of Doom. A bonded Sanctuary Goth can also project the Aura of Love to her Pet or her Pet's pokegirls. Goths supervising Dameosaurs/Pterodames/Nessidames also develop the Aura of Command (NOTE: these attacks are not spoken out by the attacker).  
**Enhancements**: The Gift of Sight (a form of clairvoyance which allows her to watch anything of interest beyond visual range) and Teleport. However, a Sanctuary Goth's greatest enhancement is her independence, the absence of the "pack" mentality other pokegirls have. In essence, save for her need to have a human lover (referred to as her "Pet") to bond with, there is nothing in common between a Sanctuary Goth and any other pokegirl breed.  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Any pokegirl breed (with aid of a special Ebony Evolution Stone) or pure-human (after being transformed into a pokegirl). There is no "random" evolution into a Sanctuary Goth.  
The Goths of Sanctuary ("You-Know-Where" as those "in the know" outside that community always call it when speaking of it in public) first came into being around PS 196/CE 2188 when a band of a dozen near-Feral humanoid pokegirls stumbled onto an abandoned hidden base supposedly set up by Sukebe himself somewhere in the Dark Continent.  
While the exact details of the "Discovery" remain a closely-guarded secret even among most Sanctuary Goths, this is known: the pokegirls were exposed to a mental enhancement device that shattered the subconscious need for them to seek out a Tamer/Master, then they evolved into fully-sentient, self-directing beings. With that, the band began to research the history of the "Creator" (Sukebe) and what motivated him to unleash his Revenge.  
After coming to master the technology that miraculously fell into their hands, the band relocated to a secluded part of the Dark Continent to create an all-pokegirl society modeled after the Joketsuzoku Preserve. To ensure the continuation of Sanctuary, selected human males (chosen because of their willingness to perceive pokegirls as social and emotional equals to pure-blood humans) were allowed to become a Goth's "Pet" (the words "Tamer," "Taming" and all variations of same are NOT used in Sanctuary; it is seen as VERY gauche there) so children could be birthed.  
Along the way, the Sanctuary Goths also began a policy of rescuing abused pokegirls and abandoned pokegirl-descent babies and having them raised in a society free of human prejudice. The Sanctuary Goths were VERY busy brining in pokegirls during the aftermath of Mao's Rebellion.  
If an adopted citizen of Sanctuary proves herself to be of the "right frame of mind" to help lead/guide the community into the future, she can be evolved into a Sanctuary Goth. If they are not, they can choose to remain in Sanctuary or leave it to seek out a kind Tamer (usually one who may have been adopted [or will be adopted] by a Sanctuary Goth as her Pet).  
The Sanctuary Goths are dedicated to evolving the society birthed in the aftermath of Sukebe's Revenge, for the benefit of humans AND pokegirls. They are "hidden" backers of pokegirl-rights groups and the "dark" enemies of those who would desire to see pokegirls kept in their "slave" role.  
Like their "normal" Goth cousins appearing in the Crimson League and elsewhere, Sanctuary Goths revel in darkness, dealing with the more shadowy nature of existence. They project a moody demeanor to all around them, even their Pets (though they can be VERY passionate when it comes to sex).  
They call it "grounding themselves in that thing called Reality."  
The distinctive marks of a Sanctuary Goth are tattoos worn on the upper arms, normally in black ink. Common tattoo themes include crosses, winged hearts, snakes, barbed wire, skulls and other "moody" motifs.  
The way you can tell a "born" Sanctuary Goth (Chikage Hirosaki, for example) from an "adopted" Sanctuary Goth (Atako Moroboshi, for example) are in the number of body tattoos. Those born as Sanctuary Goths usually have tattoos ONLY on the arms. Adopted Goths often decorate their legs, breasts and even their faces atop the standard upper arm tattoos.  
A Sanctuary Goth's Aura attacks are actually self-defense mechanisms she uses to keep the curious and the potentially dangerous away from her. Used in conjunction with their Sight and a lot of street-savvy, Sanctuary Goths pretty much avoid those seeking to capture them. This is especially meant to guard them against those League leaders who, having heard whispers about an "all-pokegirl, no humans allowed, civilization" existing somewhere in the Dark Continent, strive to catch one of these girls).  
To that end, some residents in Sanctuary have dedicated themselves to expanding studies in genetic enhancements that would shield them against capture or detection. Regardless of which, most Sanctuary Goths who foray into the outside world are taught to NOT draw any attention to themselves.  
The best way to do that is to remain in the shadows.  
Many Sanctuary Goths, when they enter puberty, begin to delve in necromancy or other magical studies that allows them to better understand the societies which existed before Sukebe's time. Sanctuary is, atop being a pokegirl refuge, a large repository of pre-Sukebe historical, cultural and scientific knowledge, the protection of which being another reason the community's existence is guarded so much.  
It is the ultimate desire of the Council of Elders (Sanctuary's ruling body) that, when the time is right (i.e., when sentient pokegirls are given the same social rights as pure-blood humans), the whole sum of their knowledge and learning will be opened to the rest of the world.  
A special note: Sanctuary Goths ALWAYS possess family names.  
Further, it is seen as VERY gauche for a Goth to be intimate with another Goth's Pet without the latter's express permission.


	4. Chapter 4

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is fiction

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

Chapter 4: Stornoway

"So explain to me why you want to move at least three kilometers before setting up camp for the night," Branwyn asked.

"Two reasons. First of all, camping near dead bodies is usually unhealthy. Even if you burn or bury the bodies there is still all the blood that was spilled. It tends to draw predators." He shuddered. "And the spirits."

"Secondly, when my pokedex sent a message about the Sanctuary Goth, it uplinked to an old military satellite that sent on the message and slugged a location stamp on it. That would suggest someone may be coming to visit the battleground and I'd prefer to be somewhere else should that happen."

Branwyn looked skeptical. "That satellite has to be ancient and its maps probably predate all of the changes that the Legendaries made to the environment, so how accurate could it be?"

_You might let her know that while the satellite was launched during the Bee Gees era, the British Isles haven't changed that much since then._

Shikarou nodded. "Great Britain wasn't that affected by the Legendaries. It was the plagues that caused most of the problems here. The maps are still fairly accurate, with the exception of the landbridge across to what used to be France."

Branwyn pulled to a halt. "We've gone nearly five kilometers," she announced over her shoulder.

Shikarou pulled out his wand and summoned the tent and campfire before sliding off Branwyn's back and reaching for his pokeballs. "I think I'll make dinner tonight. We all need a break after today. You ladies can decide what we have."

A little while later everyone was sitting around the table, which Shikarou had moved outside.

His pokegirls had been feeling experimental so the table fairly groaned with magically created food, and each of them had insisted that he try whatever she had decided she wanted. Shikarou's choice, a very spicy curry, had been sampled politely and then ignored by everyone except him, which suited him just fine.

There was a second flurry of activity when Shikarou had offered to create desserts and the table was quickly cleared, with the leftovers going into the kitchen. Then he pulled out his wand and announced that he was once again taking requests. Soon the table again looked close to the point of collapse. Shikarou's choice this time, a chocolate truffle ice cream, was so popular he had to make another carton before he could get some.

Shikarou was teaching Misaki how to eat from the whipped cream canister when the voice came from the darkness. "Heeeellllloooooo?"

Shikarou came to his feet and glanced around. "I'd like to tell you to spread out, but we're probably under observation already. Yushiko, Niamh, be ready to go airborne in an instant." He faced where the voice had come from and listened briefly. "About ten meters out. They're downwind, so I have no scent." He released a detection spell silently into the night.

Kiyoko moved to stand next to him. "I'm your partner tonight," she whispered.

He nodded and raised his voice. "Come and join us."

Two figures slowly moved in from the edge of the firelight. One was Lorelei and the other was a Catgirl clad in a white cotton shift and wearing a bunch of gold jewelry.

Lorelei smiled. "Sorry, it took us a while to find you since you moved." She sniffed the air. "What is that?"

Branwyn chuckled. "Mainly sugar, we were finishing up dessert." She glanced at Shikarou, who nodded minutely. "Would the two of you care to join us?"

The Catgirl smiled. "Thank you. I am Bastit." She stuck out her hand at Shikarou as Branwyn smothered a gasp.

Shikarou eyed it briefly before taking it. "My name is Shikarou. It is a pleasure to meet you. So, are you going to invite your other friend to join us?"

Bastit cocked her head. "There was nothing for you to hear, how did you know about her?"

He smiled. "With all due respect, that is my business. Would she also like some dessert? We have a popular flavor of ice cream tonight."

Bastit's eyebrows rose. "Did you say ice cream?"

"Chocolate truffle. It's quite popular." He smiled easily. "If you don't care for that flavor I'm sure I can come up with one you will like."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm a mage. I can make any flavor you might like presuming, of course, that there is a flavor of ice cream that you do like." He frowned slightly and gave his head a small shake as Kiyoko moved to join the other pokegirls, who'd started to gather around the table again.

"What is it?"

"Are you trying to get me to ignore the presence of the pokegirl who's still out there somewhere?" His frown deepened and he murmured a quick spell. The result was obvious, suddenly he sneezed violently. "Pheromones, huh? It would have been easier just to say she wasn't going to be joining us."

Bastit's eyes narrowed. "How did you throw off the effect?"

"My magic treats them like any other poison and makes me immune for the next twenty four hours." He sighed. "Look, we're all tired and unless you offer us violence, we aren't going to be violent at you. Why don't you stop the tricks and just have some dessert with us. If not, just go away."

The activity in the camp ground to a halt as everyone turned to stare at him. Shikarou glanced around and his ears began to fold back as he turned to Bastit once again. "If you persist in trying to control my harem, I am going to have to decide that you are offering us violence." His words were calm, but a growl rumbled in his voice. "You are starting to abuse my hospitality and I won't stand for that."

She watched him clinically for a moment and then nodded. "Very well." His nose informed him that the air was starting to clear. "I do not know if Sexmet will join us, but I will go ask her. I should be back in just a minute." She vanished.

Branwyn touched his shoulder. "What was that about?"

"She was giving off some kind of control pheromone." Shikarou was still watching the night around them. "I didn't notice it, but my twee was unaffected and alerted me to the unusual changes in my judgment." He took her hand. "You are probably still under it's affects, but I'm not going to remove them until I know if premature removal will hurt you." He smiled. "It gave me a splitting headache and I don't get those very often."

"Oh, ok." Branwyn went back to join the others. Shikarou marveled. Even after being told, she didn't care. Those pheromones were obviously very potent indeed and he should be very careful around Bastit.

A short time later two figures walked out of the darkness. Bastit nodded to Shikarou. "This is Shikarou, he's their Tamer."

The second figure was another Catgirl. This one was taller than the first and was wearing leather scale armor and an armored skirt with greaves and sandals. A swordbelt graced her hips and the Persian sword known as a shamshir dangled from it. She looked Shikarou up and down. "I am Sexmet."

"I am pleased to meet you." Shikarou bowed slightly. "Would you like some dessert? Or coffee, perhaps?"

A slight smile appeared. "I can't stand Western coffee."

"Neither can I. Would you like some with foam or without?"

Her smile widened and became genuine. "With. Heavy sugar and cream."

"I'm going to pull out my wand," Shikarou warned as he reached for his armpit. He slowly removed the wand and conjured a tray with three already filled cups, a steaming pot, and a small covered dish on the ground between them. He gestured carefully after holstering his wand. "Please, sit."

Bastit looked from Shikarou to Sexmet and back. "You don't like me, but you are getting along with her? I don't believe this!" She stomped past him to join his pokegirls.

Shikarou settled down crosslegged and picked up a cup to offer to Sexmet. "I hope you don't mind the mugs. I like a bigger cup than is traditional."

Sexmet smiled. "This will do nicely." She sipped at her drink and her eyes widened. "This is outstanding."

"Thank you." They drank their coffee in silence and Shikarou refilled Sexmet's cup before his own when it was empty. He smiled. "Now that the first cup is done we can talk business. Why are you here?" He uncovered the dish. "Baklava?"

"Thank you." Sexmet helped herself. "I need to know what happened. Lorelei isn't the same as she was before she left this morning."

"The succinct version is that we came across a battlefield upon which we found the remains of five Dameosaurs and one Sphinx. Yushiko, my Armsmistress, insisted that the Sphinx was still alive and urged me to save her life, which I did using a specialized form of magic. I asked the Sphinx to let me put her into a pokeball for further healing and she agreed."

"While she was undergoing the healing cycle, we were attacked by five more Dameosaurs and one Sanctuary Goth. All of them were killed in the process of defending ourselves and afterwards Lorelei teleported away, presumably to her home. We moved far enough that we wouldn't be disturbed by any predators which might be summoned to the battlefield and made camp. Then you showed up and Bastit used her pheromones on my pokegirls and me."

Sexmet watched him over her cup. "Short and precise. You've had military training." It wasn't a question. "Where?"

"The name wouldn't mean anything to you. I'm from offworld."

Sexmet blinked. "That is an unusual thing to reveal freely."

Shikarou shrugged. "You are reputed to have a temper. If you are here to try to kill me then revealing my origins is unlikely to sway you either way." He smiled slightly. "So far you have been more civil than Bastit."

Her ears flicked. "You said 'try to kill you'. You don't think I could succeed?"

Shikarou watched her carefully before he spoke. "If you are here to kill me, then we are about to find out. If you aren't, it's a moot point. My statement was in no way a challenge."

"You aren't afraid of me?" Her voice had a slight lilt.

"You haven't given me a reason to be." He sighed. "I don't suppose we could dispense with the verbal sparring?" He put down the cup. "Are you here because you feel you have a wrong that needs redressed?"

"You are blunt and yet still polite." Sexmet smiled. "No, I don't. I'm here because I don't understand what happened to Lorelei and she is one of my foster children."

"I don't have any answers for you." Shikarou placed his hands on his thighs. "I've never used that spell on a human before and I'm unsure of what the long term consequences will be."

"What is the best case scenario?"

"Nothing unusual happens to her."

Sexmet put down her cup and picked up his to offer it to him. Shikarou accepted it. "And the worst case," she asked as she refilled hers and took a long drink.

"My life energy was poured into her to bring her back from the brink of death. The only thing alive was her brain, and it was dying. She could take the life energy I gave her as her own and become somewhat like me." He shrugged. "My father's people have the ability to turn others into their own kind, although I don't know the process."

"What are you?"

"Hard to kill and effectively immortal. The humans where I come from call us kami or forest spirits, if we are benevolent. If we aren't, they call us oni or demons, but they use both kami and oni for many things that they don't understand. Here in the Blue Continent we would be called Sidhe or Fey."

"What will her children be like?"

"If she's unchanged, then they will be normal. If she's become like me, then they will be like nothing seen upon this world before." He smiled as she blinked in shock. "I mean they will be like her no matter what. If she becomes kami to any extent her children may be unusually colored or unusually powerful. They won't have extra heads or anything like that. My genetic line is very stable and such things seldom happen. They will, however, be hard to kill and long lived."

"How hard to kill?"

"I'm not going to reveal family secrets to someone I've just met." Shikarou met her gaze squarely. "While I don't fear you, I do respect your reputation, and you are still a possible foe."

"Can you breed with pokegirls?"

"I can breed with humans, yes." He smiled slightly. "To my people, you are still completely human. However, I have made myself sterile for the time being, to avoid accidents. By the bye, I cannot lie, so what I have told you is the truth, no matter whether you believe me or not." Shikarou leaned back slightly. "So, what do you want?"

"You just told me that Lorelei may become like you. I don't understand what that means, so I want you to take her into your harem." Sexmet smiled. "Any Tamer would kill to have a Sphinx in his harem."

"I'm going to have to decline that honor." Shikarou nodded. "I don't think that would be a wise option at this particular time."

"I don't think you understand. I said I want you to take her into your harem."

Shikarou's ears flicked. "And I want an orbital complex with pinpoint bombardment capability. Sadly, I suspect that we are both doomed to disappointment."

Sexmet glared. "What is going on, have Sphinxes suddenly become unfashionable? First Devon sent Jennifer away without an argument and now you are telling me you don't want Lorelei."

Shikarou frowned. "Devon. Devon Harris?"

"You know him?"

"No, I know of him. According to Poppet, he's just about given her a bleeding ulcer."

Sexmet gave an amused smile. "That's Devon." The smile faded. "What is your excuse for not wanting Lorelei?"

"Two things. I get the impression she's very young and I have a Unicorn in my harem."

"I still don't understand, Shikarou."

"Unicorns are rare enough. If I show up with a Sphinx as well, I'll be battling pokegirl thieves and Tamers wanting a salvage fight every time I take a breath."

Sexmet gave him a thoughtful look. "Wisdom? I don't expect that in a Tamer these days."

Shikarou shook his head. "This isn't my first career. Look, under other circumstances I would cheerfully let Lorelei join my harem, but only if she wanted to, not because you ordered it. However, I'm trying to keep a low profile and Branwyn and Lorelei together would make that almost impossible. Besides, I have enough kids in my harem."

"So you are looking for maturity? That's going to be rather hard to find in a pokegirl."

He snorted. "I'm starting to realize just how accurate that statement is. I may have to try and find a good pokewoman instead of a pokegirl for the next addition to my harem, and most of them are too smart to want to go adventuring." He smiled briefly. "And I'm fairly sure I won't be all that interested in the stupid ones. So I really need to find a pokewoman who's having a sudden short term lapse in judgment."

Sexmet put her cup down. "Very well. May I keep in contact with you, in case something does happen to Lorelei?"

"I think that would be a good idea. I will try to help if I can, if only for Lorelei's sake." Shikarou rose and offered her his hand. She smiled and let him help her to her feet.

Branwyn looked up as they approached. "So, what is going on?"

"Sexmet wanted Lorelei to join the harem, but it didn't work out."

She frowned. "Why not? I'm sure that she'd be a useful member of the harem. And we're already getting along."

Shikarou looked over at Bastit. "When will this wear off?"

The Legendary shrugged. "In a couple of hours. Why aren't you going to take her?"

Shikarou pulled out his wand and summoned his backpack. "Ask Sexmet." He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a small golden chest which opened at the touch of his wand. He closed it quickly as Bastit leaned forward curiously. "If you don't mind?"

She gave him an annoyed look but moved away. Shikarou opened it back up and pulled out a golden ring. "Branwyn."

She came over, smiling. "Yes, Shikarou?"

"This is a loan. Understand. A loan. Now, give me your hand." He slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

Branwyn shivered and put a hand to her forehead. "Gods but that hurts." She gave him an annoyed look. "What did I do to you?"

"Tell me your opinion of Lorelei joining the harem."

"That's an insane idea. You'd have people sneaking into your room at night to either try to steal the two of us or challenge you to a pokegirl battle." She gave him an exasperated look. "I'd expect something smarter than that from you."

Sexmet grabbed Branwyn's hand and peered closely at the ring. "What is this?" She looked up at Shikarou.

"Mine. Now let her go and please leave." He dug around and came up with a slip of paper and a pen. He scribbled his com code on it and handed it to Sexmet. "There."

Sexmet nodded. "Lorelei, it's time to go."

The Sphinx looked up from her cake. "Bye. I'll see you later, mother."

Sexmet gave Shikarou a glance. "You are going with us, child."

Lorelei frowned. "I want to stay here. If you drag me away, I'll just come back." She looked at Shikarou. "Don't you want me to stay," she asked in a hurt tone.

Shikarou put up his hand as Sexmet started to speak. She gave him an unhappy look. "I am not used to being interrupted, Shikarou."

"Tough. Lorelei, why do you want to stay? You don't owe me anything, since you didn't ask me to save your life."

"Actually, I do. You did save my life and I owe you a lot for that, but I could give you something from mother's treasure horde for that. I want to stay because I'm tired of the Dark Continent and mother keeping me from having any fun." She smiled. "It doesn't hurt that you are cute and Yushiko says you are a good lover." Her smile broadened. "But I really want to travel and battle and have real harem sisters, like I'm supposed to. Mother keeps saying that she's going to find me a good Tamer, but none of them are ever good enough, so I chose you." She grinned and pointed with a lazy finger. "Shikarou, I chose you." She giggled suddenly.

Shikarou looked at her intently for a moment and then looked at Branwyn. She shrugged. "Lorelei, welcome to the harem," he announced. "Branwyn is my alpha and if you give her any shit you will answer to both of us. Is that clear?"

Lorelei jumped to her feet and swept the two of them into a huge hug. "Of course, master!"

Sexmet gave a good impression of a rumpled cat. "What just happened?"

Shikarou peeled out of Lorelei's grasp. "She gave me a good reason to join my harem. All you were telling me was how it would benefit you or me."

Yushiko circled ten meters up and released Shikarou. He landed easily and looked around. They'd deliberately landed on Lewis Island about ten kilometers north of Stornoway to avoid unwanted attention. Yushiko feathered in to a landing next to him. He smiled. "Do you remember when you used to cover me with debris when you did that?"

She chuckled. "I guess those afternoons of touch and go landings helped after all, no matter how much I hated them at the time. Is Niamh all right?"

Shikarou nodded. "She's fine, she just got tired out over the ocean, so I put her up when she started to head for the surface of the water. She insisted on trying but she's not really designed for long distance flight. I admire her spirit, though." He pulled out Branwyn's pokeball and released her. "Yushiko, do you want a rest?"

"No, Honored Lord, I am well. I'll take overwatch unless you would prefer Lorelei to do it."

He smiled. "Get up there." The Armsmistress took off and started a racetrack pattern overhead.

Branwyn looked around. "Lewis Island, I presume." She shifted to her quad form. "Do you want to make it to town today or stop somewhere for the night?"

Shikarou slid onto her back. "Let's find someplace nice to camp. I want everyone rested for tomorrow. Hopefully, we can go straight to the gym, but as you well know, I've got some pokegirls that they are going to be lining up to try to take, no matter how strenuously I say no."

Branwyn laughed as she shifted into a smooth trot. "I can see it now: 'You looked in my direction, I challenge you' or 'I don't know your name, but we have unfinished business, you and I'."

He sighed. "Laugh it up, mare."

She bucked, flipping Shikarou off. He landed on his hands and shoved off to land heavily on her back, causing her to whuff from the impact. She gave him a mock glare over her shoulder.

Shikarou chuckled and grabbed her around her upper torso. "Tree." Branwyn skidded to a halt just before impact.

"You bastard," she said without venom.

"I didn't let you hit it, now did I?" She snorted and fell back into a trot.

Kiyoko looked around. "I expected more than this." Stornoway wasn't even a village. The only industry appeared to be the gym. It was huge, covering more than five acres, and completely dwarfed the three nearby houses.

Shikarou frowned. "So did I. I knew it is at a remote location and the records indicate that this gym gets the least number of visitors of any on the Blue Continent. I guess I didn't really think about what that might have meant."

A blue mouse type with a ball on her tail was sweeping off the porch of the gym when they approached. She looked up and smiled sweetly. "Let me guess. You got washed up on the beach and have no idea where you are. Did I guess it?"

Shikarou frowned. "No, this is the Stornoway gym, right? I'm here to challenge for a badge."

The Pool Mouse gave them a startled look and then beamed. "James will be so happy you are here. We haven't had a challenger for three months, and with winter coming, we didn't expect any until spring. Please, come inside. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

Kiyoko gave Shikarou a look as the Pool Mouse ushered them inside. "James?"

"The gym leader is James Irizarry. He placed three times for Scotland before retiring from active competition and taking this gym. He loves Ice and Water pokegirls, so this was a good place for him."

"How do you know all that?" She sounded amazed.

"Faelan sent me the Who's Who in the Blue League." He chuckled. "Then Poppet gave me a second copy."

The Pool Mouse led them inside the gym and past the empty desk. "That's my normal post, but usually I just read or play games."

"May I inquire as to your name?" Shikarou bowed. "I am Shikarou."

"Oh, where are my manners?" The Pool Mouse grinned. "I'm Cathleen." She had one of those personalities that practically bubbled. "James will be so excited when he gets back. He's off fishing and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, but I'll com him immediately so he'll know that you are here."

Shikarou smiled. "So, I don't suppose that there is a hotel or something where we could stay?"

"Why, you'll stay here, of course. I won't allow you to go away." She smiled prettily. "James would be very upset if I let you get away, but more importantly, I'm lonely. You wouldn't want to let me stay lonely, would you?"

"Well, no, but I'm mildly concerned that you will report to James about my harem, and that wouldn't be exactly fair since I won't know about his pokegirls, with the obvious exception of you, until we battle." Shikarou smiled. "So we'll just spend the night outside in our tent."

Cathleen grinned. "You're a smart one. You'd be surprised how many Tamers fall for the old 'silly me' routine."

"You're very good at it." Kiyoko chuckled. "I was taken in. So James will be back tomorrow afternoon, you said? When will he be ready to meet Shikarou in battle?"

Cathleen shrugged. "I'll ask him when I call. He is going to be very happy, we don't get many visitors and most of them are lost."

Shikarou pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his com code. "Call me when you know. We'll have a party after the gym battle, regardless of the result. I'll provide the food."

Kiyoko looked at him curiously and then grinned when he nodded. "You are going to love this," she warned.

"Really? A party? I can't wait!" Cathleen spun in a circle. "I'll call him right now!" She bounced out of the room and disappeared.

"I think we'll let ourselves out, Kiyoko."

"Ok. I saw a nice clearing about a half a klick from here that will make a good campsite." She took his arm and led him off.

James was waiting for them outside the gym. He smiled as Shikarou came up. "Can I presume that you are my challenger, Shikarou Urufu?"

Shikarou chuckled. "I'm impressed that you picked me out of the throng pressing at your gates."

James laughed. "I got a very precise description from Cathleen. She almost had an aneurism when she discovered you'd left while she was calling me." He gave Shikarou a mock glare. "You frightened my Pool Mouse out of a year's growth."

Shikarou smiled. "You've got a very canny little spy there. I'm sure she followed us to make sure we actually made camp." He'd smelled Cathleen's scent around his camp when he'd left the tent this morning.

James gave him an inquiring look. "You already know the answer to that. Your Dark Kitsune would have smelled her." He waved Shikarou inside.

"Why yes, she would have and she would have reported to me if she had." They moved to the desk, where Cathleen waited attentively. The check-in went smoothly while James stood by and watched his Pool Mouse with approval.

"What I'd like to do is a have a one on one style of battling, allowing you to substitute from amongst all six of your pokegirls while I use four of mine. I think that would be a sufficient handicap to give you a chance to win a badge from me." James smiled. "Hopefully it will also drag out the battle for a while. I get so few of them this time of year." He shrugged gracefully. "However, someone has to be the most remote gym, and most of the time I'm quite happy to be its leader." He frowned at a sudden thought. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask, you didn't intend to challenge for a sex badge did you?"

"Not at this time. My pokegirls and I are still getting acquainted and I have been focusing more on straight battling. Once I learn more about their strengths and weaknesses then I can decide who is the best suited for sex battles."

"Sounds like you are trying to be reasonable. I'm glad to see that." James led Shikarou down a long corridor and into an arena. It was composed of grass dotted with pools of water.

Cathleen trotted into the room and grabbed the flags before moving to the referee's area. "I hope you won't have a problem with Cathleen officiating. I don't have any students right now so she has to wear many hats here." He laughed. "Right now. I don't have any students period. My last one headed for the Crimson League, where she intends to try her hand at Widow fighting."

"I've heard that's a pretty hazardous occupation."

"You'd better believe it. However she'll get the opportunity to train against some powerful Tamers and has grandiose dreams of getting rich." He grinned. "So what are your dreams?"

"Right now, my dreams include getting my first badge in the Blue League from here."

James nodded. "Then we'd better get started, especially since Cathleen is curious about this celebration that you promised." He nodded towards his Pool Mouse. "Begin."

Cathleen drew herself up proudly. "This battle is for the Stornoway Gym Iceberg Badge. The battle will be between Shikarou Urufu, the challenger and James Irizarry, the Stornoway Gym leader. This battle will be a four on six single-combat battle with no time limit and will continue until one side is unable to continue." She raised her green flag and looked at Shikarou. "Does the challenger have any questions?" When he shook his head she dropped the flag. "Begin. Oohh this is going to be so much fun!"

James pulled out a pokeball. "Rin, lets get this started." He released a Corala, who promptly dived into the nearest pool of water.

Shikarou released Niamh. She grinned as he gave her a smile. "You're up. Get up near the ceiling and get over that pool of water. Tell me what you see when you get there. There's a pokegirl in there, so watch out."

She nodded and took off, cruising just under the ceiling as she flew.

James smiled. "A Ladyba should prove to be an interesting choice. We'll have to see how she does."

Niamh circled over the pool, avoiding crossing directly over it. "The water's all muddy and I can't see anything," she reported over the communication spell. "What do you want me to do?"

"Let's see how much water is in that pool. Hit the pool with your bloom attack and keep it going until I say otherwise or she attacks." Niamh went into a dipping hover and used her wings to blow the dust into the pool at an angle.

James looked puzzled. "What are you trying to do?"

"Now, now." Shikarou waved a finger at him. "I'll be glad to discuss my tactics after the battle."

James smiled. "Very well. Rin, spike cannon."

Shikarou muttered. "Niamh, switch to lust dust. You are going to get hit, but you can take it."

The Corala exploded out of the water and oriented before firing her spike cannon at Niamh. Dust settled across her body as she plunged back into the pool. Niamh managed to dodge most of the attack, but was still spun in midair. She recovered and went back to blowing bloom into the water.

Suddenly Rin bailed out of the pool. Her breasts had swollen to the size of wreckballs from the bloom powder that had settled into the water and the Corala looked to be in some distress. "Niamh, takedown."

James was startled but recovered almost instantly. "Rin, spike cannon."

Niamh flew into the teeth of the spike cannon attack and right before she hit Rin, she pulled handfuls of lust dust from her pouches and threw them at Rin. The hit sent both pokegirls tumbling. Rin slowly stirred while Niamh lay like a broken doll.

Shikarou put Niamh into her pokeball as Cathleen announced "Niamh is unable to battle."

Rin moaned loudly and began to tremble as the lust dust settled into her system. James put her away. He clapped loudly. "Good show. Except for that takedown, there's nothing she can use her recover ability on. I'd call that round a draw." He pulled out another pokeball. "Carmen. Let's see how you do." A Kool Kat materialized and grinned. "I'll win this for you," she announced as she loped forward.

"Kiyoko." The Dark Kitsune appeared and Carmen suddenly slowed, wary. "Flamethrower."

"Snow Storm." The fury of a blizzard filled the entire arena but before the scene was blotted out, Shikarou was fairly sure the flamethrower had gotten a piece of Carmen.

He was confident that James would have difficulty communicating with his pokegirl while the storm raged, but Shikarou knew they would have set up contingency plans. Fortunately his spell wasn't hampered. "Kiyoko, pull back to the wall. Watch your back."

"Aye." There was a moment of silence. "Good call, the pussy tried an ice punch on me but I'd moved." Light flared in the storm from Kiyoko's response. "Missed, dammit," she grumbled. "Do you have any suggestions, lover?"

"If you remember what the place looks like, teleport two meters to one side and get ready to use psychic."

"Not bad. I'll try a variant. It looks like the storm is settling down now."

"Be careful, if there's a lot of snow she'll be hard to find."

"I've got an idea. One from you actually." The storm was definitely abating, the snowflakes settling down. Soon Shikarou could make out Cathleen as she huddled against the wall. He gave her a wave and she waved back.

Just as he'd thought, the arena was covered with snow and Carmen was nowhere to be seen. Kiyoko stood near the wall, looking around uncertainly. "Kiyoko, get moving," Shikarou ordered. She ignored him.

Suddenly Carmen broke cover a meter or so to Kiyoko's rear and darted forward with her ice punch attack glowing around her fists. She punched right through the Dark Kitsune, and went skidding with a surprised yelp as the illusion faded. Kiyoko rose dripping from the water pool where she'd been hiding and a flamethrower blast swept over the Kool Kat.

Carmen burrowed into the snow and disappeared, but it was obvious she'd been hurt. Kiyoko ran to the wall and put her back against it as she methodically stripped water from her fur. "That's fucking cold," she muttered.

"Good job." Shikarou fought a grin and gave up. "That was masterful." She gave him a quick bow. "Stop the grandstanding."

She snickered over the link, but went back to attentively watching her surroundings. "You do it."

"Yeah, and I get into trouble for it, too." Shikarou raised his voice. "I will allow you to substitute for Carmen if you'd like. A short rest may help her to regroup."

James looked surprised. "That is very gracious of you, and I will happily accept. Carmen." She came out of the snow on the other side of the arena, limping and favoring her right side, which was severely burned. He put her into her pokeball with a sigh. "I don't think I'll be bringing her back out, she looks too badly hurt." A smile appeared. "Unless your chivalry extends to allowing me to heal her as well?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Only if I can heal Niamh."

"So sorry, old chum, but I can't do that." James sounded honestly regretful. "Rules, you know. You can't leave the arena once a battle starts, except under very special conditions."

Shikarou nodded. "Kiyoko, do you feel up to taking on another opponent?"

She looked up at him. "You know he's going to pull out a water type, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." He frowned and looked around. Cathleen had wandered over to his station. "Shoo." He waved a hand at her.

"I don't see any radio. How are you talking with her?"

"I said shoo. Go away." He refocused on the arena as Cathleen smirked and scampered back to her post. James had released a very near human that Shikarou's twee identified as a She Captain. "Kiyoko, this is a water and fighting type. Psychic." Her eyes glowed and the She Captain staggered under the mental assault.

"Anne, close and use water sword." The She Captain charged.

"Kiyoko, keep away from her and use psychic attacks." The Dark Kitsune waited until Anne was almost within attack range before teleporting to the other side of the arena and hitting her with a confusion attack. The She Captain put her hands to her head and screeched. Kiyoko used confusion again and Anne went to her knees. She began flailing at unseen opponents.

James tried to get her attention, but to no avail. Anne was in her own world. Kiyoko used hypnotize and Anne keeled over. James recalled her with a smile. "Good job. While you don't see many Dark Kitsune, the few Tamers that I have battled who owned one tended to neglect the psychic side of her nature to focus on her fire related capabilities."

James released his last pokegirl, a Foxxymaiden. "Ronnie, you're my last chance for a win," he told his pokegirl as she listened attentively. "Our opponent there, Shikarou, still has five pokegirls available."

"We'll just see about that," she announced confidently as she spun to face Kiyoko.

Kiyoko's ears flicked. "She sounds pretty overconfident for an ice type."

"I know, I just hope she doesn't have a good reason to be so self assured." Shikarou frowned. "She's also a magic type, so be careful."

"You are going to have to start having magic classes." Kiyoko attacked with a flamethrower attack. Ronnie dodged and began casting a spell. Kiyoko teleported out of the way as the Foxxymaiden finished the spell and a glittering light encircled the Foxxymaiden.

Kiyoko hit her with another flamethrower attack and watched the flames diminish and vanish as Ronnie started another spell.

Shikarou's eyes narrowed. "She's got some kind of flame absorbing spell up. Psychic."

Ronnie got her wateraga spell off first and Kiyoko was smashed against the arena wall by the torrent of water. She slid to the ground, unmoving.

Shikarou returned Kiyoko to her pokeball and released Yushiko. "You're facing a Foxxymaiden, an ice/magic type with some spells. She appears to be high level."

Yushiko drew her sword and went into a low guard position. "Command me, honored lord."

Shikarou glanced over towards the podium, making sure Cathleen couldn't overhear. "Start with chi blast and see if you can get close enough to use your sword."

The chi blast staggered Ronnie but she gamely replied with a power bolt. Yushiko deflected it as she charged. James called out, "Ronnie, use snow storm."

Once again the arena started to fill with snow. "Yushiko, get against the wall and focus energy. Then shift six meters to your left and charge and hold your thunderbolt."

"Hai," she murmured.

Shikarou glanced at Cathleen. She was watching him intently and muttering to herself. He rotated an ear in her direction and realized that she was describing what he'd said to Yushiko. He smiled. "You've got a radio. Let me guess. You can read lips."

Although out of earshot she gave him an apologetic smile. "Fine." He turned his attention back to the snow filled arena and switched to Japanese. Yushiko, do you understand me?

Yes, honored lord. I thought you wanted me to speak English.

Keep low and fly to the other side of the arena. Be ready to use your thunderbolt the instant you see the enemy. He glanced over at Cathleen, who was glaring at him. "Fuck you," he mouthed at her and smiled.

There was one brief flash of red in the snow storm, but it was so fleeting that even Shikarou wasn't really sure he'd seen it. Cathleen missed it entirely and James couldn't see it from where he was.

The storm finally started to abate and visibility began improving by the second. Suddenly there was the crack of lightning and the thump of superheated air collapsing, followed by a cry of pain.

James' frowning face became visible as the snow settled. He gave Shikarou a quick frown and glanced at Cathleen, who gave him a helpless shrug back.

The snow settled enough for the Tamers to see into the arena as Yushiko unleashed a feather shuriken attack which knocked Ronnie sprawling. She started another spell as she climbed back to her feet and Yushiko charged. The air quivered as her Roulette spell activated and Yushiko collapsed into a skidding heap.

Shikarou recalled his Armsmistress as James chuckled. "Nice try. Three pokegirls left." He grinned. "What are you going to impress me with next?"

"Lorelei, I need you to do what I tell you." She materialized and James' eyes bugged.

"Yes, master. I'm ready to kick ass and take names."

"Good. Use whirlwind and then teleport behind her and use slice n dice." The whirlwind swept the snow into a blinding cloud again and a scream rang out from it. As the snow settled, Lorelei became visible, stretched out in the snow. Ronnie broke cover to approach slowly, an ice blade shimmering in her hand.

Shikarou ground his teeth and reached for the Sphinx's pokeball. Suddenly Lorelei lunged to her feet and hit Ronnie in the chest with a sabre claw attack. The Foxxymaiden catapulted a good ten meters before crashing through the ice covering one of the ponds which dotted the landscape.

When she didn't come up for several seconds, Shikarou sighed. "Lorelei, fetch her out of there." She glanced at him and used feather shuriken to break the ice covering the pool into shards before wading in to retrieve the limp Ronnie.

Cathleen raised her hand. "Ronnie is unable to battle." She looked at James. "Do you wish to reintroduce your Kool Kat?" She continued when he shook his head. "This duel is over. Shikarou is the winner."

James walked around the arena as Lorelei landed next to Shikarou. "I'm cold," she complained. He pulled out his wand and touched her with it. Steam wisped off of her body as water evaporated and she grinned. "Thanks. Did I do good?"

"You did an excellent job." Shikarou hugged her hard. She chuckled and returned the hug hard enough to make his bones creak as he grinned and rubbed his nose against hers.

James held out his hand. "Good job." Shikarou looked at it briefly before taking it. "So, can I see the rest of your harem?"

Shikarou considered. "Very well." He released his Unicorn. "This is my alpha, Branwyn." Then he released Misaki. "And this is Misaki, an Ivywhore."

Misaki dropped a quick curtsey. "Gym Leader."

James looked around and shook his head. "You've got a rough path to ride, young man, with a Unicorn and a Sphinx in the same harem."

"I know, but what can you do?"

James grinned. "Exactly what you did when you came here. Hide one or both of them as much as possible and kick the ass of any Tamer who looks at your harem."

"It was what I was planning to do."

Cathleen threw her arms around Shikarou and gave him a big hug. "That was great."

"I saw what you were doing. I should spank you."

James chuckled. "If you do, you'll have to tame her. She likes that sort of thing." Cathleen grinned.

Branwyn tugged on Shikarou's arm. "How did it go?"

"He lost four, we lost three and took the win."

"Why would you want to punish Cathleen?"

"She had a radio and was passing my orders on to James. She's a lip reader."

James smiled. "There aren't any rules against that here in the Blue League. Anything goes and she was on the battlefield."

Shikarou considered that for a moment. "You'd better get a human to referee your matches."

"Why?" This from Cathleen. "Did I do a bad job?"

"No, but if I ever face James again, you're going down first."

James nodded. "Now you understand. I could have used her in the battle itself since she started out the duel already on the field." He smiled. "A lot of people miss that little idea."

Shikarou shrugged. "My family's style of martial arts stresses creativity and mental flexibility."

Cathleen frowned. "We need to get all of the pokegirls healed quickly. You two are talking during the time we should be partying. You can still talk shop when I've got my treats."

James glanced at Shikarou out of the corner of his eye. "I suppose she might have a point. Let me show you to the healing unit and I'll give you your badge."

"All right. Blood knows I wouldn't want to tempt the fury of a Pool Mouse."

They'd stopped for lunch when his com chirped. Shikarou smiled at the blue-eyed blonde when he answered it. "Hi, Poppet."

"Hi yourself. Congratulations on your first badge."

Shikarou had told Poppet about his first gym battle in yesterday's message to her. "Thank you, but I suspect you didn't call just to offer your congratulations. Is there something I can help you with?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you coming anytime soon?" She looked startled and blushed suddenly. "I mean will you be traveling here anytime soon?"

Branwyn turned to watch his response, an unreadable expression on her face. Shikarou chuckled. "I wasn't planning on going to the Conservatory for a week or so at the earliest, but if you need something I might be able to alter my plans."

Poppet nodded. "I may need a favor from you. I just got a request for help from Devon. This is the only time he's requested anything from me since he left, and I'd like to help him if I can." She smiled. "From what I know, I can't. I know you are on your Tamer's journey and I didn't want to disturb you, so I asked Faelan. He said he's unwilling to help Devon." She paused for a moment. "He wouldn't say why, only that he wouldn't. Do you know why he'd say that?"

Shikarou nodded. "Yes, I do. Faelan thinks Devon is an arrogant little snot."

Poppet looked surprised. "I suppose you could have said that when he was younger, but he's changed." A ghost of a smile appeared. "Now he's an angry little snot. Mostly at me, and I'm coming to realize that I deserve at least part of his ire, but still, his anger seems to define him right now."

Her smile grew. "Were you aware that you and he share the same opinion of the Sheriff of Lairg?"

Shikarou smiled. "Branwyn told me. She also mentioned that you aren't all that happy with him, either."

Poppet nodded. "He's always been a corrupt little Snorlass, but recently he's apparently started a vendetta against the Conservatory. He's a politician more than a champion of the law and owes his job to the fact that his brother is the mayor and he has several more relatives on the town council who get cuts from his graft."

"He really has no idea just how much influence I have with the Blue League Council and I suspect that it will be his undoing."

Shikarou snorted. "Not if I get to him first."

Poppet looked amused. "What are you planning?"

"Some dark night I think I'll let all of his blood out and see how well he does without it." He noted idly that Poppet's expression of astonishment was almost exactly mirrored on Branwyn's face. Nature or nurture, he wondered to himself.

"I don't know if I could let you do that to him. He is a public official and all." Poppet sounded slightly apologetic.

Shikarou snorted. "Should I decide to act, I don't think you could stop me. You might be able to make my life a trial afterwards, but I don't think you could save his."

"Look, as your friend, I really recommend you reconsider. Killing a policeman is bad enough, but killing a sheriff would have the Blue League putting a pretty steep bounty on your head."

"Fine," Shikarou retorted. "I'll think very carefully before I do something that stupid."

Poppet looked relieved. "Good. I don't have so many friends that I can afford to lose you."

"So what is it that Devon needs help with?"

"I understand that he's been tasked to hand carry something to a company in the Sunshine League and he has become concerned as to whether he's carrying some kind of forbidden tech. You come from a place with a different tech level and I thought you could help him to decide if he's being used as a smuggler and deal with it if it's true." She frowned. "The man who sent him on this mission is highly placed in the Blue League, and so if there is a problem, it would be better if it just went away."

"You want me to knock him over the head and take it, if it's illegal?" Shikarou shook his head. "Rob a courier, but don't remove a corrupt politician. You are inconsistent."

"No, I'm trying to protect those important to me." She blinked. "I mean I don't want Devon or you to get in trouble unwittingly. If the technology is forbidden, we can make it look like one of the Teams or the Limbec groups took it. That would get Devon off the hook and put more pressure on them. It's a win-win." Her eyes narrowed. "If it is forbidden technology, I want it destroyed as opposed to you running off with it. Forbidden technology is restricted for a reason. Do you understand me?"

"I understand you can't give me orders," Shikarou replied dryly. "However I agreed to help and if Devon is couriering forbidden technology, I'll destroy whatever he's carrying."

"Good. Ming Die will be here tomorrow afternoon at three. That's morning in Indigo, so you'll have all day there to evaluate what is going on." She smiled. "I really appreciate this Shikarou, more than you know. When will you get here?"

"Sometime this evening."

"I'll be looking for you." Poppet ended the call.

Branwyn gave him an odd look. "Why wait until this evening? We could go right now if you wanted to."

"Come here." He gently pulled the Unicorn into his lap. "Are you upset by my friendship with Poppet?"

Branwyn sighed and leaned against his chest. "A little. I worry that she might replace me."

"Poppet may be my friend, but you are my alpha. I wouldn't replace you, not with Poppet, not with anyone."

"Yes, but you only took me into your harem because Poppet asked you to."

"That's not true." He continued when Branwyn gave him a puzzled look. "It isn't. I accepted you into my harem because I wanted you in it and because you wanted to join it. My friendship with Poppet did give me the opportunity to meet you, but that's all. That's why I shut her up when she started to extol your virtues. I didn't care why she wanted you with me; I cared if you wanted to join my harem." He nuzzled her cheek.

"You are my alpha and my friend. I don't see your presence as doing Poppet a favor, I see you as someone who's become an integral part of my life." He smiled. "You are the only member of my harem that I wouldn't ever consider trading or putting into long term storage. I know that may sound bad for the others, but while I will take good care of them, they don't mean as much to me as you do." He sighed. "I should try to think of all of my pokegirls as people, and in a fashion I do, but they have a slave mentality and slaves don't have the same rights as the free. Not here, and not where I come from."

"What about Lorelei?"

"She's unusual, I'll grant you that, and in time I may come to think of her in a more positive light, but she just wanted to get away from home. Any decent Tamer would have done just as well. I can respect that, but it means that I don't have any personal attachment to her."

Branwyn ran her fingers down his chest idly. "Sexmet would be very unhappy if you traded her away."

"I know, and I'll take that into consideration, but Sexmet doesn't rule my life and the decisions I have to make. I do." Shikarou smiled slowly. "You have some input as well, which is why we're talking about Poppet right now."

"So if I didn't like it, you'd give up your friendship with her?"

"I don't know about that, but I'd be willing to consider changing my relationship with Poppet in order to make you happier. She is my friend and right now she's my only friend outside the harem. Well, her and Candace."

"What are you going to do about Candace?"

"I asked her to join me on my travels. Perhaps I was a bit hasty, but still I did offer and she would be more than welcome in a support role in my harem." He shrugged. "However, from the messages we've exchanged since I got on the road, I'm not sure she was serious about leaving and I'm not going to pressure her about it. If she thinks she's happy, then she is, and good sex isn't an acceptable long term substitute." He bumped his head against hers. "We were talking about Poppet and how you feel about her, remember?"

"Yes, I remember." She smiled at him. "Knowing that you are willing to reevaluate your relationship with her because of me makes me feel better about us, and I think I was just worried about us." Branwyn frowned slightly. "You know, Poppet had pinned most of her hopes on Devon and I think he's a dead end for what she wants. Tobias never seemed to interest her quite as much and if she gives up on Devon, I'm not sure what she's going to do. What if she wants something from you?"

"Why would Poppet want anything like that from me?"

"She likes you. Really likes you and I can't remember her liking anyone like this before. What if she wants to join the harem?"

"Unlikely. Harem pokegirls go into pokeballs, and I remember you mentioning that she doesn't want to go into one of them. I suppose she might just want to travel with me, but I still don't see it happening. She's invested almost half her life in her current project."

"Exactly. If it doesn't pan out she might decide to cut her losses and look elsewhere. You already fit most of her requirements, you're long lived and physically superior to normal humans." Branwyn looked up at him. "What if she wanted you to settle down and have a family with her?"

"I'm here for other reasons and she's my friend, not my wife."

"Is there anyone here that you might consider marrying?" Branwyn gave him a curious look.

"I've only been here for a short time. I think that conversation is a bit premature."

"But I am your favorite, right?"

"Yes, you are."

Branwyn looked smug. "Good. You go ahead and be my mother's friend and lover. She's influential and could prove useful, even if she's older than dirt."

Right on schedule, Ming Die appeared. She nodded to Branwyn and looked at Shikarou. He waited patiently as a minute passed, and then another. The Alaka-Wham frowned and turned to look at Branwyn again.

The Unicorn nodded. "Shikarou, Ming Die is requesting that you drop your shields so that she can communicate with you." She smiled faintly. "She's rather put out about them."

Shikarou looked at Branwyn levelly for a moment. "I see," he finally said. "And what is your opinion?"

She shrugged. "Ming Die only communicates telepathically, so she wants your shields dropped so she can communicate with you."

He nodded absently. "Is she likely to have anything to say that I'll want to hear?"

Ming Die's eyes narrowed as Branwyn smothered a gasp. "She thinks you are being very offensive."

"Well, I think her request is offensive. If I wanted people to have access to my mind, I wouldn't have shields in the first place."

Branwyn sighed. "She says that we aren't going anywhere if she can't communicate with you."

Shikarou's ears flicked. "Fuck. Well, since I'm doing Poppet a favor I guess I don't have much of a choice." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Done."

_It is about time._ Ming Die sounded faintly annoyed. _Are you ready to go?_

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if I wasn't." Shikarou returned Branwyn to her pokeball. "So take me to Devon."

_Why are you upset?_

He took a deep breath. "I have had some unhappy experiences with mind control and don't like being unguarded."

_I see._ She frowned. _How do you have such powerful shields? Your mind has little telepathic ability._

"I've used magic to mimic telepathic ability. I mainly use it for shielding, but it also has other uses."

_Oh?_ Her eyes widened. _You have penetrated my shields and are reading my mind as I read yours._ A pause. _I cannot keep you out. How can this be?_

"I use your probe as a carrier for mine, so it never has to deal with your shielding." He smiled. "I suspect you found out from my mind, as only one telepath I've ever known has been able to detect it, and she also knows magic."

_Willow. So magic is needed to fight magic._ Her eyes narrowed. _I will have to do some checking. In the meantime, how am I to communicate with you?_

Shikarou smiled. "Sounds like you have a dilemma. As you gather information from me, I do the same to you. Do you think your secrets are so valuable that they aren't worth mine?"

_I could just destroy your mind. Ah, you have a spell set up to prevent such damage and your regeneration might render the attempt useless even if I succeeded. _

"I guess you'll have to find another way to render me harmless." Shikarou smirked. "In the meantime, I believe you are taking me to meet with Devon. I understand he is in the Sunshine League?"

_Not quite. He's currently at Professor Stroak's facility in the Indigo League. He is waiting to catch an airship from there as none of his teleport capable pokegirls has been to the Sunshine League._

"Very well. Shall we be off?"

Ming Die took his hand and the scenery changed as they emerged about twenty meters from Stroak's building.

"I'm putting my shields back up."

_How shall I communicate with you?_

Shikarou seemed to consider for a moment. "You could always talk to me."

_I have never spoken. _

"By choice. You have the ability."

Ming Die's eyes narrowed. _You have learned a great deal. What else do you know?_

He cocked his head. "I know about your sisters and your secret facility."

_Will you make the same promise to me that you made to Poppet?_

"Poppet is my friend. You are not, even if we think more alike then you know."

_What do you mean?_

"I've been experimenting. I can shield portions of my mind while leaving some of it accessible. While I still can't leave enough uncovered enough for telepathic communication without leaving myself vulnerable for attack, I can already hide things from you without you even knowing that it is hidden, which is why you don't already know how we are alike." He shrugged. "As far as the two of us thinking somewhat alike, we are very alike in our practicality. I'm just more happy go lucky about it. Of course, as you develop more emotions, you may become more, I suppose the word would be 'something', about it."

_What do you think I should do with you? You presume to be a threat to my existence._

"No, I don't. You assume that anyone with knowledge about you and yours is a threat. However, you have no evidence that I am or that I will be. And trying to kill me could prove problematic. If you succeed, my brother may become involved and if you fail, bad things are likely to happen to you. I would also have to seriously consider preemptive attacks on your sisters because I know that if you try to kill me and fail, they will continue attempting to destroy me until one of us is dead." Shikarou smiled cheerfully.

"In other words, you could well create the threat you are concerned about. I think you should find some way to ensure that I am not a threat." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I suspect that leaving me alone would work just fine."

_Why should I trust you?_

"Your biggest problem is one that besets many humans. You believe that someone like me thinks you are important. That is incorrect. I don't care a damn about your issues. I also don't care about your Tamer or the work you and Poppet have done." He snorted. "Slipshod genetic engineering is not my problem."

_Could you do better?_

"Me? I'm not a genetic engineer. I know a couple who probably could, but they aren't here." He grinned. "That doesn't mean that I can't recognize that you and Poppet both had results that you didn't want, and yet you are willing to be satisfied with the outcome. That is what makes your work shoddy."

_If you don't care about Devon, then why are you willing to help him?_

"A friend of mine asked me to." Shikarou shrugged. "I suppose it is possible that I might like Devon, but I've yet to meet the young man." He smiled softly. "I like you. You are trying to be protective of what is important to you, and I find that hard to fault, even while you are considering how to kill or otherwise neutralize me."

_You are an odd man._

"No, I'm Shikarou, and that is the only way to describe me. I am not now, and never have been human. Even if I was, I was raised in a place that values personal responsibility above almost everything else, so I can admire your protectiveness of what's important to you." He took a deep breath. "I am not at this time a threat to anything that I am aware of being important to you."

_An interesting and accurate sentence. However, you do understand that I must consider you as a potential threat to our plans._ It was not a question.

"Indeed I do. So, will I be allowed to meet Devon or are you going to take me back to Poppet's?"

_I believe that Devon could use your help. Devon believes this as well, so you need to meet him._ Ming Die opened the door. _Shall we go see him?_

Shikarou shook his head. "You can't invite me into someone else's house. I'll need to be invited in by a member of the household." He released Branwyn from her pokeball. "You could either go find someone who lives here or you could bring Devon out to meet with me."

Ming Die stared at him for a moment. _I'll see what I can do._ She disappeared inside the facility.

Shikarou looked at his alpha. "We'll need to find a place to set up camp after I get permission to enter the property. I understand that Professor Stroak will put up travelers, but that he'd really prefer if they found someplace else to stay."

Branwyn chuckled as they settled against the wall. "I've heard that too. I'm pleased that you've done your homework."

"I'm a Tamer and he is one of the world's leading authorities on pokegirls, so of course I've researched him thoroughly. I didn't expect to meet him for several years, but you never know what the future will bring." He glanced around. "I also understand that the area around his lab is full of feral pokegirls, I'm just not sure what his stand on hunting around here is."

"I think it depends on how annoying they've been when someone asks. Are you planning to add to the harem?"

"Not ferals and not right now. I'm still not used to Niamh." Shikarou made an annoyed sound. "I realize I'm supposed to be civilizing feral pokegirls, but they are just so stupid."

Branwyn nodded. "You seem to prefer intelligent females in your life, and if it's anything like her normal conversations, I doubt that Niamh's pillow talk is that intellectual. Your new T2 design made her fluent when she chooses to speak, but it can't change the fact that she doesn't talk much or know much to talk about."

Shikarou nodded. "Neither does Misaki, Kiyoko, Lorelei or Yushiko." He sighed. "I've been spoiled by the women from home, who work hard to be intelligent."

"What's it like there?"

He smiled. "In many ways, Tirsul is a lot like this place. There are way too few males for the female population, so competition for breeding rights is very intense on both sides, especially since a female often would rather not breed than lower herself to breed with an inferior male and the males are equally picky. Most people are into group relationships of one form or another and so that isn't all that different. The biggest differences are that people are judged on their personal accomplishments, and the fact that females are the equals of males." Shikarou snorted. "If the situation there were like here, there would be teams of men and women going out to capture the feral children to raise them in a civilized environment. The feral adults would be either captured for civilizing or exterminated."

"Is that why you seem to have a low opinion of Niamh?"

"No, it's because I've given her the tools necessary to learn, and she doesn't care. That's a problem with almost everyone in my harem. They don't want to improve themselves and I'm not supposed to have to push them to. I consider it unnatural." Shikarou shrugged. "Where I come from the drive to achieve, to win, has been bred into everyone. Only the fact that the most intense competition one can have is with oneself keeps my people from a state of constant fighting. That and an elaborate system of cultural rules."

"Like not going into someone's house without permission?"

"Right. Violating private property is almost a sin for us, and if you see me do it, I must consider the owner beneath contempt, for it's a studied insult." Shikarou rotated his ears to focus on the building. "Someone's coming."

A moment later the door opened, revealing a man wearing a lab coat and a slightly harried expression. He looked at Shikarou and frowned. "Are you the man who refuses to come inside?"

Shikarou smiled. "Not exactly. Where I come from it is extremely rude to enter someone's home without an invitation and someone who is merely staying at a place doesn't have the power to issue that invitation."

The man blinked in surprise. "I see." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then a smile bloomed on his face. "I wish more people thought that way. I'd have fewer interruptions." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Professor Stroak."

Shikarou took it with only a slight hesitation. "It is my pleasure to make the acquaintance of one of the world's leading authorities on all things pokegirl."

Stroak's smile broadened. "I see you've read the article that stated I live on praise."

"No, I'm merely repeating the words of Professor Tanaka of Edo." Shikarou shrugged. "I'm just a beginning Tamer, so my opinion is of little weight."

Stroak was obviously pleased. "He said that? That was very nice of him." He nodded in the direction of the doorway. "I formally invite you inside my home and laboratory. I'll have a room prepared for you."

Shikarou shook his head. "I understand you don't care for uninvited guests, so if it's ok with you, we'll just camp nearby and visit during daylight hours."

Stroak nodded. "You know me better than some of my friends. They've never realized that I don't invite people over often, they just come," he replied in a droll tone. "Feel free to camp wherever you want." He glanced out in the woods. "I wouldn't be upset if you thinned out the local ferals while you were at it. They're a blasted nuisance right now."

Branwyn smiled. "We'd be glad to, professor."

Shikarou smiled. "This is Branwyn, my alpha."

"Ah, the last of Poppet's daughters." Stroak glanced at Shikarou. "She must really like you."

"I just think she got tired of having Branwyn around," Shikarou muttered. His Unicorn shot him an annoyed look.

Stroak laughed. "Nevertheless, welcome." He nodded towards the door. "I don't suppose you'd like some tea?"

"If my choice is tea or western coffee, I'll take tea." Shikarou and Branwyn followed Stroak inside.

"Who are you and where is Faelan?" This from the unhappy looking blue haired young man who'd come around the building to where Shikarou had created a picnic table near his tent.

Shikarou looked up as Niamh continued to try to pull down his left arm with all four of hers. "Gimmie!"

"Faelan's not here. I'm Shikarou. Anything else I can answer for you?" He looked at his Ladyba and raised his arm, lifting her from the ground. She growled and began beating her wings to continue pulling. "I believe there is a word you're missing."

The young man was nudged by a Ladyien. She whispered something to him. "Uh, I'm Devon. Devon Harris."

Well, Devon Devon Harris, I'm the person you are looking for."

"Now!" Niamh jerked on his arm. "Raspberries!"

"Nope, that isn't it. Try another word."

Devon gave Shikarou an annoyed look as his Ladyien focused on Shikarou's hand. "Just one Devon. Do you know when Faelan will be arriving?"

Shikarou spun and whipped his arm. Niamh came loose and fought to arrest her flight as he opened his hand and flipped the raspberry at the Ladyien, who caught it automatically and popped it into her mouth. "He's not." He watched Niamh glare at him before flying into the tent in search of more treats. "Apparently he doesn't like you." He bowed towards the couple. "Poppet asked me to come instead."

The Ladyien frowned. "I'm Katherine. Where did you get fresh raspberries? It's almost winter."

"I'm a mage. I made them." He smiled. "We've got a couple of pounds of them in the tent." Katherine's eyes went to it with an interested look.

Devon sighed. "Business first, Katherine. Later, if we're still talking to them, I'll see if I can buy you some." He looked at Shikarou. "I suppose I'm grateful Poppet found someone, but I doubt you can help me. Faelan's got some specialized information that I was hoping would help."

Shikarou smiled. "Devon, you really need to take a deep breath and relax. Poppet contacted Faelan because you specifically asked for him, but he said no. So she called me. It is likely Faelan would have ended up calling me even if he'd arrived because I have more of that specialized information you are so cryptically referring to."

"I don't see how that could be possible," Devon answered skeptically. "If Faelan won't help me, then it's very unlikely you can."

Shikarou took a deep breath of his own. "If you'll drop the whole "I know everything" attitude and stop being an ass for just a minute, you might learn something, like the fact that I'm Faelan's brother and actually have a lot more experience with what you would consider lostech then he does."

Devon's eyes narrowed. "What is the name of the city you and Faelan came from?"

"Faelan and I both came from Tirsul, which is a world in an alternate dimension and not some gods cursed city. Stop trying to trip me up." Shikarou's ears flicked. "Look, I'm willing to try to help you, but the idiocy has to end. Otherwise I'll be getting back to the stuff that interests me." He shook his head. "And so far, boy, you bore me."

Devon looked at Shikarou evenly for a minute and then nodded suddenly. "All right." He rubbed his forehead. "I'm just so tired of the crap."

Shikarou waved at the table. "Have a seat and name your poison."

"What?" Devon gave him a confused look.

"I was asking if you wanted something to eat or drink." Shikarou sighed. "I used a phrase that has apparently fallen from use around here." He pulled out his wand and waved it. Three pints appeared. "How about having some beer?"

Katherine beat Devon to the beer. "Thanks," she announced. Devon took his with a rueful smile.

Shikarou lifted the last pint. "So, what I understand is that you have some unknown technological item that you've been tasked to deliver to someone in the Sunshine League and you are concerned that it might be forbidden technology. Poppet also indicated that if it was, she'd appreciate it if we arranged for you to be robbed and this item destroyed."

Devon looked surprised. "She did? That was unusually nice of her. I wonder what she wants this time."

Katherine snorted. "She wants you, remember?"

Shikarou gave them a considering look. "What has Ming Die told you about what is going on with her and Poppet and you? I know she's told you something, I just don't know how much."

Devon looked startled. "Why do you want to know?"

"I know what is going on and I'm trying to decide if I want to talk to you about it." Shikarou drank some beer and made a face. "Ick." He tapped his glass and the beer changed to a deep red wine. He sipped again and smiled softly. "Much better."

Devon watched him for a moment. "She's told me that Poppet set up a breeding program to create the perfect Harris man and that I was supposed to be it. The fact that I can't stand her is the only snag."

"I don't think that's the only snag. There's also that little point of Ming Die shanghaiing the project for her own ends." Shikarou frowned. "Poppet knows she screwed up and I'm not sure she believes it is fixable. Right now she's just trying to not alienate you further while she decides if the situation can be salvaged. So she asked me to help when Faelan said no."

Devon nodded. "Faelan told me he can't lie to people. Are you the same way?"

"Yes I am." He grinned. "I sometimes get accused of lying, but that is because people only hear what they want to." A chuckle. "Poppet's going to find that out soon enough."

"What do you mean?" Devon sounded interested, and more importantly not defensive for the first time.

"She's probably going to try to tell me that I lied during the conversation we had about the fact that I intend to kill the sheriff of Lairg."

Devon's eyes widened. "You too? I'd like to kill him myself."

"Not like, going to."

Devon blinked. "What did he do to you?"

"Let's see, he robbed me, he touched me without my permission, and most importantly, he tried to take Branwyn away from me. Twice. Once he tried by himself and once by attacking me with his pitiful gang." Shikarou took a deep breath and forced a smile. "The robbery I could blow off, but trying to take Branwyn is another matter entirely, even though I did get some nice pokegirls out of the attack."

Devon frowned. "What about Molly?"

Shikarou smiled. "I think she'd look just fine draped across my bed." He shrugged. "I only have to decide if I want to haul her kids around with me or if I want to wait until they grow up. In either case unless I change my mind, the sheriff has less than a decade of life left, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Suddenly he shook his head. "Sorry, my relationship with the sheriff isn't really all that important. I believe you had something you wanted me to examine?"

Katherine blinked at the sudden change of topic and nodded. "Yes, he does." She looked at her Tamer. "Would you like me to get it?" She pushed to her feet at his nod and padded away.

Devon watched her idly. "She's better than I deserve."

"Probably." Shikarou grinned as Devon frowned at his reply. "I've been reading the literature and comparing it to my pokegirls as well as what Poppet said about you. We both realize that civilized pokegirls are just as much people as you and I are. Ferals are another matter, some of them are barely self aware, but in their defense I suspect that Romulus and Remus didn't come from the teat reading Latin."

The tent opened and Branwyn came out. Devon stared and his eyes narrowed. The Unicorn noticed him and she grinned before giving him the finger. He blinked and smiled back. "Branwyn! You mean Poppet finally found someone dumb enough to take you with him?"

Branwyn popped him on the head. "You might want to rephrase that, kid. I happen to be Shikarou's alpha, and I can make sure you don't get invited to dinner tonight."

Devon cocked his head. "Why should I care about that?"

"Shikarou is cooking. Trust me, you want that invitation. Besides, I know that Professor Stroak and his staff will be there, so unless you want to go hungry?" She smiled as her voice trailed off.

Devon gave Shikarou a puzzled look. "What are you, some kind of chef?"

"No, I create the food with my magic and I'm willing to take requests."

Devon nodded. "I could live without that, but I suspect that Branwyn would tell my harem and then my life would become hell."

Branwyn grinned and nodded back. "Exactly. So, have we solved his problem yet?" She chuckled. "Or should I specify which problem I'm asking about?"

Shikarou sighed. "I take it you two are friends." He was watching Devon as he spoke and mentally relaxed as the young man gave an unconscious nod.

"Branwyn was one of my tutors and about the only pokegirl that never hit me." Devon gave a rueful grin. "She did bite off one of my fingers once, but I deserved it."

Katherine came back around the building and Shikarou bit off a comment. She was carrying a backpack and handed it to Devon with a frown. A very near human with ankle length red hair wearing a pink cheongsam slouched along behind her. "Here. Apparently you ordered Rhiannon to watch your pack and make sure no one took anything from it." She gave the Dark Lady an annoyed glare. "I think she and I are almost due for another talk." She smiled at Devon. "I'll need to borrow Paulette and Hatsumi."

"Later." He dug into his pack and pulled out a small black case. "Here it is. I've bypassed the primary lock but I can't open the inner container without a password. Faelan's opened them in the past, so I presume you can do the same thing."

Shikarou pulled out his wand and summoned his backpack. "I should be able to." He removed a silver box a meter on a side and opened the lid before popping the case inside it. "However, I really don't need to and this way I don't have to deal with any silly mechanical traps or indicators. He flipped up a panel on the box, revealing a keypad, and quickly punched in a long series of numbers.

Devon watched curiously. "What is that for?"

Shikarou smiled as he shut the panel. "Actually the whole thing is a dodge. The box is a sophisticated analysis unit and the keypad is the security system. The unit will self destruct unless I type in the right number and the keypad samples the correct DNA." He winked at Katherine. "The number doesn't matter, just the number of times I depress a key."

Devon stared at the backpack. "How did you keep that in there? My pokepack has a size limitation that won't let me keep really large things in it."

"It's not a pokepack." Shikarou smiled. "In fact, I need to get a pokepack so I can dismantle it and analyze the technology. We tend to use magic for extradimensional space creation and your way might prove useful in low magic environments." He shrugged. "If nothing else, I may be able to market it as a novelty."

Rhiannon glared at him. "Nothing of my master's is a toy and you shall not speak to him that way."

Shikarou looked at her evenly. "You need to listen more carefully. I offered your master no insult and you were not part of that conversation."

Rhiannon hissed in anger as Branwyn tapped Devon on the shoulder. She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "You might want to either call her off or put her up. Shikarou doesn't back down from a fight, not even from a pokegirl, and I'm not sure who would win."

Devon nodded and rose to his feet. "Rhiannon, back off." She moved slowly to his side, still hissing in anger. "Is this analysis going to take a while?"

"It will probably take several hours to complete, but less than a day." Shikarou sighed. "You don't want a pokegirl battle do you?"

Devon shook his head. "I've had enough of those recently." He returned Rhiannon to her pokeball without her knowing it. "I was really just looking forward to some downtime when this stupid job came up."

Shikarou nodded. "I can understand that." He cocked his head for a moment. "How long do you have before you have to deliver your package?"

"I'm not really on a schedule, but I'm expected there in two weeks, why?"

Shikarou smiled. "Ming Die knows about a very nice island somewhere that is uninhabited. Take your pokegirls and spend a week there. I'll stand in for you and take care of any problems that crop up. During that time I'll send Kiyoko through to the city you are supposed to go to so that she can take one of your teleporting pokegirls there when you get back."

"You trust them to release her?"

"Not every pokecenter is a hotbed of corruption. Besides, I'll put a timer spell on it to let her out no matter what." He smiled slightly. "And if they find a way around that, then I'll travel to the Sunshine league myself and get her back."

"What do you want for this favor?" Devon sounded suspicious.  
"If you have to do something for me, how about you take Branwyn to the shop where you got that katana." Shikarou motioned to the sword in Devon's belt. "It looks like a quality weapon and I want to get one for my Armsmistress. She's from Edo and has been stuck with a western sword so far."

Devon considered for a moment and looked at Katherine. She gave him a smile and a nod. "Done." He spat in his hand and held it out.

Shikarou looked at him briefly and then spat in his own hand before shaking hands with Devon. "And done."

Shikarou smiled to himself as he watched Devon step out of Hatsumi's arms. Young Mr. Harris looked much more relaxed and had picked up a nice tan during his week's absence. Devon turned to face him with a lazy grin. "So, did the world end while I was gone?"

"Not quite. I suspect Poppet is still annoyed at me for stepping into your shoes for a week, but overall I think you'll be pleased with what has taken place."

Devon frowned slightly. "Oh, Hatsumi, this is Shikarou. Shikarou, Hatsumi."

The Demon-Goddess bowed to Shikarou. "Hatsumi greets you, Tamer Shikarou." She frowned and stepped closer to Shikarou to peer into his face. Suddenly hissed and backed away. "Do you wish my master good or ill?"

Both Devon and Shikarou looked at her with equally surprised expressions. Shikarou recovered first. "I'm friendly." He glanced at Devon, but kept most of his attention on the pokegirl. "What is her problem?"

Devon shook his head. "I'm not sure. Hatsumi?"

Hatsumi gave a much deeper bow. "If you mean my master no harm, then I welcome you Honored Lord." You could hear the capitals in her words.

"Devon, is your pokegirl mental?"

Devon was still watching Hatsumi with a slightly bemused expression. "Yes, but not usually like this. What is the matter, Hatsumi?"

"Hatsumi was not aware that Hatsumi's master had befriended a kami. Are you _kunitsukami or amatsukami?_"

Shikarou turned white. Slowly his color returned and he turned to Devon. "I have freely admitted to being kami or a nature spirit, but your pokegirl is accusing me of being either a god or descended from the gods." He took a deep breath. "That is quite a thing to say." He turned to Hatsumi. "I have no shrines and no worshippers, which the gods all have." A slight smile appeared. "If I were one of the gods, asking questions like that would be very offensive as well as provocative. Historically the gods tend to respond badly to pesky mortals."

Devon shook his head and took Hatsumi's arm. "Stop that. Shikarou may be many things, but a god he isn't."

Hatsumi's eyes narrowed. "As you command master, Hatsumi will obey."

Devon sighed and returned Hatsumi to her pokeball. "So how did you manage to annoy Poppet? I thought the two of you were friends."

Shikarou smiled. "We were and still are. She's just upset at the fact that I keep sending the paperwork she's been sending you back with revisions and suggestions."

Devon blinked. "You've actually been reading it?"

"Of course I have. You're supposed to be reading it, and since I've been standing in your place, so have I." He grinned. "I also took the time to read the Conservatory charter and bylaws. That is what really annoyed Poppet, since I've been making her do her job." His grin grew. "I hope you don't mind, but at one point you threatened to fire her."

Devon started laughing. "I can do that?"

"It's in the bylaws. You have the right to hire and fire whomever you want. Jamie made sure he had real power when he became Chairman, and Poppet never changed the bylaws after his death." Shikarou shrugged. "She was, of course, angry, but she's gotten over it. Either that or she's calmed down because she's plotting my murder." He flicked an ear. "She's really not that bad, it's just that she's been in charge for centuries and she's not used to being put in her place. You will find that if you don't push too hard she shouldn't be that difficult to work with."

"Since I'm not taming her, I doubt she'll listen to me."

Shikarou gave him an odd look. "What does that have to do with it. Poppet may be a bitch and a serious alpha personality, but she's a consummate professional and the Conservatory is her life's work. If you even try to meet her halfway, she'll be thrilled to work with someone who gives a shit about the place. Part of her problems stem from the fact that ever since Jamie, no one has really cared to actually act like the chairman and she's had to shoulder the entire load, one that she once shared with Jamie."

Devon looked faintly uncomfortable. "I wasn't aware of that."

"Neither was I until I read the minutes of all the board meetings. Most of the chairmen never even bothered to show up." He gave Devon a stern look. "That includes you."

"I don't really have time."

"Bullshit. Make the time to carry out your responsibilities or give them up." He shrugged. "Speaking of responsibilities, most of the job about your delivery has already been taken care of."

"So what was it?"

"It was a schematic for a fusion reactor and an MHD generating system. Remarkable, really, in that it had been designed to use the technology base available on this world. It will be large, but it should run rather well." Shikarou gestured at the table, and two pints of beer appeared. "Sit down." He continued. "The reactor isn't restricted technology, since it never existed on this world. From the plans it looked like your friend found a small cache of stuff left over from the war. I think Sukebe had these plans made up from otherwhen tech and adapted it to this world's tech base."

"Poppet contacted a high level member of the Blue League administration and he was very interested in having the development of the reactor stay within the confines of the Blue League, so I've already returned the plans to him. Apparently some people are slightly resentful of the Jahanna Corporation getting all of the credits. You still have to go on to the Sunshine League, but only to let the company that is expecting the delivery know that it's not going to happen. And your friend who gave you the original order has been sacked and is up on charges of theft. It turns out that he didn't even find the plans himself, he just removed them from an archaeologist's find."

Shikarou shook his head. "That's a stuffy bunch. Have you considered quitting?"

Devon snorted. "I tried. They won't let me."

Shikarou smiled. "You just don't have the right attitude. If you stop answering their calls and doing their bidding, eventually someone there will figure out that you've quit. I would finish the current assignment though, since you did accept it. Not doing their bidding is one thing, but breaking your word is something else entirely."

Devon nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind." He suddenly grinned. "I don't know about you being a guardian spirit, but you've certainly made my life easier."

Shikarou turned slightly pink. "Just trying to make mine easier while I was standing in for you."

Devon picked up his beer. "So how was the rest of your week?"

"Pretty good, actually. Professor Stroak is pleased with us since we thinned out the local population of ferals by a good sixty percent or more and surveyed the ones remaining. Poppet's happy, since the Conservatory is going to be producing a bunch of good starter pokegirls this year, and apparently that's been an issue in the past. Some of the other ranches were upset that they had to carry the load of starter pokegirls while the Conservatory didn't have to produce any."

"Niamh evolved to Ladyien while we were catching feral pokegirls. Other than that, it's been a quiet week."

Devon nodded. "Where do you go from here? Are you going to stay in the Indigo League?"

"I need to return to the Blue League. I still need to get some more badges and I've got some other stuff to do. Why?"

"I just wanted to warn you about the Tendo ranch if you were going to stay."

Shikarou blinked. "Did you say Tendo?"

"Yes, I did. Have you heard of it?"

"I came across the name in one of the Pokeranch rankings reports, but otherwise no. Why should I beware of it?"

"It's run by Soun Tendo and he's frantic to get rid of some of his pokegirls, especially his own daughters." Devon put his mug down. "He's actually kind of balmy about it."

"Soun Tendo." Shikarou sounded astonished. "Widower? Daughters named Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane?"

"Among others. He's got a whole load of daughters. You really sound like you've been there."

"No, I've never been there," Shikarou commented absently. "But I think you are right that I should stay far away from there." He abruptly refocused. "Where is it? Edo?"

Devon laughed. "No, it's not two days from here."

"Here? How odd. I would have expected Edo. No matter." He shook himself. "Thanks for the warning. Anything else I need to be aware of?"

"Not that I can think of. Oh, Ming Die wants to talk to you before you leave."

Shikarou suddenly looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. "I suspected that she might. Tell her I'll meet with her this evening, after moonrise."

Devon nodded. "All right. Now, tell me all about these powers I have as the Chairman."

"Well…"

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 20

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Unicorn Branwyn 42

Dark Kitsune Kiyoko 36

Sphinx Lorelei 33

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 26

Ladyien Niamh 26

Ivywhore Misaki 17

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

_**SPHINX, the Aerial Warlord Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Animorphic, Metamorph (feline/avian)

**Element**: Flying/Magic

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare

**Diet**: human styled foods, leaning towards carnivore

**Role**: anti-tank, anti-artillery, military officers

**Libido**: above Average

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Fighting, Plant, mouse pokegirls

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Ghost, Psychic

**Attacks**: Feather Shuriken, Gust, Sabre Claw, Whirlwind, Wing Buffet, Slice n' Dice, Fury Swipes, Reflect, Barrier, Teleport, Mana Bolt, Mystic Bolt, Healing, spellwork (above Lvl40)

**Enhancements**: Flight, Psychic abilities (TK, Healing, Aura Sight, Teleport), Enhanced Strength x7 (human form)/ x27 (battle form), Enhanced hearing, Night vision, Stamina x6, Spellwork

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Griffon (Sexmet's blessing)

The Sphinx is one of the rarest, most powerful, most sought after Pokegirls of all time. In the Revenge War, they were high commanders of many Pokegirl forces, leading them to stunning victories over human forces. Based on a huge statue in the Pre-Sukebe empire of Egypt, these aerial warlords were considered to be amongst Sukebe's deadliest, finest creations. They are considered the light to counteract the darkness of the Chimera.

Like their pre-evolved forms, the Griffon, Sphinxes have two forms which they can assume. One is a normal, humanoid form and the other is an animal-like, quadripedal battle form. Each one has different abilities, making the Sphinx a versatile, powerful warrior.

The humanoid form of a Sphinx is the one they were most seen in during the Revenge War. Standing at a statuesque 6'5", their appearance is that of a mixture of a lioness and human. They posess short, tan or brown-colored fur, black hair which is usually kept long and in a ponytail, D-Cup breasts, and mounted on their back is a large set of immense, feathered wings, sharp claws, a long, thick tail, and thick feet in the shape of paws, with an impressive wingspan of 14 feet. They can fold their wings around themselves like a cape. And on their foreheads is a marking, a black tattoo in their fur of the "Eye of Ra." It gives the impression of a Sphinx having a third eye, and unnerves most people that see it. The only clothing they wear is a golden chain around their neck with a pendant in the shape of an Ankh. In this form, Sphinxes are intelligent, cunning warriors who are excellent planners and strategists. Higher level Sphinxes can also learn magical spells, adding to their destructive potential. They love to learn, and study everything they can, a personality trait that aided them well during the war. They were well-respected by those they commanded, and in turn respected those underneath their command. They have an unusual personality and speech pattern, in that almost everything they say comes out as a riddle or a question. This, in turn, caused people to have to answer these riddles or questions, encouraging warriors to think, or intellectuals to utilize instinct, all around making those under their command better at what they do by getting them to bring out their own strength.

The quadrapedal 'battle form' of a Sphinx is when they are at their deadliest. They become almost totally catlike in appearance, with the body of a lioness and a still vaguely human face, with the "Eye of Ra" tattoo on the flanks of each of her hind-legs. Her wings stay on her shoulder blades, morphing slightly to compensate for the new body structure. In this form, they stand at a height of 5'1" and have a length of 9'7" from head to tail. Their jaws and claws become thicker and sharper and stronger, becoming capable of tearing through metal. They become more savage and animalistic in this form, still capable of speech, but more inclined to roar and rend their foes. They cannot use spellwork in this form

Sphinxes, as said before, were meant to be the warlords and generals of Sukebe's army. Rare even then, they would lead strategic strike forces into human encampments, tearing into their forces with spellwork to protect their legions and assuming battle form, flying in and taking out large pieces of military equipment with their teeth and claws. They were among Sukebe's greatest creations, capable of taking on any potential opponent!

The Sphinx, however, almost met their end during the War of Revenge. In the year 2002 AD, the Chinese government released what became known as the Monster Flu. The majority of Pokegirls just gained a nasty flu for two days, however the Sphinx proved to have a genetic weakness against the disease. The vast majority of them died horrible, agonizing deaths, nearly obliterating the species, dropping their numbers down to the teens! An effort was made by the remnants of the Chinese government to destroy the last remaining Sphinxes, but before the effort could be completed, Sexmet showed up. She stole the Kwan Do a soldier was using and used it to slaughter the soldiers, offering the surviving Sphinxes her protection, which they accepted readily.

Today there is publicly known to be less than a dozen Sphinxes still alive. All of those are known to be in a hidden place in the infamous Dark Continent, living under the care of Sexmet and Bastit. After some research, it was discovered that a Sphinx can evolve from a Griffon being 'blessed' by the legendary Dark Lioness, Sexmet. The nature of this blessing is unknown, as there is only one confirmed case of a Tamer recieving it, and he disappeared shortly afterward. Attaining this blessing, however, is hard to attain for two major reasons. Sexmet, since the War, has only been sighted in the Dark Continent. She lives in seclusion with Bastit and the remaining Sphinxes. (Some speculate that the Tamer who's Griffon she blessed moved in with her.) The hiding place of Sexmet and Bastit is one of the most well-kept secrets in the world. The second reason is simple: Sexmet doesn't like people. She's more than likely to use the Kwan Do she took from that Chinese soldier so many years ago to tear apart an intruder that to allow them anywhere near her sister or her charges. No one knows why Sexmet is so protective of the last remaining Sphinxes, but it's assumed that, since she, like all other Legendaries, is sterile, she views them as her daughters and protects them with a mother's ferocity.

These two daunting reasons have yet to deter Tamers from wanting a Sphinx, however. Rumors have arisen that in Sexmet's sanctuary there is not only the Sphinxes and the two Legendaries, but a vast trove of treasure, including not only gold and jewels by the horde, but a wealth of knowledge, books of LostTech and ForbiddenTech, libraries of information and stories preserved for years in a vast library. Many a journeyman has travelled into the depths of the Dark Continent, seeking fame and fortune, never to be seen again. And thus the rumors grew...

_**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS CLASSIFIED TOP-SECRET EYES ONLY AND MUST NEVER BE MADE INTO PUBLIC RECORD.**_

The reason for the disappearances is twofold. One, some of the more liberal Leagues, Crimson League and the WAPL in particular, are secretly working with Sexmet, under her total supervision, to help increase the number of Sphinxes in the world. Second, the Dark Continent is home to the Goths of Sanctuary. Sexmet hates them with a passion, and is known to have brutally murdered the emissaries they sent to offer her their assistance in caring for the Sphinxes, sending their heads back to Sanctuary in a box with a warning written in hieroglyphics to leave her and her adopted family alone. She despises the Sanctuary Goths for their betrayal of the Cheetits years ago in favor of the Dinosaur-type Pokegirls. Sexmet also is known to try and convince known allies of Sanctuary to abandon them, as she doesn't trust them in the slightest.

The work of rebuilding the Sphinx breed of Pokegirl is very carefully done, ensuring maximum comfort for the Sphinxes and supervised in total by Sexmet, who treats them all like a loving, moderately overprotective mother. Efforts have been successful so far, doubling the number of Sphinxes in a few short years, but it's very meticulous work, as the kits born must be raised as well. It is very likely that it will be many dozens of years before the Sphinxes are back at the numbers they were before the Monster Flu, which thankfully a vaccine has been developed for, should someone be stupid enough to try unleashing it again.

_**POOL MOUSE, the Playful Mouse Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Animorphic (Mouse)

**Element**: Water

**Frequency**: Rare (Common on Magma Islands)

**Diet**: Kelp, fruits, vegetables

**Role**: Fisher-women

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Fire, Rock

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Grass

**Attacks**: Bubbles, Rain, Draining Rain, Mirror Image, Water Tickle, Slick Stroke, Water Floor, Bubbler, Bubble Cross, Whirlpool

**Enhancements**: Very good swimming, ability to breath fresh or sea water, highly tuned sixth sense, stronger personality

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Titmouse (Water Stone)

When a Titmouse evolves into a Pool Mouse, she loses the fur she had as a Titmouse, but all of her skin turns incredibly smooth and slick. Her tail also gains a strange blue ball at the tip, which is believed to hide the water that she uses so her breasts remain the same size, unlike the Squirtitty. The ball is known to grow and shrink in size whenever she uses a water technique away from a water source, but it is never larger than her head and is never smaller than her fist. It's believed that she may be able to re-absorb leftover moisture from her water attacks to rejuvenate her own supply.

A Pool Mouse is usually not much taller than she was as a Titmouse, but she may gain up to six inches in height and she may slowly develop slightly larger breasts than she had before. Her breasts, stomach and inner thighs are usually bright white while the rest of her skin is blue. Her eye color doesn't change, but they may seem sharper.

Pool Mice have a much stronger sixth sense, being able to detect anyone in any direction within twenty feet, unless there's a solid non-water-porous obstacle, like a steel wall. She also cannot detect intent, but she will know where everyone is within her detection range, no matter how fast they move.

Pool Mice also have a greater sense of fun, loving to play with anyone who will join them in a game. Probably the worst thing about this is that they sometimes completely ignore their sixth sense, though this is generally at the height of play or passion.

The second worst is perhaps their longest running prank on any Pokegirls new to their harem, which is to float bubbles up behind them to make it appear the victim farted. The joke is as old and stale as the Bubble technique and yet, most Pool Mice will still get a hearty laugh out of it.

Because of their ability to detect things around her even when underwater and their cheerful nature, they're viewed as good companions or supervisors for Titodiles or Cuntnaws who aid fishermen.

Pool Mice aren't good fighters, but are excellent when it sex techniques or any supplemental techniques that can help her allies.

Pool Mice have quite sensitive tails and not in an erotic way. Most will sleep on their stomachs or on their side to avoid accidentally pinching the nerves in their tails. Coincidentally, they tend to favor positions where they can be either on top or facing their partner.


	5. Chapter 5

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is fiction.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

Chapter 5: Kachi wa saya no naka ni ari

The moon was just starting to rise when Ming Die arrived. She wasn't alone; she'd brought another Alaka-Wham with her. While keeping a polite expression on his face, Shikarou began to mentally run through lists of combat spells in anticipation of what was likely to come.

Ming Die stared at him for a moment before sighing and glancing at the other Alaka-Wham. The newcomer spoke. "Ming Die would like you to lower your shields enough for conversation. She also says that she thinks that she has found a solution that shouldn't involve anyone dying on either side."

Shikarou regarded the two of them for a time before speaking. "Very well. As you are aware, Branwyn, in direct disobedience to my instructions, is hiding out in the forest in the hopes that she can rescue me if there is any fighting. What should we do about her?"

The new pokegirl shrugged. "Invite her in. If she insists on being involved, then let her be completely involved."

"I agree, with one proviso. Attacking me is the price of doing business, since I know things you'd rather I didn't, but she doesn't know anything vital from me." Shikarou regarded the two psychic pokegirls with a firm gaze. "So if you attack her or try to use her against me you will be met with all of the power I can muster."

Ming Die focused her attention on him. _While I did threaten to kill you earlier, circumstances have changed and cooperation may be much more beneficial to all of us._

"We'll see about that." Shikarou murmured a quick spell. "Branwyn, why don't you join us?"

Her response sounded angry. "I'll be right there." Soon she came stalking out of the surrounding forest.

Shikarou pulled out his wand and created four comfortable chairs and a small table. "If we are going to be talking, then let's sit." He created a teapot and some cups. "Branwyn, would you please serve?"

She glanced sideways at him as she poured the tea. "Are you mad at me?"

"I should be, but you were only trying to help and I've been trying to encourage more independent behavior. I just wish it wouldn't start when I was concerned about a possible fight to the death."

She smiled briefly and handed out the cups. "I would think that's the best time, when you need help and are too stubborn to accept it."

He shook his head. "Perhaps, but right now maybe we won't have to do or die." He turned to Ming Die. "You had an idea?"

_Yes. I've consulted with my sisters and we agree that if we make you part of our project then your threat level will diminish to an acceptable state. So I'm here to explore if this is something that you would be willing to examine._

The strange Alaka-Wham smiled. "You should feel flattered. For the first time since they went to sleep, everyone woke up at the same time in order to deliberate this decision."

"So who are you?" Branwyn looked curiously at the new Alaka-Wham.

_She has no name as you would recognize it, not being a member of our family. Perhaps you could call her Ann. She is the daughter of some of my sisters._

Shikarou cocked his head. "I thought your people hadn't yet become pokewomen. How is it that she is the daughter of more than one of your sisters?"

Ann nodded to Ming Die. "You were right, he is perceptive. This is a good sign. I am the product of an attempt to short circuit the parthenogenesis cycle. Eggs were harvested from two of the first generation sisters and the nuclei were combined and then the egg was quickened using the standard cloning process. The result was, ah, unexpected."

_Ann has some abilities that are stronger than normal, but others are weaker, especially her telepathy._

Ann smiled. "Ming Die can talk to any of her sisters anywhere, at least as far as we can tell at this point, while I have a range of only ten kilometers or so. On the other hand, I appear to show signs of magical ability, which is why I am here."

"I want to join your harem and learn magic from you. I'm seventy four, in good health, and I've never had a Tamer." She looked directly into his eyes. "You won't be my first male, so I'm not inexperienced. I do, however have the problem that afflicts all of my sisters; I don't have emotions on my own. I'll need to bond with you in order to be able to mimic emotions enough not to draw comment."

Shikarou looked confused. "Ming Die has shown emotions before."

_Only through Devon. My bond with him allows me to use his emotions as my own and coincidently lessons the swings his emotional state goes through._

"No wonder you always seem annoyed," Shikarou muttered.

Ming Die blinked and suddenly started laughing. _He does seem to be angry a lot of the time, but I assure you that his feelings are much more complex than that. His anger is a defense mechanism against the world._

Branwyn leaned forward attentively. "So, Ann, what do you bring to the harem?" She smiled at Shikarou's surprised look. "I've been talking with Devon's harem and both Katherine and Bellona told me that they've become very selective about who they allow to stay in their harem. Personally I think it's a very good idea, especially since you've expressed dissatisfaction with most of your current harem."

She smirked. "While I don't think Devon is completely aware of the situation, I know you would be much harder to deceive for any length of time." The smirk was replaced by a somber look. "I also remember your advice against lying to you, and eventually we would end up working at cross purposes and I'd have to consider lying to you to get my way. If I did lie to you, eventually you would find out and then there would be trouble. Besides, I respect you enough not to want to deceive you at all."

Shikarou smiled and took Branwyn's hand before turning back to Ann. "My alpha asked you a question. What do you bring to the table?"

Ann took a deep breath. "First of all, I'm aware that your harem doesn't have a psychic pokegirl other than your Dark Kitsune. I'm sure that she's more than acceptable, but frankly, I'm better and it is very likely that I'm stronger than she is. I'm widely traveled, so my teleportation abilities will be extremely useful. I'm older than any of your other pokegirls and hopefully you'll find my maturity refreshing." She looked at Branwyn. "And while I don't want to be alpha, I'll support you against anyone else, as long as you don't try to cripple my relationship with Shikarou."

Branwyn blinked. "I won't interfere in your relationship with Shikarou unless you somehow become a threat to us. However, if Shikarou does let you join the harem, I will be watching you closely, since your first loyalty will not be to Shikarou or the harem." She glanced at Shikarou. "In fact, so far I am not convinced that this is a good idea."

Shikarou nodded. "I'm not sure it's a good idea myself."

Ann looked levelly at him for a moment and then sighed. "If Ming Die hadn't issued those threats this would be much easier, but she did, so there's only one thing I can do to prove to you that I'm serious." She closed her eyes for a moment. "My shields are down. Come in and see for yourself that I'm no threat."

"My spell doesn't work that way," Shikarou replied with a smile. "It doesn't have an offensive component. I happen to suck at mental combat, so I arranged things so I would be on the defensive mentally while I clobbered my attackers with other things. Giving my telepathy spell an offensive element would have been an invitation to get my mind turned inside out, so I avoided the temptation entirely."

Ann nodded slowly. "So, may I come into your mind in order for you to explore mine?"

"Since you actually asked, yes, you may." Shikarou sipped at his tea for a couple of moments before turning to Branwyn. "She will be loyal to me and in fact will make the harem her family before the Pleiades group. She's also as eager to learn magic as you are." He smiled softly. "I've always enjoyed teaching. This is going to be fun."

_Are you aware that there are laws against teaching pokegirls magic? That is one of the reasons that students at Vale are removed immediately if they threshold. They are only allowed to learn that magic that is traditionally known by pokegirls._

Shikarou looked evenly at Ming Die. "I don't really care. I will teach my pokegirls whatever I see fit to teach them. In fact, once things settle down, I've been thinking about opening a magic school of my own, one that will work with Vale to make magic more accessible to anyone who wants to learn."

Ann looked curious. "Why?"

"Well, among the many other reasons, I think that pokegirls should be more equal to everyone else, and one way to make that happen is to help more humans become more powerful, so that they don't fear the pokegirls quite so much. Another reason is that pokegirls who learn magic will stick closer to civilization, because if they go feral they could loose everything they just worked so hard to master. So they will interact more with the normal humans, and familiarity often breeds a level of comfort before it becomes contempt. They will also help more to protect civilization against the ferals and the Teams."

Shikarou sipped at his tea. "Right now there aren't enough Tamers and their harems out at any given time to control the feral population. Having pokegirls who are independent enough to fight on their own is the only solution outside of large scale cloning of human males."

"But cloning has a horrible rate of failure." Branwyn looked shocked.

"We are talking about the survival of your race. The failure rate shouldn't be a controlling factor." Shikarou frowned as he marshaled his thoughts. "You start with a large group of pokewomen. You harvest their ovaries and remove all of the eggs, which you then fertilize with sperm that has had all of the X-chromosome sperm removed. That's easily done with a centrifuge. Say you have ten thousand eggs and you fertilize ninety percent of them. So you have nine thousand fertile eggs, which you develop until you can determine which aren't viable. Those you dispose of."

"The remainder you go ahead and finish maturing. Now let's assume for the sake of argument that the failure rate is sixty five percent. You will end up disposing of 5850 nonviable eggs, leaving 3150 viable male embryos." Shikarou shrugged. "That's more males than some counties in the Blue League have."

"With the current male birth rates, this may be the only way to save the human race."

_Would you use the same technique to create more pure blood humans and wipe out the pokegirls?_

"That would be absurd. Pokegirls are an improvement on pure strain humans, and I've never been an advocate of going backwards. But without males, all of your races are doomed to extinction or a world filled with nothing but bestial feral pokegirls reproducing through parthenogenesis. Since they can never advance, it's still a dead end."

"But many humans see the reduction in the number of pure human females as the death knell of the human race," Branwyn protested. "They'll want to use this technology to make more."

Shikarou shrugged. "That is their right, but in the meantime the pokegirl based humans are going to outperform them evolutionarily. Cloning a large number of pure blood human females is only a solution if they are removed from the breeding population. I suspect the only way to do that would be if they were moved offworld and are given a population of pure blood human males to breed with. PSH males don't exist on this world, by the way, not after three hundred years. If there are any, their numbers must be in the tens of, oh, tens. Of course, there aren't that many PSH females as well."

_The only problem would be that there isn't anyone who can do large scale cloning like this. It's never been done before._

Shikarou gave her an odd look. "Sukebe did it. There are either plans or a technician who helped him who happens to have longevity. Besides, you and Poppet should have a working knowledge of the process, since a lot of it was probably used on the Harris men. There will be others who know the methods, too. You'd just need a facility, if there isn't one of Sukebe's that could be put back into working order."

"Anyway, to get back to the important topic, if you want to join my harem, then you are welcome to."

Ann nodded. "Thank you. Will you give me a name? Ann is just a temporary name that we use when we need one."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "I see. How about Circe? The original was a possibly historical figure who was a sorceress. She was even involved with an adventurer, although I really don't fancy being turned into a pig."

Ann laughed. "Circe is fine and kind of amusing." Her eyes narrowed. "That is what you try for isn't it? You try to laugh your way through life."

Shikarou looked surprised. "Apparently you got deeper than I thought. Laughing my way through life beats the alternatives, especially since my wife died."

Branwyn shook her head and looked at Ming Die. "Does that mean we aren't going to be involved in a fight to the death?"

She smiled. _Not with me._

Branwyn pointed across the ruined causeway that separated Benbecula from the far shore, some 600 meters distant. "That's the start of South Uist and the land you've claimed. I put in a claim only on the one island but some bureaucrat added the islands of Eriskay and Barra to the land grant. They're a lot smaller than South Uist, but they add to the tax burden you'll get hit with in January."

Shikarou grimaced. "Greedy politicos. Are any of them inhabited?"

"Not according to the records. Your satellite overflights didn't pick any significant thermal signs of civilized life, but we both know that there are ferals out there." She cocked her head. "So how does it feel to be a landowner?"

"A lot like it felt to not be one," Shikarou replied dryly. "I think I've sited a location for the base from the satellite photos, but I won't know for sure until we get there." He reached out and took Branwyn's hand. "Shall we?" The landscape jumped as they teleported across the water.

Branwyn changed to her quad form. "I want to find some clothes that will survive the transition," she commented as he climbed onto her back. "I'm not an animal and I don't like running around naked."

Shikarou nodded. "When we make camp I'll create you some types of clothing to try out. The only thing that changes is your lower half, so maybe a full skirted dress would work. It would spread out over your withers and cover your equine chest and back." He chuckled. "Maybe you'll end up dressing like a gypsy."

Branwyn twisted around to look at him with an unusually serious look on her face. "I think we should avoid that if possible. The Travellers are heavily discriminated against, even today. They're the only group that even the pokegirl lovers are unsure about, because of the rumors and their clannish ways."

"I see." Shikarou frowned. "I meant that we'd dress you in broomstick skirts and other comfortable clothing." He sighed. "I guess the human tendency to look down on those that are different is still alive and strong. How much discrimination am I likely to get in the larger towns?"

Branwyn shook herself and fell into a trot. "You might want to get used to the epithet 'pokeboy'. It's often used on males who have overt," she paused, "inhuman characteristics and your ears will be a dead giveaway. It's not quite bad enough for a fight, so you can't go trying to beat up everyone who calls you that."

Shikarou nodded, not thinking about the fact that Branwyn was facing forward and couldn't see it. "That's not my way anyways. I tend to pick the loudest idiot and make an example of him."

"You really shouldn't do that, either," Branwyn replied. "The police take a dim view of that behavior."

"So what can I do?"

"Not much since you are a stranger, except put up with it."

A day later found Shikarou standing on a small rise where he could watch the rolling waves of the sea as they slowly headed towards a small spit of land. Branwyn touched his shoulder. "This is where you want to put the base?"

"It'll do well. The ocean isn't that far away, and Loch Bornish is fairly close, giving a source of fresh water for processing. Well, mildly brackish water, but that works just as well."

Circe was moving the largest rocks in a ten meter area into a pile using her telekinesis while Shikarou was finishing up his survey. Finally he was satisfied and motioned both of the pokegirls to stand back.

Shikarou removed a 20 cm black sphere from his backpack and rotated it to reveal a depression in the smooth surface before he carefully nestled it against the base of the pile of rocks, the depression topmost. He sank his teeth into his wrist and let the blood fill the depression. The sphere quivered and slowly sank into the ground.

He cast a minor healing spell as he stood and looked at Branwyn. "And that is that. I want to return regularly to monitor the progress, but in six months the base should be ready for habitation. Its final growth will take much longer than that."

Circe stared at him. "What kind of magic is that?"

"I'm not really sure what it is, only that it is way past anything I can put together. In a dozen years or so, the base will give me a large batch of the seeds and we can set up other bases." Shikarou grinned. "Hell, I'm not even sure it involves magic. I didn't feel anything, but then I don't always. Perhaps it's all technological or a blending of magic and science."

He eyed the sky. "Night is coming and this time of year it gets dark quickly. Let's travel another couple of kilometers southwards and then we'll make camp for the night."

Branwyn finished the spell and watched in satisfaction as the magic missile streaked to her target, a post the Shikarou had set up. Her Tamer watched with a smile. "Excellent. That went off without a hitch, but then I'd expect that from someone with complete recall." He glanced at Circe and smiled again. "I expect that from you as well."

The Alaka-Wham gave him an unhappy look. "I'm trying. Branwyn has been working at this longer and in addition she can use her delta bond with you to feel what it's supposed to be like, but we haven't gotten that close yet."

Branwyn disagreed. "I think you are bonding to Shikarou more than you think, even though it's only been a few days. You actually look ticked off, and anger is an emotion." Circe suddenly looked thoughtful.

Shikarou got up. "Well, how about we give that hypothesis a test? Circe, I'm going to drop my shields completely and I want you to feel and see how this spell works. If that helps, then so be it."

Circe nodded. "I'd like that. If nothing else, it shows you want to trust me and I really appreciate that."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "All right, see if that helped."

Circe touched his hand. "It did. I'm further into your mind then I've ever been." She cocked her head. "I will keep your secrets from those that I can. I'm not sure that I can keep anything from my sisters, though."

Shikarou's flicked his ears in annoyance. "I knew that before I let you in." He smiled. "I really don't have secrets; it's just that I don't wander around shouting them to passersby."

The Alaka-Wham nodded. "Shall I try the spell again?" Without waiting for an answer she flawlessly sent a magic bolt into the target. "It seems that I was right." She grinned. "Let me try another." She cast a fire spell and looked astonished when it fizzled out a couple of meters in front of her. "What happened?"

Shikarou fought down a smile. "There are two things needed to cast a spell successfully, knowledge and adequate power reserves. You don't have the latter."

Branwyn gave him a curious look. "What can we do to increase it?"

"There are a couple of things that can be done. First, practice and some mental exercises I'll teach you will allow you to increase your reserves. However, I've found that becoming more efficient with the power you have can actually have a greater effect."

Shikarou thought for a moment. "I suppose an analogy might help. You can kill a person if you drop a tree on them, but you can kill a lot more if you turn that tree into a bow and a bunch of arrows." He smiled. "While not exact, since you need other materials for the bowstring and laminations as well as the arrowheads and fletching, my analogy still works."

"As you get more experience, you learn to accomplish the same magical effect with a smaller outlay of power. It's combining this with increasing your total power level that allows the greatest mages to do all of the things that the legends ascribe to them. Learning spellcasting efficiency with one spell can be applied to anything that you cast. It also means that in magic rich environments, like this world, the ability to cast efficient low power spells means spellcasting can be done without taking anything from your personal reserves. This can be vital in a combat situation, especially in duels, when you need those reserves for a sudden attack on your foe."

"What about your wand?" Branwyn frowned. "What does it do?"

"A wand acts as an aid for a mage who knows how to use one. It helps with efficiency and it can also be used for a better harnessing of the ambient magic to lower your personal expenditure of power." Shikarou frowned. "I'll need to get in touch with Faelan and see if there is someplace in Vale where we can get you wands, but I suspect from what he's told me about the place that only pure blood females are allowed to learn magic. If that's the case then getting you wands may prove to be problematic." His brow furrowed in thought. "I can't remember any of his stories involving pokegirls learning at the academy, but that doesn't mean that they can't learn independently." He glanced up. "I really hope that's the case, because I don't know much about wand construction."

Shikarou leaned forward and tapped Branwyn on the shoulder. "Do you hear that?"

Branwyn kept up her trot as she glanced back at him. "No, what is it?"

"Screaming. Vector left about fifteen degrees and run."

"And just how far is fifteen degrees, oh great and powerful master?" She asked sarcastically.

He reached over her shoulder and pointed. "That way. Now, dammit." Circe tightened her grip around his waist as Branwyn changed direction and accelerated to a full gallop.

The ground began to blur by as she picked up speed. "If we hit a cliff at this speed I'll never be able to stop in time," she commented almost absently.

Circe chuckled. "I'll be able to stop us safely."

They crested a rise and ahead of them appeared a pokegirl in a dead run, head down and her arms and legs pumping. Out of a cut came the reason why, two dark furred pokegirls in pursuit. They loped easily along behind the fleeing pokegirl, obviously not in any hurry as they shepherded their prey.

"Mongoosed," murmured Circe. "They're fast in the short term, but they don't have a lot of endurance. They're pack pokegirls and are probably chasing that Catgirl into a trap."

Branwyn headed for the Catgirl. "You realize she's headed straight for us, so we're probably going to hit their trap before she does. What then?"

"Circe and I'll take them. Do you think you can capture the two Mongoosed?"

Branwyn laughed, low and evil. "If I can't they'll never catch me."

"If you need help, ask for it. You're much more important to me then any of these ferals." Shikarou leaned forward and kissed the back of Branwyn's neck. "Be careful."

The Unicorn reached behind her and patted his leg. "The same goes for you. I'm not ready to break in a new Tamer." Suddenly she pointed. "There!"

Motion. About where he'd ambush the oncoming Catgirl if he were in charge. "Circe, teleport us behind them."

Suddenly Shikarou and Circe were standing behind two of the ambushers, another pair of Mongoosed. Circe seized both of them with her telekinesis and slammed them violently together. Bone crunched at the impact. "Sorry, they're just so fragile," she muttered. She dropped them to land limply as Shikarou pokeballed them both.

"Use your telepathy to locate any others."

Circe nodded. "There are four more; not counting the ones that Branwyn is currently beating up. They're divided into two teams and are moving to intercept us." She pointed to indicate attack vectors. "Two more Mongoosed are there and the others are Ermines."

Shikarou released Kiyoko. "Looks like we're going to have some fun. We've got two pairs of pokegirls coming to attack. All of them should be Mongoosed or along that evolutionary path, which makes them normal types."

Kiyoko's ears pricked up. "Doesn't sound like much of a fight, does it?" She grinned. "Let's do this."

Circe glanced at him. "The two Mongoosed are closer and coming on strong. I suggest we take care of them first." She continued when Shikarou nodded. "Kiyoko, I'll grab them with my telekinesis and then you hit them with psychic. We'll see what we have to do after that."

When the first Mongoosed popped her head up to sniff the air, Circe snatched her off of the ground and held her there for a few seconds as Kiyoko hit her with a psychic attack. The Mongoosed's eyes rolled up into her head and she went limp.

Shikarou threw his pokeball as Circe dropped the unconscious pokegirl and grabbed the second, who had charged them from about twenty meters away when she saw her packmate taken. Kiyoko knocked this one out the same way and Shikarou caught her as well.

The Ermines were captured just as easily.

Branwyn trotted up as Shikarou was packing away his new acquisitions, the Catgirl at her side. The Unicorn gave Shikarou a sour look as she handed him two filled pokeballs. "Meet Amy. She's not feral."

Amy blinked. "You've got a Tamer!" She started towards him only to pull up as Kiyoko stepped between her and Shikarou. The Dark Kitsune growled as her ears went back. "Come on," whined the Catgirl "let me touch him! I haven't seen a Tamer in so long."

Branwyn chuckled as she shifted to her human form. "If you haven't seen a Tamer in while, I seriously doubt you want to stop at just touching."

Amy grinned. "Maybe, maybe not. But I'd wait until Lynn said it was ok." She blinked. "Lynn is in charge around here."

Shikarou frowned. "Is Lynn your Tamer?"

"No, he's been dead for over a year. We've been stuck here alone and Lynn ended up the boss. She's the strongest of us and her orders make sense." She smiled suddenly. "Now that you've taken out the Ermines and their pack, we shouldn't have any major problems."

"Let me take you to our home. It isn't very far."

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn, who shrugged. "You own the whole island, so you probably need to meet anyone who's living here." _And see if you want to remove them or tax them, _she commented mentally.

Amy looked surprised and then pleased. "You own the island? That's wonderful. If we live here, that makes you our Tamer too!"

Shikarou looked at Branwyn curiously. "What do you think of her logic?"

"Traditionally, she's correct. Landowners have taming rights over all unattached pokegirls on their land, if they can catch them. Legally," she shrugged, "legally the courts have upheld the traditional laws enough that although not codified, I wouldn't be worried about losing a case in court over landowner's rights."

Branwyn took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. "As the landlord, you have the responsibilities of enforcing the laws of the Blue League on your land, but outside of that you have very wide latitude. You could impose a tax of one pokegirl or anything else on any Tamer crossing your lands, if you wanted, and all the Tamer could do is protest once he got someplace else." She glanced up at him. "And the courts would be very cautious about restricting your powers, since most of them are landowners or other powerful people themselves."

"Do I have a title?"

She smiled. "The Blue League doesn't recognize the titles of the old British Empire, so no. You could assume a title if you wanted to, but it would be worthless."

Her smile widened. "Devon became a baron when Cameron died, although I doubt he's aware of it. When things were falling apart and the Bloody Plague was devastating the population, the Queen of England turned any surviving landowners into nobility and charged them with maintaining the Empire. Because the Conservatory had an organized military unit, Jamie became a baron. It actually worked until the Tamer's Revolt and the formation of the Leagues."

"The new administration wanted to sweep away all of the remnants of the old, so the noble titles were dropped."

An odd expression crossed Shikarou's face. "What happened to the royal family?"

Branwyn frowned. "No one knows. Some survived the Bloody Plague but the records become fragmented after that. Who they were or where they went isn't known."

Shikarou stroked her hair. "Well, it doesn't matter. So what, I have the power of high, middle and low justice on my land?"

"Essentially that is the case. You control the land, its occupants and it usage. No one can hunt here without your permission, and if you decide you don't like them, you can evict them from your lands and they have no recourse except to sue for the value of their possessions." Branwyn glanced at the fidgeting Amy. "Not their home, just their possessions. Anything attached to the land belongs to you unless you deed it to someone else."

"I see. Well if I'm the landlord, let's meet my tenants." Shikarou turned to Amy. "I'd like to meet Lynn. Please, take me to her." He turned to Kiyoko. "I need the new catches taken to the Conservatory. Fancy a good run?"

The Dark Kitsune grinned. "I've had enough of a rest, so yes." She took the offered pokeballs and sketched a salute. "Be right back." She vanished.

Circe glanced at him. "I take it you think she can find you through her bond?"

Shikarou shrugged as Branwyn shifted back to her quad form. "I don't really know, but if she can't then she can always return to the Conservatory and have Poppet call us."

"So this is a test of Kiyoko's ability to find you." It wasn't a question.

Shikarou grinned and boosted Amy onto Branwyn's back. "Actually it's a test of how well Kiyoko can feel the bond. She thinks it's strong enough that she can use it to find me. I want to know if she's right."

"I want you to understand that I'm not trying to keep away from you, but just that right now you need to stay over there." Lynn gave him an apologetic smile. Her long bright blue hair shivered and her eyes glittered as she spoke.

Shikarou frowned as he considered her words from where he sat on the other side of the cottage's only room from her. He'd already had to cool his heels over an hour while Lynn met with Branwyn first. She'd insisted on this, and since Shikarou had wanted to start this off on a good footing, he hadn't tried to argue it. Besides, this gave him more time to try and wrap his mind around the idea that he _owned_ everything on this island, including the rundown cottage they were in right now.

A faded sign out front had stated that is was the oldest continually in use building on the island and noted that the original cottage had been built in 1622. That made this place over thirteen hundred years old, so he could understand if it carried its age a little badly.

The thatch was missing in places and what remained had been badly patched. Shikarou figured it leaked in good weather, much less bad. Several panes of the windows had been broken and the remaining ones were black with grime.

The door was missing and a patchy blanket covered the doorway. Still, it was better than sleeping outside in the elements. A thin line of smoke issued from the stump of a chimney to announce that the cottage was inhabited. Of course, considering that any sparks would go into the thatch, Shikarou decided they'd been lucky not to have already burned the place down.

The place was a definite fixer-upper.

He pulled his mind back to the present. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I'll go along with it for the moment." He smiled. "I hope it isn't an ElfQueen thing. It isn't, is it?"

Lynn smiled. "No, my wanting to keep away from you while we talk has nothing to do with the fact that I am an ElfQueen. It has everything to do with the fact that we've been without a Tamer for a very long time."

"Ah, yes, Amy mentioned that your Tamer died a year ago."

The ElfQueen grimaced slightly. "Amy is more than half feral herself and because of it has no concept of time. Carl died over three years ago and we haven't seen a male since." She placed her hands together in her lap. "And that's the problem. I can smell you from here, your maleness fills the air, and if you come any closer, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself." Lynn's emerald eyes smoldered as she met his gaze. "I want you so badly, but I need to know what you are like and what your plans are before I allow myself to bond to you. I have responsibilities to the others here and I'm concerned that if I'm taken away, they will suffer due to my absence." Her hands clenched so hard that they trembled.

"So you are the ruler?" Shikarou watched her closely.

Her grimace grew more pronounced. "I am, but it doesn't really mean anything yet. My kingdom, as it were, comprises Amy and Juniper, whom you haven't met yet, along with one Drow Zee, one Grandelf, and three Elves. And the Elves washed up on the island already feral. They were comatose when they arrived and they've stayed that way for over a year, in spite of the fact that we've tried practically everything that we could think of. There are a handful of other feral pokegirls on the island, but the Ermines and their pack of Mongoosed have been systematically depopulating the island for their food. It was only a matter of time before they wiped everyone else out."

She gave him a pleading look. "Please help me. This island could be a wonderful place, if I only had the help. I know you are on your pokegirl journey, but you can still help. Is it true that you've claimed the island?"

Shikarou gave a slightly uncomfortable nod. "It is."

"Then if you will let me rule in your absence, we can make this a wonderful place to live." Lynn started to reach out to him but stopped. "Will you help me?" She blinked. "Will you let me help you?"

Shikarou thought briefly. "Yes, damn it. What do I need to do?"

Lynn let out a long breath. "You'll need to start by taming all of us. We're all on the ragged edge of becoming feral and by bonding us you can reverse the damage. You can start with me." She smiled. "RHIP and all that."

Shikarou nodded and got to his feet. "I suppose you are right. Rank does have its privileges." Lynn watched with an anxious look as he walked over and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and touched her cheek gently. "No time like the present, is there?"

Her smile seemed to light up the room. "I suppose not."

She lifted up her face and kissed him hungrily and then stepped back. Lynn dropped the straps of her dress and shimmied her body. It fell to pool at her feet. "Care to join me?"

Shikarou shrugged out off his shirt and kicked off his shoes. He reached for his pants only to find Lynn's eager hands ahead of his. Together they finished undressing him in record time.

The ElfQueen dropped to her knees and rubbed her lips against his groin. Shikarou groaned as she opened her mouth and sucked him deep.

He wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her off his cock. She made an unhappy noise as he pulled her to her feet and pushed her towards the bed.

They fell together onto it, which promptly responded by collapsing in a cloud of dust. Ignoring what just taken place; Lynn wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled imperiously. Shikarou resisted her efforts and took a nipple in his mouth. She groaned and pulled harder with her legs as she took his head in her hands. "Please," she moaned and ground his face against her breast.

He relented and slid himself inside her wetness. Lynn screamed and he stopped. "NO! DON'T STOP!" Shikarou bit her nipple gently and started stroking into her. Lynn's hips rose to meet his thrusts as she began gasping in time to his hips. Her body convulsed and almost threw him off of her as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Shikarou slowed to give her time to recover but apparently that wasn't the right move. "Faster. FASTER!" He sped up again and suddenly she convulsed once more and raked her nails down his back as she screamed again.

He raised himself up on his arms and started driving into her as his orgasm burned a line up his groin and he exploded inside her. She came again and sank her teeth into his wrist.

Shikarou pulled out of her and pulled her off the wreckage of the bed and onto the floor. He rolled her onto her stomach as she made a protesting noise. He twisted her hair into a rope and pulled Lynn onto her knees.

She looked back at him and a surprised look crossed her face. "You're still hard." Lynn laid her head down on her arms and arched her back. "Do it!" She gasped as Shikarou pulled her head back up by her hair and drove himself into her. Once more she screamed. "Oh, god!" Her words quickly became incoherent as Shikarou slammed into her over and over. Suddenly she went into a series of orgasms, screaming and raking the floor with her hands.

He drove harder, knocking her forward with each thrust. Only his grip on her hair kept her from being sent sprawling. He roared as his orgasm started in his toes and spilled into her.

Slowly he lowered his weight to rest on top of Lynn as she relaxed. She sighed and smiled as she turned to look back at him over her shoulder. She smiled. "The only reason my knees don't hurt is because I can't feel my legs. We probably need to find a more comfortable position before the feeling returns."

Shikarou slid off her and crawled to his clothes. He pulled out his wand and replaced the ruins of the bed with a nice four-poster. Holstering the wand, he picked up his ElfQueen and laid her gently on the sheets. She arched her body and smiled. "This is much nicer, my lord."

Shikarou slid onto the bed next to her. "I'm glad you like it, my lady."

They kissed and Lynn pushed him flat on his back. "Now where was I? Oh, that's right." She slid down his body and this time Shikarou didn't fight her.

Yushiko circled overhead, considering the cottage through the gently falling snow. A handful of days and Shikarou's magic had wrought many changes. First of all it kept her warm and her wings dry as she flew.

The holes in the thatched roof of the cottage had been filled in, and evenly spaced spots of green covered it. Shikarou had said that the plants he'd created would grow into a much more durable roof that was self repairing and would actually consume the thatch as it covered it. It was also fireproof, even though he'd started everything off by repairing the chimney and fireplace.

The rotting door frame had been repaired and the missing door replaced and all of the window panes had been emptied and then refilled with an unbreakable glass.

Yushiko could see Shikarou as he moved around the exterior of the cottage. He was growing the rock walls together with another spell and in a day or so would actually start on the interior.

The pokegirls had started showing signs of recovery as well. The tamings had settled them down and the regular meals had resulted in a dramatic upswing in morale and activity.

She banked and turned away to continue her endless patrols of the area, waving to Lorelei as she did so. Yushiko grinned at no one in particular, although Lorelei returned the toothy smile. Shikarou had promised her a surprise when he was done and she couldn't wait to find out what it was.

Branwyn let go of his hand as Shikarou looked at the sword-smith's building. "This is where Paulette brought me. Rumor has it that the smith is rather, um, proud of his work and won't take any attitude from prospective customers."

Shikarou nodded as he straightened the kamishimo he'd changed into for the trip. "The good ones are usually that way and you just have to put up with their foibles. My research indicates that this is the shop of Yoshihara Masato, one of the old masters. His son, Keiichi is now the sword-maker and he's supposed to be one of the best in Edo."

He pulled Yushiko's pokeball from his belt and eyed it. "I just hope that since his swords were good enough for Devon's Armsmistress, Tess, they'll be good enough to satisfy mine." Shikarou activated it and watched Yushiko form. She appeared, watching him as she did so. "We're in Edo, at the shop of one of the premier sword-makers in the whole league. I want to get you a better weapon than that silly western sword you've been using." He grinned briefly. "It clashes with the new you."

Yushiko gave him a delighted smile. "Thank you, my lord." She turned to face the building and froze for a moment before spinning around to face him again. "Lord, this is a wonderful gift!" Her face was slightly pale. "How did you know?" She turned and raced into the building.

Branwyn gave him a puzzled look. "How did you know what?"

Shikarou gazed at the doorway his Armsmistress had disappeared into and shrugged. "I'm as much in the dark as you are, but I intend to find out before she insults Yoshihara-san." He quickly followed his Armsmistress into the building, Branwyn close behind.

Once inside, Shikarou was stunned to find Yushiko in a deep embrace with an older gentleman. When they broke apart she pointed at Shikarou, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes. "This is my Tamer, Shikarou."

The old man bowed deeply to a still startled Shikarou. "I wish to thank you for returning my great-granddaughter to me. The Yoshihara family is in your debt." He straightened himself up regally. "I am Yoshihara Masato and you are welcome in my home." A ghost of a smile appeared. "As much as my family owes you, I must still ask a great favor of you, Tamer Shikarou."

Branwyn watched with amazement as Shikarou composed himself and an aura of nobility settled around him like a cloak. "A favor is indeed a great thing to ask of me, Yoshihara-san, but I will consider it before refusing. Ask."

Masato's smile had vanished as if it had never existed and he asked in a humble tone, "I would ask that you remain here with my family until Yushiko's family can make the necessary arrangements to come see their only child."

Shikarou considered the request briefly as he watched Yushiko almost vibrate with excitement. "As long as the arrangements do not take more than a few days, I see no harm in it. Otherwise we will have to return when her family can travel here."

Masato nodded. "I believe that they can be here tomorrow evening. I will contact them immediately." He glanced at Branwyn. "Are there only the three of you in your party?"

Shikarou smiled as the air became less formal. "No, I've got my whole harem. However, I know your home is full and therefore we will set up our camp nearby. I will not impose upon you unnecessarily." He made a small motion with his hand as Masato started to protest and the older man paused. "Before you explain to me that your home is much nicer than my tent, let me assure you that it is no hardship to stay in it. However, I would be delighted if my harem and I could take our meals with your family."

Masato glanced at his great-granddaughter. "Yushiko, is this true?"

"Yes, great-grandfather, we live in a very nice tent. Shikarou can do magic and our tent is wonderful. It's like living in a house."

Masato eyed Shikarou with barely disguised interest, but before he could speak, Branwyn smiled. "Of course, we would be honored if you would like to see it."

"This is Branwyn, my alpha." Shikarou smiled. "And she's right. I would be pleased if you would see my handiwork, as I am here to see yours and your son's." He nodded in the direction of the single visible sword stand. "I actually came here to find a proper weapon for Yushiko. She's become an Armsmistress and I wanted her to have a good sword and one of your former clients recommended we come here."

Masato's eyes twinkled. "Really, and who is this benefactor?"

"His name is Devon Harris."

The old man laughed. "That one? I almost refused to sell him anything. If his pokegirl hadn't been able to pick out the quality weapon I'd placed amongst the others, I'd have sent him away empty handed. Still, the gods have smiled on my family this day, no matter your reason for coming here."

"Now, let me show you my home. My son and his family are on a picnic and won't return until after dark, so it is unlikely that you will get to meet them until tomorrow." He ushered Shikarou and Branwyn forward, keeping a tight grip on Yushiko's hand all the while.

Branwyn snuggled closer against him as Circe looked over from where she sat nearby. "Are you going to leave Yushiko here?" She kept her voice low and her antenna twitched slowly as she sampled the thoughts in the room.

Shikarou glanced at the activity in the living area where they were sitting. For him, after such a long time alone or with a small group, it seemed like the place was awash with humanity, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about it.

Yushiko was sitting with her parents, Nakamoto Ryota and his wife, Nobuko. Ryota taught kenjutsu down in the city and his wife, being a Samurai, was his "assistant", even if she was vastly more skilled than he was with a sword.

There were more than a few additional Yoshiharas present in the room. Masato was the clan elder, and while eighty years old he looked more like fifty and was still quite active and vigorous. His son, Keiichi, was the result of an unexpected pregnancy with a family retainer while Masato was still very young. He was sixty five although he looked thirty and still ran the smithy in spite of the skill of his own son, Kazuhiro. Considering the two eldest males, Shikarou suspected that more than a touch of longevity graced the Yoshihara bloodline. Kazuhiro worked as an assistant smith and currently specialized in the folding of the blade although he was trained in all of the steps necessary to produce a quality weapon.

Edo still had many prejudices against both women and pokegirls, so it was mildly surprising that both of Keiichi's living wives helped in the sword production. Shinju was an elderly Blazicunt, and while her arthritis precluded heavy activity, she was an expert at sword polishing. Her sister wife, Sachiko, was a Brass and still helped to operate the forge. Nobuko's direct mother and Yushiko's grandmother, a Ronin named Noriko, had died after Yushiko had been captured.

Keiichi had several children. The range of their ages had surprised Shikarou until he learned that pokewomen often remained fertile until sixty. Nobuko was the eldest child at forty eight years of age. After her was Kazuhiro, the heir to the smithy. He was twenty seven. Diasuke was the next oldest child. He lived somewhere in Crescent Moon with his son, Haruo, the cousin Yushiko had gone to stay with. Next came Tsutomu, who was nineteen and off on his pokegirl journey.

After him there was Junko, their only human daughter. She'd just turned sixteen and was deliberating the pros and cons of starting her own pokegirl journey. She'd spent most of the morning talking with Shikarou about it and he suspected that she was inclined towards the idea.

Fumiko was fourteen years old and had thresholded into a Statue when she was twelve. Her family had been able to easily keep the change secret until at thirteen she'd spontaneously evolved into a Marble. Knowing that it was now easy to identify her as a pokegirl, Masato had used a water stone to evolve her into a Titto so she could continue to hide what she'd become. Shikarou knew only because Junko had let slip her sister's secret. He'd promised the extremely embarrassed young woman not to tell anyone else.

Last was Yumi. Born a Torch Chick, she'd worked in the smithy her whole life. Now twelve, the Yoshihara family was working to decide what to do with her when she turned fifteen and became eligible for capture. Masato was inclined to find a nice Tamer for her, since he didn't want to deal with the trouble that was sure to follow her if she evolved into a Combusticunt while living at home.

All of them were here to see Yushiko and to meet the Tamer who'd brought her home. Even Tsutomu had flown home on his Pidgeota to see his niece.

For Shikarou it was a bit overwhelming. He'd spent the last two months practically alone, and all of these happy people made him feel a bit odd.

"I haven't made up my mind yet. I really don't want to give her up, but she's very happy here." He stroked Branwyn's golden tresses idly as he kept his voice deliberately low. "We'll be here for at least another day, so I've got time to consider all of the possible repercussions."

The Unicorn opened her eyes slowly and murmured, "What repercussions?"

"There are several people here proficient with swords and some powerful pokegirls. If they don't want me to take Yushiko when I leave, things could turn very ugly." He snorted quietly. "I'm sure Edo law would agree that Yushiko belongs to me, but there still could be a high body count on both sides before the dust settles." He shifted slightly, easing his back more firmly against the wall. "I'm not sure they realize that I didn't deliberately come here to reunite Yushiko with her family. Hell, even Yushiko seems to believe I did in spite of what I told her last night. Considering all of this, there is the definite possibility of trouble later on."

Circe looked around the room appraisingly. "They had given Yushiko up as lost forever and aren't sure how they feel yet about her return. They'd even added her likeness to the family shrine."

Branwyn frowned. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel more positive about the situation."

Shikarou shrugged. "Only time will tell, but in the meantime be ready for anything. If there is trouble, we'll run until we can regroup and decide our next action. Branwyn, tonight I want you and Lorelei to explore the area surrounding the smithy. That will give us more exit points if we need to do a teleport assault. Circe, you'll stay close to me in order to get me the fuck out of here just in case a quick retreat becomes necessary."

Circe slid along the wall until she was cuddled against his free side. "It sounds like you are planning to fight them if you have to."

"If I chose to leave Yushiko here, that's one thing. If they decide I'm going to leave her here, that is something entirely different, and something they are likely to live to regret." His eyes hardened slightly. "No one steals from me."

Shinju settled down at the table across from him. It was early morning and almost everyone else was still asleep. Branwyn and Lorelei had taken Kiyoko with them on their exploratory mission and wouldn't return for an hour or two. Circe was leaning sleepily against him, clutching a cup of hot tea in her hands. She hadn't been asleep for long when Shinju had knocked on the tent door.

The Blazicunt looked around the tent with a tiny smile. "I am still amazed at this place. Your magic is everything my granddaughter has claimed it to be." She took the tea Shikarou had poured for her and sipped at it. "I apologize for the hour, but as soon as my husband gets up we'll all be hard at work. We've got several important orders that need to be filled as soon as we can get the swords done."

"Keiichi is uncomfortable dealing with people, so as his eldest wife that duty falls to me. I am afraid I have to tell you that we do not have a sword good enough for Yushiko and it may be some time before we can make her one." She cocked her head, her feathers rustling quietly. "Would you be willing to take a lesser quality sword until we can make her one suitable for her skills?"

"I suspect that any Yoshihara sword will be superior to many of the best swords anyone else can produce. I would be honored to have the least of your swords for my Armsmistress."

Shinju blinked slowly. "You are very polite. I am glad to see that." She smiled. "It gives me hope for the youngsters of today."

She glanced at him over her cup as sipped at her tea. "Junko has decided to go on her pokegirl journey."

Shikarou's ears flicked at the sudden change of topic. "I hope that she has the approval of her parents in this endeavor."

Shinju nodded. "She does. Today she will be going into Tomakomai to get her starter pokegirl. I was hoping that you would be willing to go with her in order to give her the benefit of your experience."

"I've only been on my pokegirl journey for about two months, so I'm unsure as to how much benefit I would actually be. Tsutomu's advice would probably be vastly superior to my own."

"Junko and Tsutomu have had a rivalry almost since she was born, so it is doubtful that she would be willing to consider his advice and you are the only other active Tamer here." Shinju met his gaze. "I was also hoping that you and she might take the opportunity to get to know each other better."

Shikarou watched her silently for a moment. Shinju's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is my daughter unacceptable to you?"

"I'm not looking to get married right now." Shikarou's voice was flat.

Shinju frowned and looked thoughtful before smiling. "I see where you might have thought that was what I was trying to do, but I was hoping to ask another favor of you on behalf of Junko and if you two were friends it would be easier to say yes."

"Another favor?"

"Junko does not want to travel here in Edo and I was hoping to convince you to take her back to the Blue League with you." She gave a tiny shrug, more imagined than seen. "Junko does not wish to let our family name interfere with her journey. She is concerned that she will be given an unfair advantage if she tries to travel here in Edo. It has already happened to Tsutomu. On a personal note, Junko is our only human daughter and there are those who might try to mistreat her due to old rivalries and feuds. By traveling where our name isn't known she would be safer than if she did so here." Shinju sighed. "It is also much less likely that she would be imprisoned until she agreed to become someone's wife. Are human women treated better in the Blue League?"

"Yes they are. As rare as they happen to be, anyone who mistreats them is punished very severely. Often they are put to death," Shikarou smiled "by the civilian populace and not the police. I'll consider taking her to the Blue League with me when I leave."

"Thank you very much."

Shikarou leaned back in his chair and watched Branwyn as she sucked down another sherbet. They'd left the pokegirl center and wandered a short way down the street while Junko was taming her Catgirl. He checked his watch. It had been about an hour, but he knew that first tamings often took a while. Besides, he didn't have anywhere to be right this moment. Of course, Lynn was expecting him back tomorrow and they'd have to make a decision about Gwyneth at that point.

Branwyn smirked at him while eating as he rubbed one of his ears. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm just checking to make sure it's still there." It had been a four hour hike down the mountain and into town. The whole way down Junko had talked incessantly. She talked about the weather, about her family, about her friends and just about anything else that came to mind. By the time they'd made it into town, Shikarou knew more about her than he knew about a couple of his own sisters.

Her smile vanished suddenly. "He's back."

"Is he staring at you again?"

"Of course he is." She ate faster. "Think he's going to challenge you?"

"Probably."

They'd attracted the usual crowd as soon as they stepped outside the pokegirl center, but one individual had stood out almost immediately. He'd spent almost fifteen minutes staring at Branwyn before Shikarou had enough. When he approached the man, who turned out to be named Jiang Fang, the man had offered to buy Branwyn. He'd become very upset when told no, and had threatened to return and take her by force.

Shikarou had responded by ignoring him from that point on. Fang had turned several interesting shades of red and hurriedly left. Apparently he'd returned.

"You! Coward!" The crowd exploded away from Fang as soon as they realized what he'd shouted.

The wooden table creaked beneath Shikarou's hands. Branwyn looked at him curiously. "I take it you didn't like that."

He gave her a tiny smile. "Not particularly. I tend to do bad things to people who call me that." He rose easily to his feet and turned to face Fang. "I presume you are talking to me." It wasn't a question.

"Give me your Unicorn or suffer my wrath!" Spittle sprayed from Fang's mouth as he shouted.

Shikarou smiled. "Wrath."

"Very well, fool." He pulled a pokeball from his belt. "Ruiling, I screw you!"

His pokegirl began to coalesce as Shikarou glanced at Branwyn. "Did he say 'screw'?"

"Some Tamers do. It's considered passé in the Blue League."

The pokegirl who appeared looked almost human, trim and athletic. The only false note was her vibrant lemon yellow hair.

_Warning. That is a Neo Iczel, a very powerful pokegirl._ Quickly his twee downloaded the pokedex entry.

Branwyn stood and moved to put herself into the battle position but stopped when Shikarou raised his hand. "Not this time. That is a Neo Iczel and I'm not taking a chance on you getting defeated. They are weak against psychic and I intend to teach this baka a lesson." He pulled a pokeball from his belt. "Circe, you're up."

The Alaka-Wham appeared with a smile. "I have one question. What about property damage?"

"Don't care. Do you want my guidance or do you want to do this yourself?"

She smiled. "Your help would be useful. This is my first real pokegirl battle." Branwyn groaned.

"Kill him!" Fang was spitting again. Ruiling lifted off the ground and zipped forward, accelerating hard as a shimmering blade of energy materialized in her hand.

_Duck. _ Shikarou obeyed his pokegirl's mental command and crouched. Circe reached out with her telekinesis and pulled. The Neo Iczel blasted past her just barely out of sword range and smashed through the building behind Shikarou.

Ruiling shook off the rubble and rose into the air, searching for her opponent. She spotted Shikarou and summoned her energy blade again as she flew towards him. Circe nailed her with a manhole cover as she dove, driving the Neo Iczel into the pavement.

"Ignore his pokegirl! Once he's dead they're all mine!"

_Can you hold a psychic attack ready and teleport at the same time?_ Shikarou felt her surprise at his question.

_I've never tried before, but I think so._

Shikarou nodded mentally. _Then use precog to know where she's going to be and come out behind her and do it._

Ruiling dove at Shikarou, her fists starting to glow. Shikarou summoned his sword and went into a low guard position. However, before the Neo Iczel could release her power bolt, Circe teleported.

She reappeared in the air right next to Ruiling and released her psychic attack at point blank range. Blood spurted from the Neo Iczel's ears and she curved to the right before smashing into another wall.

Ruiling rose shakily to her feet as Circe lofted the largest piece of wreckage from the building into the air at the Neo Iczel. Before Ruiling could react, Circe hit her with psychic once more. She'd already started to drop when the rubble crunched into her. Circe picked it up and hammered her with it again to make sure she stayed down.

Circe glanced at Shikarou. "I probably shouldn't hurt her too much, should I?" She smashed the unconscious pokegirl with the rubble again. "Should I?"

"Stop that."

Circe laughed and flung the now smaller piece of rubble in the general direction of Fang, who danced out of the way, screaming in rage. Branwyn snickered.

"I win." Shikarou smiled. "I think you will apologize for calling me a coward and I'll keep the Neo Iczel. Do that and I'll let you live."

Fang sneered. Shikarou noted that finally they'd found something Fang did well. Maybe he practiced. "You'll get nothing from me!"

Shikarou pointed at Ruiling's pokeball. "Here." The ball shot across the space and into his hand. He returned the Neo Iczel to her pokeball. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now about that apology."

Fang's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea who you just insulted," he snarled as he reached behind his back and pulled out an automatic pistol. Aiming it at Shikarou's heart, he snarled, "Here's your apology."

There was a meaty ripping sound and Fang screamed in pain, dropping the pistol to clutch his gun hand. "Oops," from Circe. "I keep forgetting how fragile they are." Fang's index finger shot to Shikarou and hovered in front of him. "Do you want this?"

Shikarou plucked it out of the air. "Thanks. This will do for his apology." He popped the finger into his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

Fang screamed again, this time a cry of mingled pain, rage and fear.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" The policeman lowered his bullhorn and two OfficerJenny's moved forward, stun guns ready. The crowd started to scatter but stopped when they realized that more police pokegirls and their Tamers had already moved to cut them off.

"Well?" One of the OfficerJenny's faced Shikarou, her stun gun steady.

"This man attacked me and I defended myself. He was defeated and I claimed one of his pokegirls as payment for the attack. He pulled a pistol on me and lost his trigger finger." He slowly unhooked his pokedex. "I'm from the Blue League and recorded the entire incident." He smiled slowly. "I must warn you when you watch the recording that some of the communication between my Alaka-Wham and me was via telepathy and therefore won't be in the vid."

The OfficerJenny blinked as she took the pokedex. "I see. Where is the finger now?"

"Gone."

"You'll have to return it. You aren't allowed to keep trophies."

Shikarou frowned and then shrugged, turned, stuck his finger down his throat and vomited. He produced a silk handkerchief and wiped his mouth. "It's in there." A slight smirk appeared. "I'm not going to get it."

The OfficerJenny turned green and quickly looked away. "I, uh, ok."

The other OfficerJenny and the policeman were having a quick conference before he waved, summoning a NurseJoy who was also in police uniform to heal Fang. The first Jenny went to talk to him and the three of them watched the recording on Shikarou's pokedex.

Another NurseJoy stirred through the vomit with gloved hands and bagged the bits of finger. She looked up at Shikarou, a look of annoyance and curiosity on her face. "Why did you eat it?"

"I knew he'd want it back, and the little prick called me a coward. I want him to remember the price he paid for that thoughtless remark."

"Let me guess, samurai?" She stood when Shikarou nodded. He glanced at her chest and noted her nametag read "Mitzi". "You are going to have problems with Fang. We know him; he's an enforcer for the local Yakuza."

Shikarou glanced at his vanquished foe, who was busily having his hand wrapped by the other NurseJoy. "They must not have a lot of competition if he's one of their enforcers."

Mitzi bit off a laugh. "He's supposed to be one of their best. The police have been unable to get any evidence against him up to this point."

"Well if he wants to get revenge on me he's going to have to go to the Blue Continent. I'm leaving in the morning."

The NurseJoy shook her head. "No, the police will want you to stay around while they conduct their investigation."

"I can always come back. Besides, if I stay, the Yakuza will keep attacking me and more of their people will get hurt."

Mitzi smiled. "Confident, aren't you?"

"Are you familiar with Japanese proverbs? I noticed by your nametag that you aren't from Edo."

"I'm from Indigo, and no, I'm not."

"Here is one: Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau."

Mitzi repeated it carefully. "What does it mean?"

"A literal translation would be that when you talk about tomorrow the mice in the ceiling laugh at you. It means you shouldn't worry overly about tomorrow since you don't know what it will bring." He smiled. "It might bring the Yakuza victory against me, but then again it might not. I'm going to work towards the not."

She smiled. "Are there any more that would be applicable?"

"Neko ni koban would probably be another one." Shikarou continued when she gave him a curious look. "The literal translation is gold coins to a cat. It means don't give gifts to people who can't understand them, like the fact that I tried to show Fang mercy. He doesn't seem to be the type to understand the concept."

She nodded. "He's supposed to have done horrible things to a couple of businessmen who didn't want to pay their insurance."

"You there! Shikarou." It was the policeman. He waved imperiously for Shikarou to join him. Apparently he wasn't going to get too close to the vomit.

Shikarou bowed to Mitzi. "If you will excuse me?" He went over and bowed to the policeman, as he read the man's name badge. "Officer Tanaka, how may I help you?"

"You have been accused of an unprovoked attack on Jiang Fang and I'm going to have to order you to remain in the area until the investigation is complete." He gave Shikarou a slightly apologetic look. "You should be warned that this man is a member of the Yakuza and they may try to silence you before he can be tried."

"I understand. I'll give you my com code so you can contact me if you have any more questions. Considering the Yakuza, I'm going to have to decline to tell you where I'm staying; we both know the police force has probably been penetrated. However I promise as soon as I get your call I will find you."

"Under the circumstances, that would seem to be a prudent way to go." Officer Tanaka glanced at his prisoner. "You are free to keep the pokegirl, but your Unicorn has some evidence she's going to have to give up."

Shikarou turned. "Branwyn?"

She sighed and produced the pistol. "I figured that since he tried to use it on you we could claim it as salvage. It's pre-Sukebe and might be worth a pretty credit to a collector."

"She has a point. I'd like to be sure and put a claim on the pistol, Officer Tanaka, if I can."

Tanaka took the pistol carefully. "I'll put your claim into the paperwork, although if it is an antique, it is unlikely that you will ever see it again. I must follow protocols, however, as you know." He smiled slightly. "The OfficerJenny's make sure we follow protocols to the letter, as they should."

"All I can ask is that you do your job. After that it is up to the gods." Shikarou nodded to him and handed him a card. "This has everything on it you need. May we go now?"

"Yes. I will be in touch as soon as I can." He bowed to Shikarou and nodded to the OfficerJennys, who quickly bustled a protesting Fang into a Black Maria. "It is doubtful that he will remain in jail for long, the Yakuza have powerful allies. I would be on my guard if I were you."

"Thank you." Shikarou nodded to Branwyn and Circe. "Let's be off then to the pokegirl center. We get the newest addition to the harem healed up." _As well as pick up Junko_, he finished mentally.

_Are we going to stay with the Yoshihara family while waiting for the policeman to call?_ Branwyn cocked her head curiously. _Or are we going to go to a hotel to keep them out of the line of fire?_ Circe nodded to let him know she was listening as well.

Shikarou grinned as they walked down the street. _I never agreed to his order. We're going back to the Blue Continent. After all you can teleport and he can reach me by com there, it just might take an hour or so for the routers to find me. I'll still come to see him like I promised. We will need to find out where his police station is before we leave in order to facilitate locating him again._

"I want you to take Gwyneth with you when you leave. She's becoming troublesome and isn't willing to accept that I'm your representative here." Lynn lifted her head from Shikarou's chest to check his eyes when he didn't answer. A frown appeared as she realized they were closed. "Will you?" She poked him gently in the chest. "Shikarou?"

"I heard you." His eyes stayed closed. "She's stronger than you, isn't she? That's why you haven't slapped her down yet, you're not sure you can."

She sighed and laid her head down on his chest again. She was quiet for a few moments. "Yes."

"Why should I leave you in charge if she's stronger than you?"

There was another long silence. "I want to stay here. I want to be your queen." More silence. "I've already got a rapport with the feral pokegirls on the island and they'll do what I want. Gwyneth doesn't."

"I've also lived here for the last three years and I know the island well. I know where the forests will flourish and where we'll be putting in gardens. I've gotten the feel of the land. It would take Gwyneth another year or two to come up to speed."

"Anything else?"

"Since she's stronger than me, she'd do better as part of your harem. Let's face it, you are building a combat harem and she can help. Besides, you are going to need strong pokegirls to safely incorporate Ruiling into your harem, aren't you?"

Shikarou opened his eyes. "My lady, you make very good points."

Lynn sat up and faced him, her eyes intent. "I get to be your queen?"

"You get to be _my_ seneschal. You get to be _their_ queen."

"I can live with that." She leaned over and kissed him gently. "As your loyal servant, can I make a suggestion?"

"Suggest away."

"Instead of putting Niamh and Misaki into long term storage, why don't you leave them here? They should fit right in and can be a lot of use getting the island into shape."

Shikarou nodded thoughtfully. "That would also give me only one pokegirl in storage at a time, unless I left her here as well." He shook his head. "No, I need to keep at least one pokegirl in storage, if only to have her available even if I can't teleport here for some reason or another."

Lynn nodded. "Branwyn mentioned to me that the Blue League also takes a look periodically at the harems of active Tamers, and if your pokegirls keep disappearing without showing up in other harems they might start asking some unwelcome questions, so that's another good reason to rotate one in and out of storage."

"My lady that is an excellent suggestion. Do you have any others?"

Lynn settled against his side with an excited look. "Oh, yes. I've been sending out the call for over a year, not realizing that this was an island. When you get to the mainland, if you see any elf types, please ferry them across. We'll also need some supplies, soon, if not right away. We need a boat and some tools and eventually we'll need something along the lines of a pokegirl center. And security. We could also really use…"

Shikarou settled back and mentally took notes as she spoke. While he appreciated her zeal for her new job, he did suspect that she would be going on in this vein for quite a while.

Branwyn looked over her shoulder at Shikarou. "Would you tell me just how Gwyneth came to be?"

They were still on South Uist, headed south towards the ruins of Lochboisdale. Shikarou wanted to examine the ruins before they left his island and flew to Rum Island, the location of the next gym.

"All right, you remember that there were several pokegirls that had to be tamed in order to stabilize their feral state?"

"Yes, there was Lynn, Amy, Juniper the Omegan, three Elves, a Drow Zee and a Grandelf. I also know that Gwyneth was one of the Elves."

"I tamed everyone but the three Elves first, mainly because I wasn't looking forward to dealing with them."

"Why, what was wrong?"

"A feral Elf is in a comatose condition and the idea of taming someone in that state made my skin crawl." He shrugged. "I thought of it more like rape and it didn't interest me at all. However, it had to be done, so I did the first two Elves and it was as bad as I though it would be." He sighed. "So I tried to take a short cut with the last one."

"What happened?"

"One of the things that a mage should always remember is that magic doesn't always do what you want. In part this occurs because of insufficient will on the part of the mage and in part these things happen because no one completely understands how magic works. Even the gods of magic don't seem to understand it entirely."

"Anyway, I tried to use a spell to awaken the last Elf and when that failed I tried a spell that incites unbridled lust in the target. It didn't work either, so I put my wand away and went to the tried and true."

"The other two Elves woke up gradually and joined in the activity, but this one was different. She stayed comatose longer and when she woke up, she did so completely and almost instantly as a result of the awakening spell. She was also for lack of a better term, in heat."

"For a brief time I wasn't really sure who was taming whom and suddenly she evolved into an ElfQueen. That seemed to only intensify her hungers and I spent the next sixteen hours taming her." Shikarou shrugged. "I suspect that was the result of the lust spell. I think both spells worked, but their effects couldn't overcome her feral state and wake her up. Once she woke up, however, the results were fairly obvious."

Branwyn slowed to a stop and turned her torso to look squarely at him. "You have a spell that can make a pokegirl go into heat? Why haven't you taught that one to us? It would be invaluable in a pokegirl battle or even in taming a low libido or ice type."

"First, I didn't think about it, and second that isn't what that spell is designed to do. The heat is only a side effect of the primary spell, only I knew that the primary effect could be blocked."

"What is the primary effect?"

"It causes a female to ovulate and a male to increase sperm production by a factor of twenty. It's used for cases of infertility. If you use it on a pokegirl that doesn't go into her pokeball soon enough it could cause parthenogenesis."

"Are you aware that the equipment used in inciting reproduction in pokegirls costs millions of credits and takes up a lot of space? This could revolutionize pokegirl breeding."

"It's a spell, remember, and only a mage can cast it."

"Oh. By the way, how did Gwyneth feel about you leaving Lynn and taking her on your journey?"

Shikarou smiled. "She actually thanked me for valuing her more than Lynn. It turns out the Gwyneth felt that the better pokegirl would be taken into the harem and the loser would be left to languish on the island."

"So you got lucky."

"If Gwyneth wants to believe that the more powerful pokegirl is the better one, then who am I to disabuse her. It does mean that she may be gunning for your job, however."

"She's not more powerful than me."

"No, but she's ambitious. You may want to take training more seriously or she may outstrip your abilities in a short while."

"You wouldn't replace me as alpha," Branwyn replied confidently.

"No, but I would replace you as a combat leader if she becomes better than you. That only makes sense for the good of the Tamer. I know that you find training boring and repetitive, so we'll just have to see what we can do to make it more interesting."

Branwyn went back to a fast walk as she gave him a suspicious glance. "And just what did you have in mind?"

"Everyone is much closer in level since Misaki and Niamh left, so I'm thinking about making the training sessions much more strenuous. It'll increase the number of injuries, but we can handle that. I've also been thinking about slowing our pace to increase the number of training sessions as well as shifting the emphasis more towards actual battles between harem members. In addition I'm also considering introducing some twists to the training sessions themselves as well as the combats."

"Like what?"

"Changes to the environment, like the blizzards that we faced in Stornoway or sandstorms. Battles in enclosed spaces and the dark also should help." He frowned. "I guess I'm thinking of changing the way we train to reflect the military training I've been through. It should result in a marked increase in efficiency."

"What about Ruiling? She's not very enthusiastic about being here."

"I'll try talking to her and then I'll adjust her attitude if I have to."

"What happens if you can't?"

"Then I'll get rid of her."

"I'm not upset that you took me away from Jiang. He was a loser and didn't deserve me. What I'm not happy about is the fact that I don't know if you are worthy to own me either." Ruiling spoke perfect English although with a definite accent. Her lemon hair glowed brilliantly in the wan winter sun as she frowned at Shikarou.

They'd stopped for the evening and some fat unwary rabbits were roasting over the fire, accompanied by a simmering pot of vegetable stew as a nod to those who disdained meat. Dinner was being closely watched by Kiyoko while Gwyneth was preparing a salad as an appetizer. Yushiko was on watch and was randomly moving around the perimeter of the camp.

Now that they were on Rum Island, Shikarou, Branwyn and Circe had decided it was time for the talk with Ruiling before going into the village.

"So what will it take to get you to believe that Shikarou is worthy of you?" Branwyn asked belligerently.

"I'd respect him more if he'd fight me," came her simple reply. "I know he can't defeat me, but I'd finally like to have a master who'd at least fight me." She smiled. "I even promise not to try to kill him. He showed a little bit of style when he ate Jiang's finger and I'm hoping it wasn't just a fluke."

Shikarou shed his backpack. "I'll fight you."

She beamed. "Excellent. After you wake up, I'll fight your harem and we'll see how worthy you are."

"What rules do you want?"

"I won't try to deliberately kill you. You can do whatever you think will defeat me. I think that should be enough of a handicap to let me chase you around for a little while."

Shikarou smiled craftily. "If you'll let me cast a couple of spells on myself before we get started, I think I can make this match much more interesting."

Ruiling eyed him briefly before answering. "I did say you could do anything you thought might help you to win, so go ahead."

Two spells later Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "Would you officiate and provide healing?"

Branwyn nodded. "Of course." She pulled out a couple of the various potions and got them ready before hanging them from her belt.

Circe cleared her throat. "I think we need to warn Kiyoko and Gwyneth, in case the fight spills over into the camp. It'll also ensure that they don't let dinner burn if they're drawn to the battle."

"Sounds good. Take care of it please."

Ruiling watched as Circe obeyed her Tamer's request. "You are very polite to your pokegirls. I like that."

"Thank you."

Circe returned with Kiyoko and Gwyneth close behind. "They wanted to watch the fight. Dinner's been taken off the fire to wait."

"What about Yushiko?"

"She asked that we get a good recording so she can watch it later." Circe nodded. "I've already turned on our spare pokedex, so we'll have two recordings to review."

"Branwyn, if you would?" Shikarou readied himself.

The Unicorn moved to the middle of the clearing. "Combatants, move to either end." She continued once they'd obeyed. "This battle will take place between the Tamer Shikarou and his pokegirl Ruiling. It will proceed until one of the combatants is unable to continue."

"Begin."

Ruiling launched herself into the air and shot a power bolt at Shikarou as he summoned his sword. The bolt struck and disappeared without any apparent effect as his magic absorption spell sucked it up. Shikarou returned the energy in the form of a swarm of blue bolts that smashed into the Neo Iczel. She yelled in surprise as the attack staggered her in midair.

"How did you do that?" she yelled at him.

"One of the spells I cast lets me absorb magic."

"You'll have to teach me that one," was her immediate response, "but right now we have a battle to finish." She hit him with a dazzle attack and was rewarded with more mystic bolts as he absorbed the energy again. Her eyes narrowed. The attacks had done little damage to her, but she was beginning to get angry at her inability to touch him.

Ruiling vanished as she teleported. Instantly Shikarou jumped a dozen meters to the right, twisting in the air to release a fireball spell at where he'd been standing. She appeared just as the spell detonated, engulfing her in flame. She screeched in pain and launched herself upwards, her clothing smoldering and her hair a scorched mess.

She raced to the ground and used tectonic slam to blast a shockwave of energy into Shikarou, knocking him flying.

He rolled to his feet as she accelerated hard towards him, raising a cloud of dust as she flew on an intercept. Shikarou cast his next spell frantically, completing it just before she hit him. The forcewall formed just in time and Ruiling smashed straight into it with a horrifying crunching sound and a spray of blood.

Shikarou released the spell and grabbed Ruiling. She looked bad. Apparently she'd had her arms out to grab him and not even her enhanced bones could take the impact and it looked like every bone in her hands and arms had shattered when she hit. "BRANWYN!"

Ruiling spat out teeth and raised her head feebly. "Not done," she muttered. "Got to beat you." He could feel her trying to focus her will.

"Fine, I yield. You win."

"Knew I would." Ruiling smiled and went limp.

Branwyn sprayed her with X-potion and Shikarou was pleased to watch the Neo Iczel's wounds heal. He pulled out her pokeball and recalled her. "Here."

The Unicorn took the pokeball as Circe set the PPHU down and connected the battery. Branwyn looked into Shikarou's eyes as Circe loaded the healing unit. "Are you all right?"

Shikarou gave her a bitter smile. "Of course. I just nearly killed one of my own pokegirls." He sighed. "I thought she'd pull up or stop. I guess she didn't have time."

"What about your injuries?"

"She cracked a couple of ribs. I'm healing. I'll be well in no time."

"Shikarou." It was Circe. "You did what you had to. She's going to be all right and perhaps she will respect you now. You did almost beat her." She checked the healing unit. "Not long now." She raised her head to look into his eyes. "You will teach us those spells, right?"

"I will."

Circe opened the PPHU and took out Ruiling's pokeball. "Ready?" When Shikarou nodded she pushed the release.

Ruiling appeared, looking fine except for the fact that her clothing was in tatters. She immediately bowed deeply to Shikarou. "If you hadn't yielded to me you would have won that fight." A smile appeared. "I will, however, happily claim the win and I won't be so foolish the next time." She went down on her knees in front of him and took his hands. "You are worthy to be my Tamer. I will obey your orders and serve you willingly."

Ruiling gave him a slightly hesitant look. "Will you accept my oath?"

Once again Branwyn watched as the aura of nobility seemed to materialize around her Tamer as he nodded. "I will."

Branwyn touched his shoulder gently. "Who are you?"

The aura vanished as he grinned back at her. "I'm Shikarou."

"Who were you?" She cocked her head curiously.

"Now if I tell you all of my stories, you'll just get bored with me." He wagged a finger at her. "Perhaps later you can coax a story about my past out of me."

Kachi wa saya no naka ni ari – Victory comes while the sword is in the scabbard.

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 23

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 56

Unicorn Branwyn 42

ElfQueen Gwyneth 40

Dark Kitsune Kiyoko 37

Neo Iczel Ruiling 31

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 26

Inactive Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 33

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

_**ELFQUEEN, the Regal Forest Queen Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Plant/Magic

**Frequency**: Rare

**Diet**: Vegetarian

**Role**: Caretaker of forests, ruler among elves. Lands an ElfQueen and a team of Elves cultivate have a 220% crop yield; however they make poor pets in urban areas and rapidly sicken in polluted regions.

**Libido**: Average to High (can become Extreme with Tamers they are emotionally attached to)

**Strong Vs**: Psychic, Plant, Ground, Rock, Water

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Dark, Fighting

**Attacks**: Power Bolt, Dazzle, Reflect, Heal, Command Plants, Summon (Elf-types save for Dark Elves, Bondage Elves, and Bondage Queens), Rose Whip, Wood Tower, Grass Floor, Lance

**Enhancements**: Longevity, Plant Affinity, Magic Affinity, Gardener, Enhanced Senses (Hearing)

**Disadvantages**: Takes double damage from Fire attacks.

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves from**: Elf (orgasm)

ElfQueens evolve from Elves who experience intense orgasms, most often from one they are Delta-bonded to. When this occurs the Elf gains two feet in height and usually one to two cup sizes (maxing out at around six feet and a D cup). Their skin becomes pale and their hair (if not already this color) typically becomes shades of red, brown, or blonde, though bright blue, silver, or even white are not unheard of. For some reason all ElfQueens can be found in flowing, low-cut gowns that match the colors of the local trees (silver if there are no local trees) and change colors with the seasons.

Feral ElfQueens claim forests, or large sections of forests, as their domains, sending out a mystical call that attracts Feral Elves to them. Typically the Queen forms a colony of twenty to a hundred Elves, with Avariel Elves, Dark Maidens, Drow Zees, High Elves, and occasionally the odd Golden Elf or Grandelf mixed in. Within her domain the ElfQueen claims absolute authority, but practically this is usually limited by the amount of other Pokegirls and humans in the area. Once a colony is established the Queen has her subjects start making natural-seeming modifications to the lands about them, to provide for better food, defense, and plant growth. Forests under an ElfQueen's care experience rapid growth but ElfQueens are cautious enough to know both when to stop planting and when to trim back the woods to maintain ecological balance. Somewhere within the woods the ElfQueen will establish her Court. Oftentimes the Court might be situated in a grove though some ElfQueens have been known to have large trees made into their palatial homes. It seems to be a matter of taste. When two Feral ElfQueens cross paths one of two things happens. Either the "defending" Queen plays gracious hostess to her fellow royalty or (if one or both are of the arrogant, snobbish persuasion) a fight breaks out. These battles are rarely to the death. Usually the loser is forced to concede her domain to the winner and become a servant of the victor.

Tamed and Feral ElfQueens share a few common traits. First is their love of nature, especially plant life. ElfQueens always carry some token of the plant world with them, be it their traditional flower-wreaths, flowers sewn into their clothes or woven into their hair, or even vine bracelets, chokers, or anklets. They both hold Dark Elves, Bondage Elves, and Bondage Queens in nothing but the lowest of contempt, openly ridiculing them as mockeries of Elvenkind. Tamed ElfQueens will not usually start attacks on Dark Elves, Bondage Elves, or Bondage Queens they run across, but they will loudly encourage their Tamers and Harem-sisters to avoid such Pokegirls or drive them away. Feral ElfQueens have an attack-on-sight policy. Putting an ElfQueen and a Dark Elf, Bondage Elf, or Bondage Queen in the same harem is a very bad idea. The ElfQueen will likely lash out, provoking battles until one or the other is dead or otherwise removed. Finally, both Tamed and Feral ElfQueens have a very odd deference to Grandelves. They become meek and quiet in the presence of Grandelves, and tend to rely on them for advice. Also, both kinds of ElfQueens get along well with High Elves.

In battle ElfQueens take on a field commander position. They direct their subjects (and for Tamed ones their sisters) into strategic positions. Because an ElfQueen gets to know her subjects (or Harem-sisters) early on they generally know the strengths and weaknesses of what and who they have to work with and lay out their plans accordingly. Weaker subjects or sisters are directed towards where there is the least risk while others are deployed as best as the situation will allow and the ElfQueen provides support from a distance with her attacks. While the ElfQueen doesn't like to fight herself, she will to protect her subjects or Harem-sisters. They often get quite protective of other Elf-types in a Harem, as well as smaller and physically or emotionally weaker Harem-sisters, and have been known to put themselves in danger to protect those Sisters. When they do directly battle it's from long-range, using their power to control plants to twist the environment to their benefit and lashing out with Rose Whip and Power Bolt, often after dazzling a foe.

ElfQueens generally have average to high libidos. Although they only need Taming twice in a month, they are happy to receive it whenever. When it comes to Taming an ElfQueen loses her air of detachment from the world and can become very blunt with her desires, but only in private. In public they are prim ladies when the subject is brought up. With Tamers they are emotionally bonded to (or Delta-bonded with) an ElfQueen's libido rapidly increases to Extreme and they become very demanding of their lover's time and attention. They don't like to share their partners and they don't like being kept waiting either.

_**NEO ICZEL, the Super Pokegirl **_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Magic  
**Frequency**: Very Rare (Crimson League), Extremely Rare (Elsewhere)  
**Diet**: human-style diet  
**Role**: individual striking units  
**Libido**: Average (High seasonally)  
**Strong Vs**: Magic, Water  
**Weak Vs**: Psychic  
**Attacks**: Energy Blade, Power Bolt, Reflect, Burst, Magic Fist, Magic Kick, Shield, Dazzle, Teleport, Phoenix Down, Tectonic Slam, Fissure  
**Enhancements**: Defense, Enhanced Endurance (x8), Enhanced Strength (x19), Flight  
**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: None

Neo Iczels were among the most powerful fighters during the Revenge War. They were single fighting units and among the strongest Pokegirls in existence. Neo Iczels are human in appearance, usually pale-skinned and muscular, built like gymnasts, with hair colors in bright extremes, be it bright black, bright brown, bright red, bright blonde, bright white, etc. They are superhumanly strong, seconded in strength only by girls like the Amachamp, and capable of flying and firing blasts of powerful energy. They are also capable of taking a lot of punishment, making them ideal for combat harems.

Neo Iczels would be among the most desired Pokegirls if it weren't for one little problem: they are EXTRAORDINARILY arrogant.

In the wild, they are aloof, and will not allow themselves to be captured unless they are defeated utterly, and only if the Tamer takes part in defeating her via means other than just ordering his or her girls around. Tame Neo Iczels are also cold to their Harem sisters, and encourage their master to rely on only them for their pleasure and for battles. They WILL NOT accept other partners unless they are equals or superior, and will insist on occasionally battling with her harem sisters to see if they are worthy. This has inspired many Tamers to either trade away the Neo Iczel, give up their Pokegirls in favor of the Neo Iczel (an action frowned upon by the majority of Leagues and illegal in the Crimson League and WAPL), or train up their Pokegirls to get the Neo Iczel to accept them. A determined, patient, and caring Tamer who gets their Pokegirls strong will not only have a powerful Harem, but a dedicated, completely loyal ally in a Neo Iczel.

Those that break through the shell of arrogance of a Neo Iczel, be they human or Pokegirl, and manage to Bond with her, will find their power increasing alongside the Neo Iczels. In an amusing irony, the less arrogant a Neo Iczel becomes, the more powerful they become. Although this is a rare occurrence, as the Neo Iczel has a genetic predisposition to be arrogant and it's rare that a Tamer has enough patience to work to win the affection of this arrogant breed of Pokegirl. It is also rare that they experience humbling through humiliation, as they are incredibly powerful.

In an interesting side note, Neo Iczels do not become angry when witnessing the evolution of a Penance, as most other Pokegirl breeds do. They instead become focused on taking care of the Penance, showing their rarely displayed kind, caring sides as they try to win the trust of the skittish young Pokegirl.

It is a wise thing to note that Neo Iczels have an intense rivalry with Demon Goddesses. The two breeds were both created to be heavy assault units, and a strong competitive streak developed between the two breeds. This rivalry, near the end of the war, developed into an intense hatred that neither breed has been able to shake (or explain, for that matter, since records of exactly what happened during the war are few and far between, and no one knows how the rivalry started). A Neo Iczel, when coming within twenty feet of a Demon Goddess (or vice versa), will immediately seek out a battle. And only a fool would try and keep a Neo Iczel and Demon Goddess in the same harem.

No cases of Thresholding into a Neo Iczel have been reported, something which many people are very grateful for.


	6. Chapter 6

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf

Chapter 6: Koketsu Ni Irazunba Koji o Ezu

"I still think that this idea is fraught with peril," Circe pointed out for the fourth time.

"I understand. Do you want out?" Shikarou cocked his head. "If you do, just say so."

"No, if you are going to do this, then I'm in. I'm just not sure this is something we should be doing."

Shikarou nodded and regarded the two sleeping figures for a moment before giving the male a nudge with his foot. "Wakey, wakey."

The man stirred slowly and groaned, sitting up and rubbing his back. "It's too fucking cold," he muttered.

Circe watched curiously. "How is it that he has no memory of what happened? Let me guess, magic?"

"Uh huh." Shikarou crouched in front of the man. "Good morning. Well, Godwin, it's time to pay the piper."

The sheriff blearily focused on Shikarou. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember? I'm Branwyn's owner, Shikarou. You've been a naughty boy and now you get the chance to make good for a change."

"Where are we?" the sheriff asked as he looked around the grassy meadow. Large and small rocks dotted the area.

"This is my island. Here's the deal," Shikarou smiled and handed the sheriff a thermos of tea. "You tried to have me murdered and take Branwyn. While I thought briefly about just killing you in your sleep, there are some other concerns that made me decide to instead give you the opportunity to win her in battle."

The sheriff's eyes opened fully as he came suddenly wide awake. "I didn't have anything to do with that."

"Don't lie to me. I know when people lie, so it's a waste of my time and yours." Shikarou shook his head sadly. "Besides, there's no one around except for me, Circe, you and Molly." He pointed with his chin at the sleeping Denmother. "Circe?"

A stick levitated into the air and poked Molly, who came instantly awake and rolled to her feet in a defensive posture.

Shikarou smiled. "Good morning, Molly, do you remember me?"

The Denmother oriented on him and looked puzzled for a brief instant. "You are Shikarou, the man with only one name."

"Correct in one. Excellent. This is my island, and we are here to give the sheriff an opportunity to provide me restitution for his gang trying to murder me and take Branwyn from me. By the way, your children are still at home and hopefully are still asleep. I would never seek to involve them in this."

Her ears flicked. "Good."

"So, Godwin, here's the deal. We are going to have a pokegirl battle. You get to use Molly and I'm going to use Circe. This is going to be a grand melee, so we can fight as well." Shikarou nodded towards a wooden chest. "I've even brought your weapons, so you'll feel better about this."

"This is going to be a single round match that continues until one side can't. And the prize is simple. The winner gets everything. That includes Molly and her children if I win and Branwyn as well as the rest of my pokegirls if you do. Hell, you even get an island all your own. If you do win, Circe or Branwyn can take you back to Lairg."

Shikarou could practically watch the wheels turn in Godwin's head. As far as the sheriff was concerned it was a win-win. If he won, he got Branwyn and an island. If he lost, he'd charge Shikarou with theft and unleash the might of the entire Blue League to bring him down.

Of course, that was exactly what Shikarou had thought the sheriff would decide to do when he made his own plans.

The sheriff clambered to his feet and opened the chest as he gulped down more tea. He peered into the box for a moment and then turned back to Shikarou. "I could just arrest you now."

Circe laughed. "And how would you get back to Lairg? You don't even have any idea where we are. Until you become my Tamer, you can't order me to do anything and I'm not going to lie down for you if you arrest my Tamer."

The sheriff blinked and then smiled as his confidence returned. Molly had never lost him a criminal yet. "Then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." He pulled out his gunbelt and strapped it on. Molly moved to stand protectively nearby.

The sheriff tapped the buckle of his belt. "This is an authentic American Old West gunbelt and guns. What do you think?"

Shikarou frowned. "I don't think they had automatic pistols back then."

"No, they didn't, those are still in their case." Godwin proudly pulled a smaller box out of his chest and opened it. "These are a set of presentation Colt Third Model Dragoon pistols decorated by Gustav Young along with their holsters. The belt came with them, but I had my own holsters and guns put on."

"Very nice." They were. Made from blackened steel and covered with brass and gold inlay, the pistols gleamed in the wan sunlight. "If I win they should make a nice trophy."

Godwin laughed. "You are not going to win." He drew each automatic pistol and chambered a round. "Let's get this over with. I want to be taming that bitch of a Unicorn this afternoon."

Shikarou nodded. "And I want to be digging your grave. It sounds like one of us is going to be disappointed." He frowned. "We both understand that this fight is to the death." The sheriff gave a bark of laughter as Shikarou continued. "I've taken the liberty of marking two spots twenty meters apart as the starting points. Feel free to choose the one that you want."

Godwin moved to the nearest spot and waited until Shikarou was nearing the farther spot before drawing his pistols. Shikarou heard the whisper of steel against leather and spun as the sheriff opened fire, the first round clipping his shoulder as he threw himself out of the way. "Molly, get that bastard."

The Denmother blurred forward with quick attack only to backpedal as Circe narrowly missed her with a thrown boulder. She tried again and was knocked sprawling as the same boulder hit her from behind. She tried to use flamethrower on the Alaka-Wham but the attack missed as Circe teleported out of the way just in time.

Shikarou moved from rock to rock, seeking better cover as he worked his way ever closer to his prey. The sheriff loosed a round or two at him each time he showed himself. Other than the shoulder graze, he'd been hit once in the arm, at which point Godwin crowed with delight. "First blood is mine, boy. I've got plenty of spare magazines and I'm going to keep shooting bits off of you until Molly is done with your pet."

Shikarou checked his arm. The bullet had passed through the meat and his regenerative powers had already stopped the bleeding. However the arm would be weak for several minutes. It would be enough. He went back to circling away from the fighting pokegirls.

Molly used rage and followed it with fire blast. Circe used barrier to mitigate the effects of the attack but the damage was still fairly severe. She teleported farther away before using psychic to bring the Denmother to her knees.

_Circe, are you badly hurt?_

_The initial attack was blunted by the barrier, but I've suffered a burn and I'm making it worse by continuing to fight. Are you close enough to the sheriff to end this?_ Some of her pain leaked through the telepathic contact.

_I'll have to be. Do it. _

Circe selected a nice large boulder and reached out with her telekinesis. Latching on, she began beating it with Molly. The Denmother cried out each time she hit the boulder and tried vainly to twist around to face the Alaka-Wham. Quickly, blood began to decorate the inoffensive boulder.

Shikarou popped to his feet and charged, dodging as he summoned his sword. The sheriff carefully held his fire until his opponent was only a few meters away and then double-tapped Shikarou through the heart.

The impact brought the kami to a halt with a blank look on his face. The sheriff watched with a gleeful expression as Shikarou touched the bloody hole in his shirt and his face went slack. He wavered on his feet as his sword dropped slowly from the high guard position he'd held while he charged.

Suddenly he grinned. "Gotcha." He swung his katana, cleaving through flesh and bone as he struck the sheriff just below the shoulder, amputating both of Godwin's arms as he cut the man in half with a horizontal strike.

_Are you done playing with him?_ Circe dropped the now limp and bloody Denmother as she turned to her Tamer.

Shikarou leaned on his sword as an expression of pain crossed his face. "I appear to have run out of opponent, so yes, I am."

Circe paled as she looked at his chest and teleported to his side while he murmured a healing spell. "What happened?" She wrapped an arm around his and settled him down on a rock before tearing his shirt apart with her telekinesis. She gasped at his injury.

"I got shot." He smiled painfully. "I've always been a heartless bastard, so I'll be fine."

"You should be dead, your heart is pulped."

"Remember the part of the discussion where I explained that I was hard to kill? I meant it." He groaned slightly. "Hurts like a bitch, though. How's Molly?"

"She'll live. Why didn't you kill him with a spell from a safe distance?"

"Honor demanded that I kill him with a sword or my claws." He started coughing suddenly, hacking up large bloody clots. "Damn, this sucks. Get Molly's pokeball and run her through a healing cycle. I need to talk to her. While doing that, use some burn spray and heal yourself." A wan smile. "If it's just the same with you, I think I'll stay here for a little while."

A short time later Molly stood in front of him. Her eyes kept being drawn to the sheriff's remains. She'd flinch away from them to look at Shikarou, only to stare briefly at the hole in his chest before flinching away to go back to staring at the sheriff.

He sighed and carefully folded his arms to block her view of his wound. "Look at me." Molly locked her eyes on his face. "I am your Tamer now."

The Denmother nodded slowly and finally seemed to find her voice. "What is going to happen to me and my children? I can't travel much until they are older and I won't leave them."

"I know that, and I wouldn't try to separate you and them. I also have no intention of subjecting your children to the vagaries of the road. Actually, I need your help. This island belongs to me, and has a small population of pokegirls on it that are my responsibility. I want you to be my sheriff and work with my seneschal to protect my land and my people. When your daughters get old enough they can help if they want to and if you'll let them."

"Where are we?"

"South Uist. I'll take you to meet my seneschal in just a little bit, as soon as I've rested a little longer. I'll tame you this afternoon and bond you to me." He sighed. "Are you mad at me for the sheriff?"

She looked at him evenly for a moment, her ears flicking as she thought. "He wasn't much of a Tamer to me and definitely not a father to my children. I wasn't really all that attached to him while he was alive and right now I just feel empty about his death." She glanced at Circe. "Is he as corrupt as Godwin was?"

The Alaka-Wham frowned. "I don't believe Shikarou is corrupt in the same way that the sheriff was, but I'm not sure you won't discover that he has certain large holes in his moral fabric. He appears to be willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is his or to avenge an insult, even if it goes against local custom or law." She smiled slightly. "Fortunately, he seems to be hard to insult and I, as one of his pokegirls, rather like the fact that he is so protective."

"I suppose that could be considered a good thing." Molly turned back to Shikarou. "Am I joining your harem?"

"Not per se. My harem has both an active and inactive component and you'll be in the inactive part. As my sheriff, however, if anyone tries to capture you, I will pursue them to the ends of space and time to exact my vengeance."

Molly's ears canted. "I like the way that sounds. Where will we live?"

"There's only one house here right now, so for the time being you'll live there with Lynn and the others. I guess I'm going to have to take the time to research a spell that will make cottages." Shikarou gave her a thoughtful look. "Perhaps I can duplicate the existing one as a shortcut." He slowly levered himself to his feet and moved over to the sheriff's body. As he started to strip the weapons from it he looked back up at the Denmother. "I'm still traveling a great deal, so I won't be around as much as I should be if I were going to be a father to your daughters, so how about I become an uncle instead? When I get my brother Faelan here he can be an uncle too."

Molly stared incredulously at him for a moment. "You want to be involved in my daughter's lives?" She sounded shocked.

"Of course I do." He looked slightly embarrassed. "I like kids and I miss having some around." He frowned. "Um, this really doesn't have to be common knowledge for the time being."

"Why not?" Circe sounded amused.

"Tamers are supposed to hate children. It's part of the mystique. I suspect it's because most of them are children themselves, or at least barely adult." He shrugged as he started turning out the pockets of the corpse. "I enjoyed raising my children, and while I can't really be around enough to adopt Molly's, I'll cheerfully spoil them rotten and then give them back to her."

Molly's gaze was so intent it made Shikarou uncomfortable. "What?"

"You actually intend to have a hand in the upbringing of my children?" Her voice was disbelieving.

"As much as I can and continue my mission, I do." He frowned slightly. "Let me guess, your former Tamer didn't have anything to do with them?"

"He preferred to pretend that they didn't exist whenever possible. I was part of the 'job package' that came with being sheriff and since he had no other pokegirls he couldn't very well dispense with my services." A ghost of a smile. "I was the only authority he possessed. As far as my personal life, he didn't care as long as it didn't intrude on his."

"So he had no contact with your daughters." Shikarou sounded angry and his ears had swiveled flat. "I killed him too quickly." His tone lightened. "Well, dead is dead and done is done."

"By the bye, why don't you tell me a little about yourself and my new nieces?" Shikarou pulled out his wand and created a table and some chairs some distance from the body. "Tea, anyone?"

"If you would watch the recording most of your questions would be answered," Shikarou replied in a slightly frosty tone. "When you called and started interrogating me I didn't send Branwyn to get you so that you could continue the interrogation here."

Poppet glared. "You were involved, weren't you?"

"Watch the damned recording."

Over the last week, Shikarou had refurbished the ruins of the Lochboisdale Inn, its fifteen rooms ensuring that there was room for everyone. Molly had one of the larger rooms for her and her two cubs, while everyone had spread out in the others. Lynn had commandeered the largest for herself.

The camp had become home during their travels, so Shikarou and his harem were still staying there, although he was spending nights in the hotel for taming.

Branwyn and Lynn had been told the whole story of the incident with the sheriff of Lairg and sworn to secrecy. Both had plenty to say, but Shikarou was pleased that only Branwyn had yelled. Shikarou was still unsure whether Branwyn had been so upset because the sheriff had been killed or because she hadn't been there.

This morning Poppet had called to see if he knew anything about the sheriff's disappearance, since she knew he'd made a threat against the official. Rather than deal with this over the com, which could be intercepted, he'd elected to send Branwyn to fetch her to South Uist.

Poppet had been obviously spoiling for a fight when she arrived, so after getting some tea, Shikarou had sent everyone else out of his room and shut the door. She'd immediately started asking questions about what he knew.

Poppet eyed the pokedex with an expression that suggested she was concerned that it might bite her. She raised her eyes slowly to his. "Are Molly and the kids still alive?"

"Yes."

Poppet waited for him to elucidate, but when he remained silent she picked up the pokedex and activated it.

Shikarou had taken the time to place several sensor heads around the battlefield beforehand and so the recording was of unusually high quality.

Poppet watched the vid silently until he got shot. She blanched and stared at his chest. "Show me," she commanded.

Shikarou's eyes narrowed, but he opened his shirt without comment. Poppet peered at his unblemished chest before getting up and coming over to run her hand over the spot where the bullets had entered him. She started to say something and then stopped, settled down next to him, and backed up the vid to where he'd been injured before finishing the recording.

Afterwards she was silent for a long time, staring off into space. "You know, you never agreed with me when I told you that you shouldn't do this. I thought you did, but I was wrong."

"Are you upset with me?"

"I should be, but I really don't have a reason. You told me you were going to do this and you made it very clear to Dugal that you were going to kill him, and as soon as he picked up those pistols it became obvious that he was going to try to kill you." She turned to look at him. "That was very well done, Shikarou. Only the other members of the Godwin clan will be angry about what happened, and then only because he was family." A frown crossed her pretty face. "Why haven't you reported what happened?"

"I don't need the fact that I can survive a bullet through the heart to become common knowledge. Personally, I don't think it's anyone else's business but my own and those I chose to tell."

Poppet nodded. "I'm flattered that you think enough of me to tell me." She handed the pokedex back to him. "I'll let them know that he was killed in a legal pokegirl battle and if anyone wants to know more, they're out of luck. What did you do with Molly and her girls?"

Shikarou smiled. "Molly works for me now. I've made her the sheriff, but she pointed out that if she was going to be in charge of security for the whole island then she needed a different title, so she's now the captain of the Uist Island Guard. She and the girls live here in the inn."

"Are you going to let her have more children?"

Shikarou nodded. "I don't see why not. Her girls are ten and she's a pokewoman now, so we just need to find a good male to donate sperm."

"Aren't you going to breed her yourself?"

"Yes, but I won't let that happen until I finish my pokegirl journey and can be here more than I am right now." He smirked. "When that time comes, there will likely be an explosion of children around here."

There was a knock at the door. Shikarou glanced at Poppet, who shrugged. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Molly entered. "Sir, you wanted to know when it was eighteen hundred hours." She nodded to Poppet. "Poppet."

Poppet blinked. Molly was wearing a vest and shorts, both of a dark blue trimmed with red. Her belt held a holstered pistol. "Hello, Molly. Why are you wearing clothes?"

The Denmother frowned and pointed with her chin. "Him. He believes that Tamers who come here will accept my authority better if I'm wearing clothes and weapons." She shrugged. "He says that humans are conditioned to believe that animals go around without clothing and it will help to promote the idea that I'm a person too. I only have to wear them while on duty. Of course, since I'm the only member of the guard so far, I'm always on duty."

She grinned. "If you think this is bad, wait until you hear the other radical ideas he's got. This place is either going to be a wonderful haven or hell for visitors."

Shikarou coughed politely. "It could turn out to a haven for the law abiding and hell for troublemakers."

Poppet gave him a suspicious look. "What have you done?"

"I've read the law. I enforce the laws of the Blue League out here and act as judge and jury if necessary." A smile appeared. "All I've done is authorize the guard to use lethal force if there is trouble. Of course I've also instructed them to kill the Tamer, since the pokegirls will often settle down once he's dead."

"But pokegirls aren't supposed to kill humans," Poppet protested. "That is against the laws you are supposed to be upholding."

"Yes, but the police are allowed to use necessary force and I get to decide if a killing is justified or not." Shikarou shrugged. "I won't let her go around killing people just for the hell of it, but I won't take that option away from her either. If she kills someone there will be an investigation, but I trust Molly not to become too exuberant about killing."

"The Blue League isn't going to like this," Poppet warned.

"No, but they will accept it and since we're going to be warning visitors up front, word will get around. More than likely the only fatalities amongst humans will be from the various Teams deciding we are easy pickings." He smiled grimly. "I want them to get the message immediately and I've told Molly to be firm about delivering it."

Molly nodded. "I don't intend to use lethal force on Tamers who are just acting up, but if I just wound one then he or she should settle right down. Anyone wearing a Team uniform will receive lethal force if they step one foot out of line." She glanced at Shikarou. "I wanted to lock up any of them that appeared as soon as I knew about them, but Shikarou insisted that all I could do was run them for warrants. If they don't have any, then I can't arrest them as long as they behave. Once they start causing trouble, however, I'm going to shoot them dead." She bowed to Shikarou. "If you don't mind, sir, I need to get to work. Don't forget I need help as soon as you can find me some." Shikarou nodded as the Denmother turned and left.

Poppet touched Shikarou on the knee. "Just how large a community are you planning on having?"

"Well, Caomh Sith is going to have a pokecenter and a medical center for humans no matter what, and that will draw passersby. Eventually I may be starting a magic school as well, and if we are going to be having children there will be a regular school."

"For _pokegirls_? Shikarou, the normal humans won't stand for it."

"Then they can go elsewhere." He smiled without sympathy. "My place, my rules. I was appalled to find out that Molly is barely literate and her children not even that. Even Lynn is illiterate. That is going to change if I have to ram it down the throat of every person in the Blue League. Everyone living in my lands, if not feral, will be literate, no matter whether they are a pokegirl or not."

"Faelan, when you get this, I need you to contact me so we can arrange a meeting in Wick. I've established a home for us and I want to get you access to it." Shikarou sent the message and returned his attention to the ongoing battle.

Gwyneth was facing Branwyn this time. She had Ruiling and Kiyoko under her command while Branwyn was teamed with Circe and Yushiko. Things appeared to be going the way that previous battles had indicated. Gwyneth showed great promise, but couldn't compete with Branwyn's greater leadership skills although she was improving quickly.

Branwyn easily made maximum use of each pokegirl's skills and minimized her weaknesses while Gwyneth was still learning how to do this particular job. Circe was also quite good at it, only she hadn't had as much practical experience as the Unicorn. She never made the same mistake twice, however.

So it looked like Branwyn, Circe and Gwyneth would be his team leaders. Now he had to change the focus of the training to two pokegirl combat teams and work on making each pokegirl comfortable battling with their harem sisters by their side.

As he called a halt to the day's training, Shikarou decided that he was satisfied with his girls and made a mental note to let each of them know in private. Group rewards would wait until the team dynamics settled down just a bit more.

"You set a very nice table." Faelan settled back comfortably as Ruiling and Circe cleared away the remains of dinner. "How was battling at the Rum Island gym? I understand that Michelle and her husband, Paul, are a hard combination to beat."

They were camped outside of Wick. A heavy snowstorm had quashed any desire to eat outside, so dinner had been served in Shikarou's tent.

Shikarou shrugged. "I got my ass kicked in the first battle with Paul Langford and had to go back the next day and battle Michelle for the badge. It was still a narrow victory. Apparently dark type pokegirls can be just as tough as dark pokemon."

"When I returned the next day, Michelle actually apologized for the way Paul had acted. It turned out that he'd been defeated in several pokegirl battles in a row and decided to make sure he won the next one, which just happened to be me."

"It was a three on three battle and when he opened, I knew I was in trouble just as soon as I discovered that all three of his pokegirls were above level seventy."

Shikarou's ears flicked irritably. Svetlana listened quietly, trying hard not to be noticed. "We were slaughtered. So, after running over to the pokegirl center, we spent the day discussing what happened and what we might be able to do to deal with it next time. I finally decided to give it another try and if that didn't work out then I'd just cut my losses and move on to Glasgow."

"The next day, apparently, Michelle had been waiting for me, hoping that I'd try again. She explained what happened and offered to battle me herself as an apology. I accepted and we battled. It was still close, but Branwyn, Kiyoko and Yushiko finally squeaked out a win for us."

"Later that day I was doing some shopping when I ran into Paul again. He also apologized for taking his bad mood out on me and we parted on good terms."

Shikarou poured himself some coffee. Faelan preferred it and as he was Shikarou's guest… "I wanted to show you where our base is going to be and our new island. At least it's new to us. I want you to drop by on a regular basis and help to tame the pokegirls living there."

Faelan grabbed a muffin. "No problem. It'll be nice having someplace semi permanent to call home. How many pokegirls are we talking about?"

"Not that many. Later we'll have to see about getting more males to live there, or have them ourselves."

"Whoa, let's not start talking about my having children yet." Faelan glanced at Svetlana, who gave him a smug smile. He didn't look reassured. "Especially not around her. She's not too far from being a pokewoman and is starting to get a little broody."

The Megami-sama's smile grew. "That's right. We've been on the road for over a decade and you made me a promise. And now that we know your brother can make you fertile again, I want your children."

Faelan's eyes showed a lot of white. "We'll talk about this later, all right?"

"Ok." Faelan relaxed. Shikarou, however, was amused. He recognized Svetlana's tone from his marriage. All there was to talk about, he suspected, was how soon and how many.

Svetlana gave Shikarou a look that said that they were going to have a talk in the near future as well. Outwardly he gave her a bland look in return, but mentally he laughed.

"Whatever. Still, as the number of pokegirls grows, we're going to need to find more males to live there, or else we are going to have to settle there permanently." Shikarou shook his head. "How's the pirate hunt going?"

"Several partially eaten people later, I've made little progress, but I suspect that some of the local administration is in on the whole thing." Faelan shrugged. "I'm hopeful though. Eventually the bad guys will make a mistake and I'll be waiting."

"Just be careful. Svetlana wants your kids, not mine."

"Ixnay on the alktay boutay idskay." Faelan had that worried look back.

Svetlana shook her head. "I understand pig-Latin."

So Faelan tried Gaelic. Please just drop the whole having children discussion. I really don't have the time to deal with this right now.

Branwyn settled against Shikarou. _Does he know that Svetlana speaks Gaelic?_

Shikarou glanced at her. _Apparently not._ Aloud he replied, "As you wish. In the morning I'll take you to South Uist so Svetlana can take you there from now on. It's going to be a very nice place."

Faelan levered himself to his feet and offered his hand to his Megami-sama. "Sounds good. You really need to get some chairs. I'll see you in the morning."

Svetlana stared at Branwyn before following her Tamer out.

"Svetlana asked me to let you know that she wants to talk to you about Faelan."

"Um. I'm not going to get involved until they have their fight about kids and I'm certainly not going to turn his fertility back on without his knowledge."

He watched quietly as Ruiling changed the coffee out for tea and sat down with them. "What are we going to do next?"

Branwyn got herself some tea. "After showing Faelan the island, the plan is to move on to Glasgow for our third badge. Once we have the third badge, I think we're going to visit gyms in Ireland for a while."

"Marsha!" Shikarou was knocked sprawling as Kiyoko charged past him and across the busy Glasgow street. Branwyn watched the Dark Kitsune as she absently offered her Tamer a hand up.

As he brushed off his clothing, he could see Kiyoko in a frantic hug with a human woman as a Tigress looked on with a puzzled expression. Focusing his ears he heard them crying together and the name Pamela being spoken. "Shit."

"Are you all right?" Branwyn looked him over quickly. "You don't look injured."

"I'm not; I just heard something that could very well bode ill for us." He nodded in the direction of his errant pokegirl. "That woman just called Kiyoko Pamela and she called the human Marsha."

"Is that significant?"

"Marsha McAllister was the Tamer who turned the Nogitsune Pamela into a Dark Kitsune that I later named Kiyoko. Does that sound significant to you?" Shikarou asked sourly.

Branwyn stared at him and then looked across the street. "Kiyoko said her Tamer had been killed by the idiot that you got her from."

"I know. Apparently she was wrong." He frowned. "What I don't understand is that they were delta bonded. The literature says that they had to be and yet Kiyoko didn't know she was still alive." Shikarou grabbed Branwyn's hand. "Let's go find out if I'm going to be accused of receiving stolen goods or something like that."

Marsha's eyes were unfriendly as she watched them cross the street from over Kiyoko's shoulder. "You aren't the one who stole Pamela from me," she said almost accusingly.

"If I were, I'd have made sure you were dead the first time." Shikarou's ears went flat and then came slowly back up. "You can check that attitude or we'll just be on our way."

Kiyoko wriggled free of Marsha's grip and turned to face Shikarou. "Shikarou, this is Marsha, my mistress, the one who helped me to evolve from a Nogitsune. If I'd known she was alive, I would have never stopped looking for her."

Shikarou smiled slightly and softened his tone. "That I believe, however, I didn't steal you and I'm not going to put up with her being pissed at me for something I didn't do. That particular idiot is fertilizer and I'm not going to accept any grief that belongs to him."

Marsha's eyes widened. "I've got a million credits you can have for Pamela." She gestured at the Tigress. "You can have Tasha as well."

The Tigress paled with shock. "Mistress!"

Shikarou shook his head. "Kiyoko, do you want to go with this woman?" He didn't quite make the noun sound like an insult, but he came close.

The Dark Kitsune ducked her head. "I do."

"I see. Tasha, you don't know me, but I would be willing to make room for you in my harem, if you were interested."

The Tigress shook her head. "I'd prefer to stay with Marsha, if she wants me."

Shikarou sighed and pulled out his pokedex. "Very well. Marsha, we'll need to take care of the money transfer and I'll need Kiyoko's backpack."

Once everything had been taken care of, Shikarou bowed to Kiyoko. "I wish you well." He turned and headed up the street and around the corner, followed by Branwyn.

She caught his arm and pulled him to a halt. "Are you all right?"

Shikarou punched the wall and cracks appeared in the stone, radiating away from his fist. "I'm a little unhappy right now," he admitted in a low voice as he turned to his Unicorn. "Do you think it shows?"

Branwyn glanced at the wall. "I think we need to go somewhere else before the police show up." She guided him through an alley to another street. "Let me see your hand." She looked it over carefully. "It looks fine. Should I ask what that was about?"

"Granted, I probably didn't have Kiyoko anywhere as long as Marsha did, but I still don't understand her actions." He shook his head sadly. "I took good care of her."

"She loves Marsha and not you?"

"I understand that." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Whatever the reason, it's done. Next, I suspect we should to go to the pokegirl center. I'm suddenly a pokegirl short and now I need to get Lorelei out of storage." Shikarou looked thoughtful for a second. "This changes my plans for today. After retrieving Lorelei we'll return to the outskirts of town and train for a couple of days before attempting a gym battle."

Branwyn frowned. "We also need to replenish our supplies of potions. We're down to nothing but the standard potions." She glanced at his expression and nodded. "We'll take care of that later."

The next morning, Shikarou carefully untangled himself and slid out of bed, being careful not to wake Gwyneth as he did so. He watched her for a moment. She made a pretty picture, her long mahogany hair strewn across the bed in a huge tangle. He chuckled very quietly. "I do good work."

As he dressed, he reflected on the night. While meditating, he'd keep imagining that he heard a voice calling out to him. No, two voices. One wanted him to come into Glasgow while the other was beseeching him for some kind of gift. The second voice he'd been hearing for the last couple of days, but the first one was new.

Shrugging into his shirt, he dismissed them as idle fancy and left his room to head outside. He stopped, however, once he reached the living area. Branwyn, Circe, Lorelei and Yushiko were seated around the table, drinking tea and quietly talking.

His alpha looked up at him and frowned. "Were you dreaming about the voice too?"

Shikarou froze for an instant and looked around the table. He could see their worried expressions clearly, now that he thought to look. As he settled down, something clicked in his mind.

Circe nodded. "I think you are right. Branwyn and I are delta bonded to you and Lorelei and Yushiko have both been touched by your magic in a profound way. This may be coming from you."

He gave her a slightly sour look. "Can't I say something before you answer it?"

"That's a waste of time and I got the distinct impression that time was of the essence," snapped Branwyn.

Yushiko nodded. "Someone needs rescued and they are in Glasgow."

Lorelei frowned and her ears twitched. "No, they aren't, but we need to go into Glasgow to find them," she said slowly.

As the words left her mouth, Shikarou realized that she was right. Circe nodded. "She's right." The Alaka-Wham turned to Shikarou. "This has to be magic. I can't sense anything thought related that has anything to do with this and your tent is shielded against psychic intrusion."

Shikarou snorted. "It's also supposed to be shielded against magic as well. Be that as it may, I'll concern myself about the shielding later. Right now we need to investigate this, but we'll proceed carefully. It may be some kind of trap."

He pulled out his wand and created breakfast. "All right, while time is of the essence, I don't feel we are running out of it too quickly, so we'll do this right. Yushiko, wake up Ruiling and Gwyneth. Group baths, ladies, and hurry it up. We strike camp in an hour. Kiyoko, …" He stopped and hesitated for a second. His mouth firmed. "Get to it." They scattered, leaving Shikarou with his thoughts.

An hour later Shikarou dismissed the tent and pulled two pokeballs from his belt. "Ruiling, Gwyneth, return."

"Now wait just a min-," Ruiling began before she dissolved.

Branwyn chuckled. "Firm, I like that. What about the rest of us?"

"You four felt it too, and I may need your help. Dawn will be in ten minutes, so let's try to get this done before the streets get too crowded and Tamers are out there to challenge for all my rare pokegirls." A tiny smile. "I intend to ignore them, but I don't want whole herds of irritated Tamers following us around if we can avoid the whole issue."

Circe smirked. "Fat chance of that. A good Tamer will sense so many rare pokegirls wandering by." The smirk became a grin. "Fortunately for you most Tamers are merely mediocre."

Shikarou made a shooing motion. "Go." They went.

The streets were still fairly quiet, with only a scattering of people on various errands, so they made good time. Shikarou followed the feeling unhesitatingly, moving quickly. He kept increasing his pace unconsciously, and Branwyn had to call him back more than once.

Suddenly he stopped and slowly looked around as a wave of energy swept over him. "Someone is using a searching spell."

"What for?"

"I'm not sure, but I think someone is trying to track whatever is calling us. We need to move faster." They sped up.

The feeling drew them to a small park near the Clyde River. A recently refurbished sign proclaimed it the Glasgow Green. A few people were wandering around in the slowly brightening dawn and an OfficerJenny was sitting on a bench, eating a snack.

Shikarou walked slowly into the park, casting about as his pokegirls spread out around him. Finally he stopped. "It's here." He paused and cocked his head. "No, it's under here." A quick glance around showed no one paying any attention to them. He dropped his pack and pulled out a collapsible shovel.

He carefully cut a square in the pristine grass of the lawn and removed it before digging in earnest. A couple of minutes later there was a dull metallic thunk as he hit a small metal case. Shikarou tried a scrying spell before touching the box; his spell was unable to penetrate the casing.

Suddenly a shrill cry cut through the air. "STOP THIEF!"

Shikarou jerked upright and spun around as out of the corner of his eyes he saw the OfficerJenny jump to her feet, her snack scattering. A blonde man was pointing at him. Once again he yelled. "THIEF! STOP HIM!" The Jenny sprinted in his direction.

Branwyn exchanged a bewildered look with Lorelei as the pokegirls moved to stand with their Tamer. There was a steely hiss as Yushiko drew her sword and went into a high guard position.

Shikarou glanced at her. "Put that away," he ordered in a low voice as the Jenny screeched to a halt.

Yushiko complied while continuing to keep a wary eye on the police pokegirl.

Shikarou glanced briefly at the Jenny's chest, but she wore no nametag on her uniform. "I am Shikarou, a Tamer. Can I help you, officer?"

"Why is that man calling you a thief?" She sounded grumpy. The man in question was quickly making his way over towards them.

Shikarou took a good look at the interloper. He was of early middle age and was wearing nice slacks and a button down shirt with a short cape and loafers. All of his clothing was the same color of dark green. "Officer, I have no idea who he is or what he may want with me."

The man came to a halt and glared at Shikarou. "You have my box, sir." He turned to the OfficerJenny. "If he'll just return my possession, I won't press charges."

Circe smiled softly. "You lie. That box was buried under undisturbed soil and grass. There is no way it could be yours."

The man sneered. "That just goes to show just how little you psychics know." He drew himself up proudly. "I am a mage and I put it there magically. _I_ didn't have to disturb the ground."

Branwyn snickered quietly. Shikarou frowned as he quickly muttered a simple spell. "I suppose that could be possible, officer. He does radiate some kind of magical aura." The man blinked in surprise. "However, as far as the box goes, there is an easy way to tell if it's his. The interior is lined with something that blocks magical scrying, so just have him describe to you what is in there."

The man shot Shikarou an angry look. "Stay out of business that doesn't concern you, pokefreak."

The OfficerJenny's eyes narrowed. "Who are you and why don't you tell me what is in this box?" She reached down and went to pick it up.

"NO!" the man screamed and threw himself backwards as there was a flash of yellow light which expanded to cover the immediate area and then contracted, taking everyone and everything with it.

Shikarou felt like he was being crushed and struggled to free himself. Parts of his lower body felt like they were being compressed while his chest and arms felt like they were being pulled apart. Slowly the feeling passed, except for a sharp pain in his right leg. A quick check indicated that the ankle and foot had been crushed, but were already starting to heal.

He took in his surroundings. Shikarou was standing in a completely dark area, gasping slightly as he sucked in the cold, thin, dry air. He realized that while he could feel his good foot on the floor, it felt like he was falling. He recognized the feeling.

"Light." A glowing ball of light appeared and began to increase in luminosity, drifting in a slow orbit around him. Shikarou looked around. Eyes gleamed in the growing light as his pokegirls looked back at him.

Branwyn groaned and retched. "Where are we?" she choked out. Shikarou pulled his wand and touched her with it, casting an anti-nausea spell on her.

"We're in an area of low gravity, perhaps in space somewhere." He frowned. "Why do I smell blood?"

Lorelei gasped and pointed. "The OfficerJenny is hurt!"

Shikarou shifted the light and kneeled next to the police pokegirl, feeling wetness soak through his pants instantly. Hurt didn't begin to describe what had happened to her. He'd felt the field contract unevenly, and apparently the effects had been stronger the closer to the box one happened to be. The OfficerJenny's right arm was crushed like paper and her abdomen, lower torso and legs looked like they had been run through a wringer. Blood spread in a huge pool around her. Mercifully, she was unconscious.

He gave the Jenny a professional once-over and sat up. "She's going to die."

Lorelei touched his shoulder. "You can save her."

He looked at the dying pokegirl as he spoke to his Sphinx. "You don't know what you are asking. She could be bound to me forever."

The Sphinx touched one of his ears, making him look up at her. "I know exactly what I'm asking, remember? Speaking as someone who's also yours until she dies, it hasn't been too terrible so far."

"Is it fair to do that to her?"

Yushiko shook her head, her hair flying wildly in the low gravity. "Is it fair to let her die?"

Shikarou looked at Branwyn, who shrugged. "Do it. If you let her die, I'm not sure how you'll deal with it."

He sighed and pulled off his shirt. "Here." He tossed it behind himself and moved up the Jenny's body, growling through gritted teeth as the bones in his ankle ground together.

He sank his fangs into his wrists and summoned his power as the blood ran up his arms and pooled in his cupped palms. Every time before the power had been a warmth that filled him and ran out with his blood.

This time was different. The power burst through him in a wave of cold that pulled the heat from his body. It surged out his wounds and filled the blood with a brilliant blue fire that filled the room with dancing light.

"Uh oh," muttered Branwyn, "It wasn't like this before."

Shikarou tried desperately to stop the magic, but to no avail as the blood poured into the mouth of the dying Jenny. She began to glow a bright blue which quickly became blinding.

The glow took almost a full minute to die away, revealing an unmarked OfficerJenny. She stretched and looked around before trying to climb to her feet. Instead, she went bouncing around the room in the low gravity before Circe grabbed her with telekinesis and anchored her with everyone else.

She looked at Shikarou and her eyes filled with joy as she came to attention and saluted crisply. "Chief."

Shikarou gave Branwyn a glare. "See what could happen."

Branwyn shrugged and then did a double take. "What happened to your eyes?"

"What do you mean?" He glanced around for a reflective surface, but everything around them was covered in a thin layer of grime. "What is wrong with my eyes?"

Circe leaned over and peered into them. "They are blue. Sapphire blue and not brown anymore." She looked at the Jenny. "So are hers."

Shikarou sighed as he took his shirt back from Lorelei, who was busy trying to look into his eyes. "Wonderful, the magic did something to me as well."

The Jenny was watching his chest. "When are you going to tame me, chief?"

He hurriedly put the shirt on. "When we get out of here there will be time for that. Do you have a name?"

"My name is Alice, chief."

"That's a nice name." Alice beamed. "I'm Shikarou. Circe, what can you detect?"

"Nothing. Other than ours, I sense no thoughts at all as far as I can reach."

"That doesn't sound good." Branwyn shook herself. "Well, do you still feel that pull, Shikarou?"

When he thought about it, Shikarou realized that the feeling was stronger than ever. "Yes, this is where we are supposed to be." He turned slowly, orienting. "We go this way." He tried to jump, but was held back by Circe. "Stop that." She let him go and he took a long gliding step to the other side of the room. "That's how it's supposed to be done in low gravity, ladies. Five minutes to practice."

Five minutes and several bruises later, Shikarou gave up. "I see we need longer than we are likely to have. Circe, keep everyone on the ground. Let's go, ladies."

They proceeded down a passage for a minute or so and then Shikarou waved everyone to a halt and did a quick headcount. He frowned. "Wait a moment," he called as he backtracked. Branwyn looked at Circe, who shrugged her puzzlement.

They heard his voice. "You are one of my ladies now, Alice. Get moving."

The OfficerJenny's voice was heavy with relief. "Yessir." She came bounding up the passageway, ricocheting off the walls as she tried to hurry. Shikarou followed closely behind.

Branwyn had the grace to look embarrassed. "I forgot she just joined the harem."

"Just remember it from now on." Shikarou kept his voice low. "I wonder if they prized initiative in the Glasgow police force. She was just standing there with this lost look when I came back."

"She's had a nasty shock; I doubt she's usually this indecisive."

Shikarou followed his instincts, which led them down passageways and up stairs. There appeared to be no power, but the air was still breathable, if very, very dry. The cold seemed to seep into their bones, and only the fact that everyone had heavy clothing for the Scottish winter made it bearable. During their first break, Shikarou dug out his cloak and some pants for Alice, who was starting to shiver.

Even so, periodically Shikarou had to cast warming spells on everyone. Soon he was forced to teach the spell to Circe and Branwyn.

After a couple of hours, Branwyn motioned for another break. "How big is this place?"

Shikarou shrugged. "If I'm right about where we are, then this place could be tremendous."

"Where is that?"

Shikarou pulled his knife from his belt and held it out. "Watch." He dropped it. It seemed to curve in the air as it slowly fell. "I felt the rotation earlier, and this confirms that the rotational speed is moderate. It's likely that we are on a space station or base of some kind. If you'll notice the walls, they are shiny and multicolored in the light. That can happen with a fusion bore. It'll glaze the walls for centimeters deep as it digs. I've seen it on a couple of ancient asteroid bases that I trained on while I was in the militia. Everything seems to point to something like that."

"If this is an asteroid, then it could be hundreds of cubic kilometers in volume and we have no way of knowing how big this complex is."

Branwyn frowned. "But asteroids don't have gravity."

"Actually they do, but it's negligible. In any case, if this is rotating like I suspect, then our feet are actually pointed towards the outside of the asteroid. We keep going up, which is towards the center. The gravity will be much less there, as the centripetal force drops."

"What are we going to do there?"

"Find out what is calling us. Hopefully it will know how to get us back to Glasgow, although I'll settle for Earth." He looked around. "I think that's enough of a break. Branwyn, move everyone out."

Another half hour passed and finally they stopped in front of a sealed metal door. It slid shut on a track and there was only a button next to it. Shikarou eyed it briefly. "We need to go through here. Circe, can you open it?"

"Let's find out." The Alaka-Wham floated to the middle of the passage. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as her antennae twitched. Silence passed for a moment and then there was a sharp crack as metal snapped inside the wall and the door slammed open with a tremendous bang. People covered their ears as the echoes trailed off in the distance and dust shivered from the ceiling to begin the long slow journey to the floor.

Shikarou waited motionless as the sounds died away and the silence returned, somehow more profound than before. He carefully listened as he moved into the open doorway. Light revealed a small room. The wall nearest the door had four buttons on it and a small hatch was set in the ceiling.

"I think it's a lift." Branwyn peered in behind him. "The lights are out here, so what do we do next?"

Shikarou indicated the hatch. "We go up, but first," he shed his pack, "everyone gets cycled through the PPHU, and that includes Alice." He pulled some jerky out of his backpack along with the PPHU and battery. "Yushiko, stand by to charge up the battery before you get cycled through."

"Hai." Yushiko looked at Lorelei. "Boost me up." She grinned. "We can't let Shikarou have all of the fun." The Sphinx returned the grin and hoisted Yushiko up to pop the hatch open and then lifted her through.

"How does it look?" Lorelei asked Yushiko's legs.

"Dark. Set me down, please." Her smile reappeared. "Now I know. We let him lead because he's got the light."

Branwyn frowned. "Circe and I can create light too." Her eyes narrowed. "We are his pokegirls. We're supposed to be taking the chances."

Shikarou glanced over. "No, we're a team. Right now I'm leading because I'm feeling this draw the strongest. Trust me; covering my fragile ass is just as important. Actually, I think it's slightly more important than what I'm doing." A shrug. "After all, it is my ass we're talking about."

Yushiko smiled softly. "And a nice ass it is." She flushed suddenly and turned away.

Shikarou leaned over and offered her a piece of jerky. "Thank you," he replied simply. Yushiko smiled back hesitantly as she took it.

Ten minutes later every pokegirl had been cycled through the PPHU and Ruiling and Gwyneth had been released from their pokeballs and briefed on the situation before being returned to storage as a ready reserve.

Shikarou hopped through the hatch to stand on the top of the lift. The light from his spell was swallowed up in the distance. "Everyone look away, I'm going to cast my flare spell and record the view with my pokedex."

There was a brilliant glare through the hatch as the pokegirls carefully looked away. It quickly died as Shikarou hopped back down into the lift's compartment and reviewed the recording as everyone else gathered around.

"It looks like the lift shaft only goes for half a kilometer." He sighed. "Flying in low gravity can be tricky until you get a used to it and I want to keep Ruiling under wraps just in case someone heard that door open. On the other hand, climbing it would suck."

"I can lift all of us up there at the same time." Circe smiled confidently. "I just got all of my power back and there shouldn't be any problems."

"Very well. Once we reach the top we may have to find a place to anchor while you open the door up there."

Circe nodded. "If the door up there is identical to the one down here, I can do both and still have plenty of power remaining."

"Be that as it may, as soon as we get to another quiet spot you get another cycle. I want everyone at full power as much as possible."

"That will leave only two charges in the battery," Branwyn pointed out.

"I'll use my lightning spell to power the converter once Circe is out and recharge the battery to full strength. Magic levels here are fairly high and I'll get the expenditure back in short order." He stirruped his hands and stood under the hatch. "Ladies first."

Alice was first in line. "My close combat skills are second to none, so I should go first."

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn before nodding, approval in his voice. "Then up you go." Yushiko looked at Shikarou with a smile and shook her head at the idea that an OfficerJenny could be better at combat than an Armsmistress.

_You know she has no real place in our combat harem._ Branwyn commented over the link.

_Yes, but once we get back Alice will do well working with Molly in the Guard._

Branwyn blinked and nodded silently as she lifted a hoof into his hands.

As they floated up the lift shaft, Yushiko chuckled. "I think this is the easiest part of our journey so far. How about Circe carries us all the rest of the way too?" Laughter filled the air.

Opening the lift door at the top was anticlimactic; it had mechanical stops that Yushiko hammered with a camp axe from her pack to unlock. Lorelei shifted to her battle form and the two of them easily forced the door open as Circe levitated the entire group.

There was less apparent gravity, but the difference wasn't enough to be more than noticed as the group followed Shikarou down another passage.

He led them to another door, next to which was a large metal sphere about two meters in diameter.

Shikarou froze for an instant. "Well, well."

"What is it?" Circe looked around him. "And why do you feel mildly worried?"

"There is a theory where I come from that people who write about fantastic things have a mild touch of interdimensional precognitive ability and are actually seeing the things that they write about. We often use the information gleaned from vids and books as a travelogue as some of our greatest explorers travel the multiverse." He continued to watch the sphere. "That looks like a type of combat robot that I've seen in a vid from one of the other Earths that my people have visited." Shikarou frowned. "Drone? No, droid. That's it, a destroyer droid."

"Is it dangerous?"

"From what I've seen, it can be very dangerous, however it's onboard AI isn't subtle. If it was operational would have already opened fire on us." He frowned. "Even if nonfunctional, it could fetch a pretty credit if we sold it to the Blue League. It has two sets of dual mounted energy weapons and a shield generator that could be useful in fighting feral pokegirls."

Shikarou sighed. "Then again, we are talking about a government. Eventually the plans, if this thing could be reverse engineered, would end up in the wrong hands or the government would use them on someone like us." He shrugged. "In any case, it won't fit in my pocket."

Alice frowned. "Sir, there's a light coming from the panel next to the door. We haven't seen any lights elsewhere."

Shikarou dimmed his spell. A button on the panel glowed dimly. "Damn, you're right. Good catch." Alice beamed happily. "The reason we're here is in there. Now we need to find out if we can get in."

Branwyn cocked her head thoughtfully. "Should we start by trying the lit button?"

Shikarou whipped around to stare at her. "You know, the obvious just might work. Of course it may also cause the entire base to self destruct or do something else unsavory." He shrugged. "However, let's give it a try." He looked around briefly to see if anyone wanted to protest, but everyone was silent. Nervous, but silent.

Circe frowned. "How about we push that button from a distance using telekinesis? It might be safer that way."

"Sounds good to me." Shikarou glanced around. "Let us move to closest curve of the corridor and you can give it a try."

After a couple of minutes, they were ready. The door slid silently open at Circe's touch. Shikarou waited a couple of minutes to make sure that nothing else was going to happen and slowly broke cover in case the destroyer droid had been activated. Nothing.

The room beyond the hatch was some kind of control system. There was one door on the other side of the room. It had no handle and was flush with the wall. Next to it was a control panel. The rest of the room was taken up by electronic equipment and a single blank computer screen.

Panels in the ceiling flickered and died as they entered the room. Everyone jumped as a bank of emergency lights tried to come on and exploded with a bang and a slight smell of smoke and ozone.

Shikarou started his examination at the control panel. "This is some kind of cryogenic suspension chamber, according to these controls. There's an emergency release here that might still work." He started to reach for it and stopped. "Clear the room."

Branwyn started to object, but he cut her off before she could speak. "I'm arguably the one most likely to live long enough for you to get medical aid to me, correct?"

She gave a jerky nod, a sulky look on her face. "Then I get to do this." He sighed. "I'm not really happy about it either, but Circe can't see the panel from the doorway and I'm the only one with even the beginnings of a clue about when to evac." A grin flashed across his face. "Don't block the doorway, because as soon as I activate this control, I'm going to be joining you just as quickly as I can run."

Branwyn was glaring at him as the others filed out of the room. Suddenly she broke into a smile. "I'm staying." Shikarou started to object, but she was ready for him. "You'll activate the panel and then I'll teleport us into the hallway."

Shikarou frowned briefly and then nodded. "Very well, we'll do a countdown and then I'll activate the panel just as you teleport."

"You're not going to argue with me?"

"No, Branwyn, I'm not. This maximizes our chances of surviving and I'm all for that."

Shikarou took up station in front of the panel as Branwyn wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm going to count three, two, one and then on zero I'm going to activate the control." Her arms tightened around him. "Here we go. Three. Two. One. NOW!" He pressed the activation button and was suddenly standing in the hallway, outside the direct line of sight into the room.

There was a loud BANG and a cloud of gas sprayed into the hallway hard enough to send Yushiko spinning away from the doorway. Circe forced her against the wall with her telekinesis.

The gas was very cold and for an instant Shikarou's twee alarmed on low oxygen levels, but they came right back up as the cloud dissipated. He glanced over his shoulder. "You can let me go now."

Branwyn smiled. "Can I? What if I don't want to?" She released him slowly.

Shikarou cautiously peered into the doorway. The door to the cryogenic chamber had come off and smashed into the computer display, where it had apparently lodged.

A body was slowly swirling in the center of the room. As he looked on, it slowed and turned in midair to face him. She was a vulpine animorph. Her body and tail was covered with dark blue fur and her head was framed by a shock of curly blue hair. Her bright red eyes gleamed at him in the semi-dark. He noted absently that she looked like she'd be about his height when standing.

"I am glad that you have heeded my call. I am in need of your help." She floated slowly to the ground. "I am so tired." Her ears flicked and her muzzle wrinkled. "What year is it?"

Shikarou moved out of the way so his pokegirls could file into the room. Branwyn smiled cautiously. "What year do you last remember?"

"I was placed into cryogenic stasis on June 9 in 2001." She frowned. "May I have some water, please?"

Shikarou unclipped his canteen and handed it to her. She smiled tiredly and drank. "Thank you."

Branwyn frowned. "We use a different calendar now, but in the old Gregorian calendar it would be December 12, 2300 AD. We call it December 12, 298 AS or After Sukebe. I'm Branwyn. What is your name?"

"I do not yet have a name." She drank more water. "I am hopeful that Shikarou will take me into his harem and give me one. Did Sukebe win or was he defeated?"

Branwyn started to ask something but was interrupted by her Circe. "How did you know his name?"

"I know all of your names, Circe. The only one I did not foresee coming here was Alice, yet I still know a little about her. You see, I called you here to rescue me and also to start Shikarou's quest."

"You called me here?" Shikarou sounded incredulous. "I find that hard to believe."

He checked his twee_. I do not know what kind of pokegirl she is, I am getting conflicting information. Try the pokedex itself; I'm still learning how to discriminate as finely as it does. You might also consider getting at least one dedicated AI for some of this stuff. I can do it, but I am only one entity._

"That is beginning to sound like a very good idea." He pointed the pokedex at the newcomer. "G-Spliced, the mad scientist's experiment pokegirl. G-Spliced is the combination of two or more pokegirl types to make a new one. Warning: G-Spliced are often mentally and physically unstable."

The G-Spliced smiled slightly. "That is an interesting device you have. It is correct, I am the first of my kind and do not have a true type name yet."

"The first of your kind?" Yushiko looked curious. "There are no others?"

"Not yet. If I was successful, Sukebe would have harvested my eggs and used parthenogenesis to create more like me."

Circe frowned. "Successful, you said. What was your role supposed to be?"

"Sukebe realized last year, I mean in 2000, that pokegirls commanded by a Tamer usually defeated pokegirls that weren't, so he started experimenting with training human males to be Tamers for his forces. I was supposed to be a bodyguard and advisor to one of the ones he'd selected to be a commanding general. I was placed in stasis until he finished his training, at which time I would be bonded to him."

"I see." Circe nodded. "You said you called us here, so I must ask how and why?"

"Part of my genetic makeup is from the Esper line of pokegirl and I have used Lure to summon Shikarou here from his home on Tirsul. There is a threat to the stability of the world and he is needed to fight it." The G-Spliced smiled at Shikarou. "How else do you think you could go through an untuned portal and still find the one world you wanted to visit?" She said this so matter of factly that it took a minute to sink in.

Shikarou's ears slowly flattened against his skull. "You brought me here to fulfill some stupid quest?" A growl underscored his words. "And what makes you think I have the slightest bit of interest in ever involving myself in that sort of rampant stupidity once again?"

She regarded him calmly. "I did not take your feelings into consideration, I merely responded to the fact that you are needed here."

Branwyn frowned. "There is some celestial pokegirl in that mix somewhere, isn't there?"

"Yes."

"Shikarou, you have been happier here than you have been since before your wife was murdered. Possibly since before you married her and settled down. You do not regret coming here. Is this place," she gestured at the pokegirls in the room, "are these, your women, not worth protecting? Should this event come to pass, most of them will die before their time and their children will never know freedom."

Shikarou folded his arms across his chest and hissed in a low voice, "What is the nature of this terrible threat?"

"I am not entirely sure. I only know that it is building as we speak and that you are one of the best qualified to protect us from it." She sighed. "While in cryogenic sleep, I became aware of the coming threat. How, I don't really understand. I only know that I did. I was able, for brief times, to rouse myself enough to search for someone or something that could stop the coming dark times and I found you. Fortunately I was able reach out across spacetime enough to touch you and convince you to come here."

"I know that you will need all of your strength to defeat this threat. I know that you will need me as well as a book that resides on this station." She gave him a slightly sad look. "I also know you will have to make the sacrifice and embrace your true nature without reservation in order to succeed."

"Then we are doomed." Shikarou's voice was flat.

"No, we are not. Your capacity for love will force you to use your full gifts, but you must master that part of you before it becomes necessary to use it and I have faith that you will do so."

"Pythia."

The G-Spliced frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your name will be Pythia, after the priestess who worked as the Oracle at Delphi. She also presumed that she spoke the future." Shikarou forced his ears back up. "I'm stuck here," he glanced at Branwyn," and I have to agree that this place hasn't turned out to be too bad, but I don't like being manipulated." He reached out and took his alpha's hand. She gave his a quick squeeze in reply.

Pythia nodded. "I won't apologize for what I did, but from this point on I will try to guide you when I can instead of manipulating you." She smiled. "I realize that some would say that those two terms are different ways of saying the same thing, but I mean it."

"So you said that there was a book that Shikarou would need?" Yushiko nodded once at the G-Spliced. "So where is it and how do we get it?"

"And how do we get back to Earth?" asked Circe. "Unless the threat is on this station, we can't very well fight it here."

Pythia handed the thermos back to Shikarou. "It's not far from here and we should be able to retrieve it in very short order. As for the return to Earth, I can take us there, once I am bonded to Shikarou." She cocked her head. "I will be able to take us to Glasgow, where the portal controller was buried." A ghost of a smile flickered across her muzzle and vanished as her ears canted sideways. "I could also take us to the places that I have been to in the past, but my mental maps are three hundred years out of date and there is no telling what might have happened in the meantime."

"When you put it that way," Circe commented, "Glasgow will be fine."

Alice frowned and motioned to get Shikarou's attention. "What about the man who called you a thief? If he's made a report to the police, there could be surveillance waiting for a possible return."

Pythia shook her head. "I know nothing about that, but if the man knew about the controller, then he might be involved with the threat. They would want to get the grimoire for the powers that it contains and may have been able to locate it through divinatory magic." She focused on Shikarou. "That is one of the reasons that you are needed. This threat is magical in nature and only a mage will be able to understand how to defeat it."

"So what about the wizards at Vale? Wouldn't they be able to do an even better job, since they are born here?"

Pythia frowned. "There are wizards here? I was not aware of that. Nonetheless, you have been chosen. Perhaps they can help you."

Lorelei barked a sudden laugh. "There goes your reputation for infallibility."

"I never made such a claim," came the prim response. "I was designed to advise and protect a general, not to be a prophet."

Branwyn smiled and leaned over Shikarou. "You have got to breed her, and quickly."

He blinked. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I can think of a handful of people who just absolutely _deserve_ to have a pokegirl like her."

Shikarou smothered a laugh. "All right, ladies, let's get this book and get back to Glasgow."

Yushiko nodded. "Yes, please. I would like to be warm again."

Pythia smiled. "That sounds wonderful. In the meantime would someone please fill me in on the events of the last three hundred years?"

Branwyn took a deep breath. "Well, after the Bloody Plague hit…"

The dimensional portal closed behind Shikarou and Pythia as he released Branwyn, Circe, Yushiko and Alice. It was night, and the air steamed with their combined breaths.

Yushiko grimaced. "It's cold. I want to be warm."

The fireball burst in the middle of the group without warning and tumbled everyone in different directions as if they were rag dolls. "GIVE ME THE BOOK!"

It was the blonde man and he was pointing a wand at Shikarou's heart. He was flanked by a Demoness and a Droido, both of whom were smirking at the sight in front of them. "I want the book and I want it now, or I'm going to have Lilith here start carving pieces off of your sorry ass, pokefreak." The Demoness waved.

"It's in my backpack." Shikarou shrugged off his pack and when he swung it around drew his wand with the same motion while sending a thought to Circe and Branwyn. _Everyone close your eyes right now. Three. Two. One._ Shikarou cast his flare spell at point blank range, the brilliant flash blinding him as well as his opponents.

Designed to light up a couple of cubic kilometers, at such close range viewers were almost guaranteed to have permanent eye damage, and Shikarou screamed in pain along with the others.

Yushiko hammered the Demoness with a feather shuriken attack alongside with Branwyn, who combined a quick attack with mach breaker. The helpless pokegirl never had a chance and was sent flying into the river. Yushiko went to fish her out before she drowned.

Alice charged the Droido while using handcuff throw to bind her opponent's hands together and then smashed her with Gatling kick while Circe pounded the fighting type mentally with a psychic attack.

Alice then turned and almost nonchalantly spun the sobbing human around to bind his hands together with her spare set of handcuffs. "I'll get the police." She dashed away on her mission.

Branwyn changed back to her bipedal form and knelt next to Shikarou, who was curled up into a ball. "How soon before your eyes heal?"

He gave a long drawn out breath. "I'm starting to see a little bit already, so hopefully it won't be too much longer."

"We really need to get a pokegirl with some healing abilities for the active harem or leave Lorelei out all of the time."

Shikarou sighed and reached out to touch his Unicorn, running his fingers up her body until he reached her chest. He grasped one of her breasts and squeezed it gently. Branwyn slapped his hand away. He chuckled. "You wouldn't deny a blind man a bit of fun, now would you?"

She snorted. "You have enough fun."

Pythia touched his shoulder. "Your pokegirls fight well, even your newest addition."

Shikarou blinked his eyes several times and peered at Branwyn. "Is she right? Did she fight well?"

Branwyn chucked. "I think she was referring to Alice, who did fairly well. Pythia on the other hand, just stood around and watched."

Shikarou turned to look at Pythia. "We'll have to work on that, then."

She blushed slightly. "I know I have a lot to learn and I look forward to the education."

Shikarou peered at Branwyn again, blinking rapidly. "Is she talking about fighting or sex?"

Branwyn watched Pythia flush scarlet. With her blue fur it made her turn an odd purple shade. "Both, I think."

Right then Alice returned with two more OfficerJoys and a Growlie, so Shikarou stopped teasing his G-Spliced.

With Alice to help, the questioning went fairly quickly and Shikarou kept the discussion focused on the fact that this man had first made spurious accusations against him earlier in the day and then had attacked him this evening without warning.

No, he didn't want to claim either of the man's pokegirls, he had at least one celestial in his harem and didn't want the headaches involved in refereeing their fights. Of course, Yushiko's sudden announcement that neither Infernal pokegirl would live to see the dawn if they joined the harem didn't hurt.

Still several hours had crept past by the time the OfficerJenny's were satisfied. What took the longest was explaining that Alice had a Tamer now and processing the paperwork to turn her over to Shikarou. For that a supervisor had to put in an appearance and things really slowed down once she realized that Branwyn was associated with the Harris Conservatory.

It was at this point the Shikarou learned about what had happened with Devon in Glasgow. The supervisor's automatic reaction was to pull Alice away from Shikarou and begin apologizing for the entire misunderstanding, which would have been amusing if Alice hadn't been willing to become violent about staying with her Tamer and the fact that Shikarou was too busy trying to stop the real misunderstanding from continuing to enjoy the supervisor's groveling.

However, eventually the supervisor understood that Shikarou wasn't angry about Alice, that Alice was angry about being taken from Shikarou and that no one blamed the Glasgow police department for any of this. At that point the supervisor was more than willing to cut everyone loose and go on her merry way.

As she left, Branwyn sidled up to him. He gave her a suspicious look. "What is it?"

Branwyn smiled and reached inside her dress. "I, um, found this." She pulled out the enemy mage's wand. "Do I have to give this to the police as well?"

Shikarou shook his head. "I don't remember the police asking about it, so I guess it's yours." He glanced at Pythia. "Do you have problem with that?"

"No. I was built to aid in leading the forces of my creator in a successful rebellion against the established government. I don't have a problem with not telling the police everything."

"Shikarou!" He turned in time to catch the pokegirl who leapt into his arms and rubbed herself against him. "I caught you, so do I get to keep you?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter.

"Hello, Amy." Shikarou hugged her until she squeaked. "Have you done something with your hair?"

Amy snickered. "I became a Cheshire. Do you like it? Does it turn you on?"

"You have only become more beautiful."

Amy's ears flicked and her face scrunched up slightly. "I'm pretty sure that's a yes. So, what brings you to Peacetown?"

"I thought this was Caomh Sith?"

"Lynn made some executive decisions and decided to rename the island Caomh Sith, since she intends for the whole place to be the home of peace. So the town needed a new name, and Peacetown won. We had a vote." The Cheshire nodded seriously. "You aren't upset are you?"

"I'm surprised." Shikarou smiled. "So can I put you down now? I need to talk to Molly and Lynn."

"Oh, all right." Amy untwined herself from him but left her tail draped loosely around his waist.

Shikarou looked her up and down as out of the corner of his eye he could see Alice paying close attention to the exchange. "Why does it look like you are wearing a Guard uniform?"

Amy laughed. "I joined the Guard after I evolved." She leaned over and whispered to him. "I really just did it for the joke potential. Did you know if I teleport really fast for five or six times while carrying her, Molly heaves? But, it turned out that the job is kind of fun. I'm a courier and Her Majesty sends me all over the place delivering stuff and picking up things." She resumed a normal tone. "In fact, yesterday I got to stand watch over the President of the Blue League when he showed up."

Branwyn, who had been watching them with a bemused look, suddenly looked startled. "And why was he here?"

"He wanted to tour the clinic. Everyone is really excited about the clinic, and I mean everyone. Poppet says that this idea is, uh, rebellious."

Circe smirked. "She means revolutionary."

"Yeah, that. Anyway, Poppet says that no one had considered doing this before because they were too stupid to come up with new concepts."

Branwyn frowned. "Did she actually call the Blue League President stupid?"

"Not in front of him, but yeah."

Shikarou sighed. "So Poppet has been visiting. Is that where the uniform came from?"

Amy nodded vigorously. "Aye. She said we needed to look moderately prosperous to the president. Lynn says that sounds silly."

"So what did the president think of the clinic?"

"He made a funny noise when he read the signs, but his, um, companion, she's really his second wife but you can't call her that, she's a Denmother who worked in a pokecenter and she laughed a lot."

Shikarou gave her a curious look. "What signs are you talking about?"

"I think you've confused him enough, Amy." It was Lynn. "Good day, milord," she murmured as she gave him a welcoming kiss. "I suppose you would like an explanation?"

"In a minute." Shikarou gestured for Alice to come forward. "Lynn, I'd like to introduce you to Alice. She's going to be joining the Uist Island Guard, or whatever it's called now that you've changed the name of the island."

"It's the Caomh Sith Guard now and you will be more than welcome there, Alice. Other than Amy, we only have one other member of the guard and that would be Molly, our commander." Lynn smiled. "She will be very glad to see you."

Alice nodded. "I'm looking forward to it. Shikarou told me that the rules here are a little different and that I would get the opportunity to put my own stamp on things." She glanced at him. "I want to do the best I can for him and for you."

"That's a good attitude, Alice, and I'm sure that Molly will take dreadful advantage of it and work you until you drop." Lynn looked at Amy. "Will you take Alice to the Inn and set her up with a room? Then you can take her to the police station to meet Molly."

"As you command," Amy intoned with a bow. She grinned at Alice. "Let's go."

Lynn shook her head. "Remind me again why I put up with her?"

Branwyn smiled. "Because you want to."

The Elfqueen laughed softly. "I suppose you are right." She slid her arm through Shikarou's. "Let us walk to the clinic and I'll explain on the way." She led him outside and down the road, followed by Branwyn, Pythia and Circe.

"It turns out that pokegirl centers are required by law to have all of the amenities," Lynn explained. "They have to have a healing machine as well as a transporter and a full spectrum communication system. In addition, they're required to provide rooms for Tamers to sleep in, taming rooms, and most are expected to maintain some kind of dining area as well."

"All of that can cost a lot of credits, especially when you consider that a healing machine capable of healing six pokegirls at a time and able to provide cleaning and conditioning costs several million credits. Transporters are in the same price range, so they aren't cheap and neither are full range comm units."

"Pokegirl centers are also supposed to have a full staff on hand, and most of them are actually running shorthanded due to the fact that NurseJoys are not a common pokegirl and every township wants NurseJoys for their pokegirl center."

"The portable pokegirl healing unit has been out for a little while, but the League hasn't taken the new technology seriously, so your idea of using them in a clinic has come as a bit of a shock. I've gotten to listen to a lot of 'that's just not the way it's done' in conversations with League officials."

She smiled. "I think, however, your heresy of having one medical facility to treat pokegirls and humans is causing the most controversy. Poppet has taken your pseudo scientific nomenclature concept and presented it to the groups most interested in parity, and the response has been very positive."

"I suppose it's really a little thing, but calling pokegirls 'Homo sapiens pokegirl' is really helping to drive home the idea that we are part of Homo sapiens, even if we are not 'Homo sapiens sapiens'."

"Some of the scientific community wants to burn you at the stake, of course, but there is a number of prominent pokegirl Researchers who are quietly looking at the whole idea and hopefully some real good will come out of it."

"Another idea that you came up with that is receiving a very warm reception is the idea you had of putting a PPHU or two in ambulances. That wouldn't compromise the care of pokegirls and may free up enough NurseJoys to bring the operational pokegirl centers up to full staff."

Lynn pulled him to a halt and turned to face him. "And on a personal note, I want to thank you for the reading T2 you developed. There was a whole world out there that I was missing and it may be more powerful than any of the Legendaries." She tugged him back into motion. "On a more professional note, Poppet wants you to manufacture those as well as your language T2. She says that she will pay top credits for them. Personally, I think the price will only go up when others find out about them and you may want to talk to someone like the Jahana corporation about licensing the technology." She glanced at him. "I would hope that you would insist that the price stay low so that poorer Tamers could afford them for their pokegirls too."

"That sounds like a reasonable request." Shikarou nodded. "I'll consider it."

"Here's the clinic." They stopped briefly outside to look at the building. "After you repaired the old hospital, we decided to put the clinic on the second floor. There are enough rooms there to do what we wanted with a little left over for future expansion."

Circe frowned. "What about the first floor?"

Lynn gave a subtle smile. "Molly did some research and found out that a lot of problems in a community spring up around the pokegirl center, probably due to Tamers hanging around. She decided, and I agreed, that the first floor of the old hospital building would be the Guard station for Peacetown."

Branwyn stared in amazement. "You put the police next to the clinic? That's," she frowned. "Brilliant comes to mind, actually."

"I think so too," Lynn replied, "and I would like you to stress that to Molly, Shikarou. She's doing the work of six or seven pokegirls and she needs some kind of recognition from you."

"I think some of the credit for all of this belongs to my seneschal as well." Shikarou smiled as Lynn blushed. "We'll design some kind of medals for achievement and other things as well." He gestured to the door. "Shall we start the tour?"

Lynn led them inside. "We're still setting things up and aren't really ready for tours, but I'll do the best I can. Of course, having you and your harem here will help things out a lot. We always get a lot more done when you are here than your numbers can account for, so I'm hoping you can stay for a while." She gave Shikarou a look.

"We'll see. I've got a new harem member in Pythia, so I don't see any problem in staying here while she comes up to speed. After that, we'll just have to take it day by day."

"Of course, my lord."

Out of the corner of his eye, Shikarou caught Branwyn jerking her chin at Lynn's back and making a slapping motion with her hand while Circe smiled and Pythia watched. The Unicorn noticed his observation and shrugged at him. He winked and she looked surprised and then pleased.

The Guard station was nothing remarkable. The furniture was scavenged from the stuff that Shikarou had been repairing and while space had been set aside for the cells, construction had been waiting on his return. It was also understood that they would be getting a storage unit for pokeballs as soon as possible, if only because it could do double duty as temporal stasis for troublesome pokegirls.

Then they headed upstairs to the clinic. It was also obviously a work in progress, but more had been done here. The old nurse's station had been turned into the admissions area and looked almost complete, down to a functional computer terminal.

Shikarou looked around. "So where are these signs that Amy told me offended the Blue League President?"

Lynn sighed. "Over there." She pointed at the admissions desk and signs that hung on the front of it.

Shikarou read:

Caomh Sith Clinic

Operation: Monday – Friday 0800 to 1700

Closed Saturdays, Sundays &amp; All Holidays

Emergencies Seen at All Hours

If the Attendant is Not Visible Please Ring the Bell Twice and **Wait**

If You Are Interested in Taming the Attendant, Please Ask. If The Attendant Says No, Then Drop It. Harassment Will Be Considered Improper Behavior.

**We Do:**

1\. Provide healing for all injured people

2\. Have a bath available for use; however this is not a taming room

3\. See everyone, regardless of race

4\. Reserve the right to see people who are more seriously injured than you ahead of you

**We Do Not:**

1\. Tolerate Improper Behavior – Violators will be referred downstairs to the Caomh Sith Guard

2\. Provide Taming Facilities – Inquire with the attendant to see our selection of loaner taming restraints

3\. Provide a Hostel Service – Please inquire in town if you desire a place to stay

4\. Provide a Restaurant – Please inquire in town

5\. Provide an Outlet for Your Bitching – This will be considered improper behavior

Branwyn started laughing, which quickly grew until tears ran down her face as she fought for breath. Shikarou watched her as she fought for control. She was still gasping as she managed to get out: "I like it. It's short and to the point. Whoever wrote that has worked in a pokegirl center before."

Lynn was watching her lord and master. "What do you think? This is the only part that the president had an issue with. His companion thought it was one of the funniest things she'd seen in years, but I understand that she'd worked in a pokegirl center for a while."

Shikarou tried to frown and ended up smiling. "Leave it as is. No one will be able to say that they weren't warned."

"I'm glad you think so. I was told I was in charge and could run the place to suit myself." The familiar voice came from a doorway that led back to the beds available for injured people.

Shikarou turned and broke into a grin. "Candace!"

The NurseJoy smiled back. "It's good to see you again." She came forward and hugged him. "I guess you finally came up with a way to get me out of Wick after all."

He chuckled. "It took long enough. Um, by the bye, how did I do it?"

Candace shook her head. "Apparently, all you had to do was draw the League's attention to your little rock. Are you aware that the clinic is now being funded by the Blue League as a pilot program? Did you happen to know that this has become 'the' posting for medical personnel and that there are a whole raft of human doctors who are hopping mad about the fact that a mere pokegirl beat them out for this plum assignment. It could make a career in a very big way."

Shikarou glanced at Lynn. "No, she hadn't gotten that far." He shook his head. "Well, it had to happen to someone eventually. I do like the signs." A small smile appeared. "Hopping mad, you said? Considering some of the doctors I've met, the exercise will do them good."

"You are impossible." Candace touched his cheek. "And sweet. Thanks for letting me do this." Dimples appeared. "Even if you didn't know I was here."

"On behalf of my ignorance, I can only say I have a very good seneschal." Lynn blinked at his words and turned slightly pink.

Circe shot Branwyn a look. _How many of the pokegirls that he knows want to be tamed by him?_

The alpha gave her a bland look. _All of them._

Pythia looked her over. _I am beginning to believe that you are right. This is a strange world that I have woken up in._

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Wick, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 27

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 56

Unicorn Branwyn 43

ElfQueen Gwyneth 40

Neo Iczel Ruiling 31

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 27

G-Spliced Pythia 25

Inactive Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 34

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Koketsu Ni Irazunba Koji o Ezu – If you do not enter the tiger's cave you will not catch its cub.

_**DEMONESS, the Greater Demon Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Magic/Ghost/Psychic (Infernal)  
**Frequency**: Very Rare  
**Diet**: special  
**Role**: Legions of Terror commanders  
**Libido**: Average to High  
**Strong Vs**: Normal, Magic, Psychic, Fighting  
**Weak Vs**: sonic attacks, "purifying" magic (like a Megami uses)  
**Attacks**: Negative Aura Burst, Glare, Leer, Mirror, Resist, Energy Drain, Nightshade, Energy Blade, Hypnotic Gaze, Foresight, Teleport, Fade, Heal  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Reflexes (x5), Enhanced Strength (x4), Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Solid Ether Body, Longevity  
**Evolves**: Dark Queen (mechanism uncertain) (possible Mazouku and/or Demon-Goddess evolution speculated; mechanisms unknown), Fallen Angel (additional trauma and a Dark Stone)  
**Evolves From**: Daimon (orgasm)  
Demonesses were the commanders of the Legions of Terror, making the strategies and having the lesser Youma-types under their command carry them out. They were greatly effective and won several decisive battles early in Sukebe's Revenge.  
Demonesses are quick, powerful, and hard to damage. They have strong defenses and the ability to heal themselves, along with great offensive powers as well. Being Ghost and Psychic types, they are totally immune to psychic attacks. They generally have enough minor qualities about them, such as glowing eyes, fangs, claws, etc. to indicate that they aren't quite human. No Threshold girl has ever been known to become a Demoness. A Demoness usually is about as horny as the next Pokegirl, but after winning a major fight (especially against a Succubus, see below) this temporarily rises to a much higher degree of arousal.  
Demonesses have an innate and intense rivalry with Succubi. Part of this is historical. Almost immediately after their creation and induction into the Legions of Terror, the Succubi left en masse, completely abandoning the Legions to go fight in a much more personal fashion, and as the commanders of the Legions, the Demonesses have never forgotten this insult. They also hate Succubi because they are so alike. Both are very powerful, both evolve from Daimon and somehow evolve to Dark Queen (and both are suspected of being able to evolve to either Mazouku or Demon-Goddess), and both have the odd quality of being composed of "Solid Ether," a trait that makes them able to interact with Ghost types even when those types are insubstantial, but vulnerable to sonic attacks. Also like the Succubus, a Demoness cannot phase out. If a Demoness and Succubus ever meet up, a battle always ensues, though the battle tends to be a physical one for the Demoness and a sexual one for the Succubus. Only the greatest of Tamers can find a way to make both of these two co-exist peacefully in the same Harem.  
Like the Droido, a Demoness doesn't need to eat, but it does need to release negative energy every so often. Unlike the Droido though, the Demoness can control this ability better, designating people to be immune to it when she releases it each time. This immunity is for her attack only, other Negative Aura Bursts can still affect selected people, and the immunity wears off after an hour.  
Feral Demonesses are bestial, but still commanding, and tend to drive off lesser Pokegirls in the area. Capturing one is always a difficult procedure.

_**DROIDO, the Demon Soldier Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human to Near Human  
**Element**: Magic/Fighting (Infernal)  
**Frequency**: Rare  
**Diet**: special  
**Role**: combat  
**Libido**: Average  
**Strong Vs**: Normal, Rock, non-elemental attacks  
**Weak Vs**: elemental attacks, Flying  
**Attacks**: Negative Aura Burst, Burst, Reflect, Glare, Leer, Resist, Kick, Imitate, Tackle, Stonepalm  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Reflexes (x4), Strength (x4), Speed (x4), Endurance (x4)  
**Evolves**: Lemure (Dream Stone)  
**Evolves From**: Daimon (Moon Stone)  
Droidos were the officer class in the Legions of Terror, commanding the Youmas, Cardians, and Daimons beneath them. Despite that however, they were still front-line soldiers, going in when the lesser Legionaries couldn't handle something.  
Droido's appearance is usually quite close to human, and can often hide among humans, although they still tend to look like rather wild girls with their hairstyles. Other Droidos are unable to pretend to be human due to odd skin coloration. As with other Youma-types, it's very rare for a Threshold girl to become a Droido. At this point in their evolutionary process, most Droidos have the listed attacks above with little variations, the continued evolutions working to standardize their repertoire.  
Droidos are humorless, lacking the passion for fighting and life in general that lesser Youma-types have. They act like soldiers, being cool, calm, and collected even when things are falling apart around them. This is usually used as a barometer for how attached they are to their Tamer. The better the Tamer, the more of a rise he can get out of them, either in bed or out. Emotional attachments are hard for a Droido to form, but when she does, little else matters to her.  
Being both Fighting and Magic types, Droidos are strong in combat. They tend to consider anything less than an Amachoke to be beneath their skills, and their combination of quick reflexes, strength, speed, and magic make this a claim that they can back up.  
Unlike other types of Youma evolution, Droidos don't seem to actually need to eat to stay alive. They don't absorb life energy or nightmares or fear, or seemingly anything to keep them going. However, they periodically must release bursts of negative energy. Every few days, they must use their Negative Aura Burst attack, even if not in combat. This attack makes everyone around the Droido feel as though they caught a mild cold, with headaches and stomach aches being the major symptoms. The afflicted people also become moody and irritable. It's for this reason that Droidos aren't very popular choices, despite their combat prowess. It is unknown what happens when a Droido cannot release her negative energy, since after a few days she's generally willing to risk her Tamer's wrath, due to feeling so "bloated" by then.  
Feral Droidos are terrors to come across alone. They tend to try and fight anything that moves, preferentially attacking humans over other Pokegirls. However, since they don't know when to quit a fight, if surrounded by greater numbers of competent fighters, they can usually be worn down to the point where they can be captured.


	7. Chapter 7

This work is the property of Kerrik wolf.

Chapter 7: Yule

"All right, I'm here. So why were you insisting that I come here today?" Svetlana gave him a curious look. "What is this about, Shikarou?"

"I wanted to ask you if it would be possible to get Faelan, you and the rest of your harem here in five days. It'll be Yule, we're having a Yule party and this is your invitation. I asked you here today to give you plenty of time to get ready."

Shikarou sipped at his water. "We're going to have entertainment, a tremendous feast and Branwyn has come up with something she called a 'Bimbo Fire Drill' for the whole thing. As it was explained to me, all of the gifts will be piled up and everyone will get to pull a number out of a bowl to determine the order in which they will get to choose a present."

He shrugged. "Apparently you can choose a gift that is still wrapped or one that someone else has already chosen, but then they get to pick another wrapped present from the original pile." A frown appeared. "I don't really understand it, but then that is why I'm letting Branwyn organize the whole thing. All I appear to be doing is buying all of the gifts. So, do you think you can get your Tamer and harem here on the day in question?"

Svetlana had been staring at him the whole time. "You are going to be having a party? With gifts and stuff?" She cocked her head and her eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you asking Faelan about this?"

"Because my dear brother has an over-inflated sense of the importance of his work and would most likely beg off, probably without bothering to mention it to you." He grinned. "So I'm trying to stage a rebellion in his harem by going to you instead. If I can convince you that there's no harm in coming to this party, then I suspect that you can convince my brother."

"Besides, you provide the moral compass for the whole group and since you are a veteran at the work your Tamer is doing, you may have a better idea of whether or not he can attend." He flicked an ear. "Perhaps even better than Faelan might."

"Who else are you inviting?"

"Family, for the most part. Everyone on the island of course, Poppet and Tobias, Circe's sisters and Lorelei wants to invite Sexmet and Bastit. I've sent them an invitation, but I really hope they have other commitments and can't make it. I'm also inviting James Irizarry and his harem from the Stornoway Gym since he's all alone up there. I invited Devon, but he can't come."

"Oh, and I've also invited some of Yushiko's family from Edo, but I don't know if they'll be able to make it except for Yoshihara Junko, who's here in the Blue League. She's already confirmed that she's coming and said it sounded like it would be fun. She also said that she wouldn't miss it for an invasion of Widows, but I suspect that she's exaggerating."

Svetlana looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes while Shikarou sat silently. Finally she nodded. "I don't see where the investigations we are doing will be hurt if we take Yule off. We'll be there. I haven't been to a Yule party since Vale and it's about time we got to go to one." She gave him a cheery smile. "Don't worry about Faelan. I can assure you he'll be there."

"Excellent. If you have any special requests for you, Faelan or the other members of your harem in regards to the feast, please send them to Branwyn, if you would."

"So how is the work coming on the new AI?"

_I'll have one up and running before New Year's Day. After that, it's your problem. Now don't bother me again. I'll let you know when I'm done._

"I'll be ready." The days of the last week had been good ones. Pythia was making an effort to fit in with the harem, even if she'd never heard of the concept before. She'd been trained to be a team player and was starting to mesh well with the others.

She'd even passed her magic aptitude test and would be taking lessons with Circe and Branwyn once he brought her up to speed. Shikarou was leery of teaching any of the others until he was decently bonded with them, especially in light of just how easily Kiyoko had left the harem without looking back.

He'd like to be able to say that he wished her and Marsha well, but he didn't. At least he didn't want either of them dead and he just felt sympathy for the Tigress. Oh well, not his problem.

Pythia had made it clear that part of her job was to be his bodyguard and Branwyn had cheerfully made the appointment official, in spite of his objections. Even Lynn had argued that it was a good idea considering how often he'd been injured recently. Yushiko had volunteered to assist and Pythia was beginning to train her as a bodyguard in the style that she knew. He was also under the impression that Gwyneth was involved somehow, but he hadn't taken the time to investigate fully. He just hoped he wasn't asked to provide black suits and reflective sunglasses.

Alice was fitting in well as a member of the Caomh Sith Guard and the CSG had even gotten a fourth member; it turned out that one of the Drow Zee had decided to join in order to help protect the island and its people.

Misaki had spent enough time with Shikarou to evolve to Venuswhore and seemed very smug about the whole thing. She was busy purifying a field for planting come spring, which worked out rather well since once she'd begun reading you couldn't pry the data reader out of her hands. Shikarou reflected that it was too bad she fancied romance novels more than anything else, but he wasn't going to try to control what she read.

Having the Blue League sponsoring the clinic was interesting, but at the same time it made him want to pull his ears off. They were trying to make him toe their line insomuch as paperwork was concerned, and since he had better things to do than attempt to justify to some chartered accountant that the money he wanted to spend was needed, he was still paying for everything out of his own pocket rather than mortgage his soul to the Blue League. Granted, the actual question of whether or not he possessed a soul of his own was a matter for some debate, but that had nothing to do with the current issues he was facing.

The drawback to that was his funds were being quickly depleted, and so it was time to start hunting for more money. While he had some ideas, he'd have to be careful about implementation, especially now that he had an OfficerJenny around to try to keep him on the straight and narrow. Most of his ideas were completely legal, but a couple of them might take some serious fast talking to legitimize.

His com chirped quietly to indicate that he had a message. Shikarou reflected on the fact that since his twee was busy building him an AI, he'd had to do a lot of stuff that normally he could just think about. It really didn't take that much more time, but the entire situation was mildly annoying. He unclipped his com and pulled up the message for perusal. His eyes narrowed and he levered himself to his feet to go find Branwyn. They had to take a trip.

The scenery jumped as they teleported, Branwyn clutching his hand tightly. Shikarou had no idea what might happen if she let go at just the wrong instant and had no desire to find out. Instead of the Lochboisdale Inn, now the Yoshihara family shop stood in front of them. Branwyn glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Did the policeman say why he wanted to see you?"

Shikarou shook his head. "No, Officer Tanaka's message only said that he wanted to talk to me tonight at 2300 hours. He even gave the location and I'm glad that we have a little time to find it because I'm not sure where it is."

"So why are we coming to the Yoshihara's first?"

"They are the only people I know in Edo and I want to let them know I'm here in case I find myself under arrest."

"Do you think they'd help you?"

"I have no idea. I do, however, think that they'd help Yushiko and I intend to leave her with her family so that someone will care if we get tossed into jail. Once she finds out what's going on, she'll be free to summon help. All she has to do is call Lynn. Amy has been brought here before, so she can bring help."

"Yushiko's going to want to come with you."

Shikarou shrugged. "She's my lifeline if anything goes wrong and she's going to obey orders. It's not like the orders are durance vile or anything like that. All she has to do is spend time with her family and come bail me out if there's a problem."

Branwyn nodded. "That should work." She pursed her lips for a moment and then asked quietly, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Don't you usually?"

"Yes, but Circe said something up the other day that has been bothering me, and I'd like to get it straightened out if possible."

"What is it?"

"You know quite a bit about us, the members of your harem, but we know hardly anything about you. When are you going to tell us about yourself?"

Shikarou looked at her evenly. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to."

"Why not? I know you trust us, so it must be something else."

"I trust you and Circe. The rest of the harem I trust to a much lesser extent."

Branwyn's eyes narrowed and she poked him in the chest with a finger as she said angrily, "We are not Kiyoko and you are not going to treat us like we are going to go running off the moment your back is turned." She took a deep breath and obviously struggled to calm down. "As our Tamer you have to trust us, and if you don't, you should get rid of the ones you don't trust." Her head cocked. "And, if you must know, after Kiyoko left, Circe and I undertook it upon ourselves to verify the loyalty of the rest of your harem."

A thread of anger crept back into her voice. "We spent a lot of time in their minds while they were asleep and it was extremely disgusting, sifting through all of the crap that floats around below the conscious level of the mind."

Shikarou looked at her with curiosity. "What did you find?"

"You want a list? Fine. Pythia is scary. She really believes that you are going to save the world from some nebulous threat and will do everything within her power to help you. She's even willing to consider murdering members of your harem if she thinks they would hold you back and she can't convince you to get rid of them."

"My."

"Yeah. Gwyneth believes that if she trains hard enough and learns enough magic that she can take my place in the harem." Branwyn's eyes narrowed. "As if I'd step aside for that bitch."

"I thought she'd been pleasant to everyone?"

"On the outside. In her mind she is the shining example of what all pokegirls should aspire to be and believes that once you recognize this, you'll make the harem give her the respect and adulation that she so richly deserves."

Shikarou snorted. "Even if I were willing to consider promoting someone other than you, which I am not, that behavior would put her out of the running for alpha. A good alpha, such as you, would win the respect of the harem without thinking that I could order it to happen. As if I could."

"Stop trying to make me feel less upset at you. Ruiling is impressed that you defeated her, but expect to have to do it again on an infrequent basis as she seeks to make sure you are worthy of her. She's also going to start challenging the harem members to single combat." Branwyn shook her head slowly. "I'm going to allow it since it will actually help to determine the weak points in everyone's training, but it's nice to be forewarned."

"Were you going to inform me and let me make a decision?" Shikarou's tone was wry.

"Of course I was. You rule the harem, and I act as your executive officer."

"I have no complaints about your work."

A tiny smile appeared. "Thanks, but the warning that you gave me when we met was right on the mark. If I'd known how much work being your alpha was going to be, I might have just stayed home." The smile was extinguished suddenly and replaced with a frown. "I said stop that."

"Sorry, I just don't like it when you are unhappy, so I try not to let you stay that way very long."

She just gave him an even look. "To continue: Lorelei was placed in your harem to be Sexmet's spy, but the Legendary didn't know at the time that Lorelei is your pokegirl, heart and soul."

She sighed. "She does now. Apparently Sexmet gave her some orders about trying to get you involved against the Sanctuary Goths and your Sphinx told her to go to hell. Now I understand what you meant when you worried about binding her to you. She will do anything you tell her to and might do anything she thinks you want her to."

"What about Yushiko?"

"Simply put, Yushiko worships you." Branwyn smiled at his expression of shock. "I mean that literally. She has a portable shrine in her room and says prayers to you every day."

"Well that is just lovely. Do you have any idea where she might have gotten the shrine from?"

"I think that she made it herself."

Shikarou rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Ah, this just gets better and better. What about you and Circe?"

Branwyn gave him an unreadable look. "We did look in each other's minds to check our loyalty as well. She's got some weird metaphysical theory about why pokegirls need Tamers and she is loyal to you till death because of it. She says her loyalty actually transcends death, but I only know of one way to test the validity of her statement and I'm not ready to kill her just to prove a point. She also enjoys feeding off of your emotions." The Unicorn gave a brief shiver. "You have no idea just how creepy I find that to be."

"Do I want to ask what this theory is?"

"Why don't you ask her? She'd enjoy being able to discuss it with you." His Unicorn took a deep breath and gave him a nervous look. "My problem is simple: I love you."

Shikarou took her hand. "I love you as well, Branwyn." She visibly relaxed and he made a decision. "When you and Lorelei surveyed the area, did you find someplace around here where all of us could make camp? You are right; I need to tell you and the harem something about myself."

"Yes, there's a place not too far from here, and it's secluded."

"Excellent. Take me there."

"What about the meeting with Tanaka?"

"He will have to wait. My family comes first and I think we still have time enough."

Branwyn blinked in surprise and sudden understanding. "That's why you are angry at Kiyoko. We are your family. You know, a lot of Scottish Tamers pay lip service to the idea that their pokegirls are their wives, but you actually believe it."

"Not completely. You and Circe, yes. Everyone else, we'll just have to see if they work out."

"What about Kiyoko?"

His voice was hard. "Kiyoko is gone. End of discussion."

She nodded. "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the less upset Tanaka will be."

"We need to stop somewhere and get Lorelei out of storage beforehand. I want a full harem when I go traipsing around in Edo."

"It's been suggested to me that I tell you a little about myself, and while I'm unsure as to whether or not I can keep this short, I'll do my best." Shikarou glanced at the seven pairs of eyes looking back at him. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask them at any time. If you're uncomfortable asking right now, I'll answer them later, too." The firelight danced on the faces of his pokegirls, casting dim flickering shadows over all of them.

"Sir?" It was Ruiling. "Are we forbidden from discussing this with others outside the harem?"

"No, but I want you to think about what I tell you before you do so. It isn't exactly secret, but there could be unintended consequences," his eyes lingered on Yushiko as he continued, "such as others besides Yushiko deciding to set up shrines to me, or someone deciding that I should be dead or in custody."

Yushiko looked him in the eyes. "You already have other worshippers. My family also has shrines to you, both the Yoshihara's and the Nakamoto's."

Shikarou took a deep breath and held it while he counted to five. "May I enquire as to why?" He intended to sound curious, but instead he sounded plaintive.

"You have answered our prayers," she replied. "I prayed to be reunited with my family and you did just that. My grandfather prayed to see me again before his death, and you did that as well. Later, after they set up the shrine to you, my mother, who has been unable to get pregnant since she had me, prayed to you specifically for a child." Yushiko smiled proudly. "And now she's pregnant."

Shikarou groaned very softly. "Anything else?"

"My family sees you as their guardian spirit and are telling all of our relatives about you," came the instant response, "so they will also set up shrines so you will protect them as well."

"I am so dead."

Branwyn gave him a curious look. "Why are you dead?"

"I'm forbidden to have worshippers." He looked into a sea of uncomprehending faces. "Let me start trying to explain with a brief overview of my mother's people."

"First of all, please understand that this applies to my homeworld, or homeworlds if you will, and I have no idea if the kami here are similarly organized. I know that they exist here, but I've only felt the presence of a couple of my kind and I'm not really interested in seeking them out. If they want to find me, they will."

Shikarou laced his fingers behind his back and rocked slowly on the balls of his feet. "Kami are organized into three groups or classes, the amatsukami, the kunitsukami, and the oni, although since there is a pokegirl called an Oni, I'll call the third class the monsters in an attempt to avoid confusion. Monster works just as well."

"The direct translation of amatsukami is 'gods of the heavens' and where I come from actually this class represents the nobility of the kami world. This is the class from which come the scholars and the higher ranked noblemen. The amatsukami have many temples of varying sizes amongst the humans and are widely worshipped."

"The kunitsukami are the 'gods of the earth' and this class would be considered the commoners as well as the lesser nobility. They have the occasional temple amongst the humans, but more often than not have shrines or sometimes nothing more than just a couple of forest statues. Before I joined the Empress's guard, I was ranked amongst the kunitsukami due to the status of my mother."

"The oni, or monsters, can be born from any of the three classes, but all of the monsters are destructive and malevolent. They are mostly feared, but once in a while a shrine is set up in an attempt to appease them. As an aside, it seldom works."

"Then you have the humans. The kami are charged with protecting the humans, and do so to a greater or lesser extent, based on their individual personalities. The monsters, on the other hand, consider them just something else to destroy or play with."

Circe frowned. "Why do the kami care at all? Are they that altruistic?"

"Altruistic? Rest assured that the reasons that they protect the humans are entirely selfish. Humans provide two main things to us, food and worship. They also sometimes provide lovers, but the amatsukami consider that kind of behavior to be at the same level that humans once considered bestiality, back when there were beasts on this world. The kunitsukami and the monsters are more receptive to the whole concept and some half-breeds wander that earth because of it."

He grinned. "Oh, and just to be specific, for the most part food means crops and livestock. Few kami make a regular diet of humans, it kind of runs against the whole protection concept, although a few of the nobility do seem to manage to find a human to condemn to death on a regular basis. Monsters are something else entirely and more than a few of them thrive on a diet of sentient beings."

"The kami eat their prisoners?" Gwyneth sounded shocked.

"Once we are dead we are just meat and the philosophy is waste not, want not. Fortunately, most of the nobility fancy themselves epicureans of note and tend to not eat the dead."

"Now there is a fourth group of kami-like beings, but they are not formally recognized as members of any hierarchy and regardless of their power would lie between the monsters and the humans if they were ranked, which they aren't. Those are the gaijin, which means foreigners. Gaijin are kami or kami-like beings who, for the most part, come from outside Japan, hence the name. My father is a gaijin and therefore I'm not really accepted anywhere amongst my mother's people, even though she's an amatsukami."

"I grew up on Tirsul, which is my father's world, and moved to my mother's Japan when I married because my wife wanted me to. I made a vow to Pallaius which prevented me from using a lot of my powers, due to the fact that they are considered death based in Japan, and death is unclean. Kami don't do unclean. Later, when I joined the Empress's Guard, I gave up even more of my gifts, but it didn't bother me, as for the most part they were powers that I've always been a bit uncomfortable using."

"After Pallaius was killed, I was released from the Empress's service and the vows I made to her and became a gaijin. Then I left Japan and went back to Tirsul."

"Shikarou, did you have any worshippers?"

"Yes, Branwyn, I did, at least for a while. Guardsmen are not allowed to have worshippers or shrines and I had to renounce them when I joined the service of Her Imperial Majesty." A shadow crossed his face. "Shrines are a source of power, and it is easy for you to become responsible to your worshippers. Unfortunately a Guardsman can't have a divided attention, so I traveled to my shrine and asked my worshippers to find someone else." He sighed. "They were extremely reluctant to find another kami to venerate and when the Empress discovered this she had them exterminated. I was appalled, but I'd already taken my oaths and I was forbidden to commit seppuku in protest."

"As a gaijin I'm not allowed to have worshippers or shrines. The Empress will send her Guard to hunt down any worshippers of mine and execute them." He looked at a pale Yushiko. "That's why I'm worried about your family."

"Can she reach here?"

Yushiko was intent on the answer, but before Shikarou could formulate a reply, Pythia spoke up. "No, she cannot."

"How do you know this?" Lorelei looked curiously at the G-Spliced.

"I know because of my knowledge of Shikarou and his family." She looked at her Tamer. "Your mother would have sent some prospective brides or your sisters to visit you by now, if there was any way for the kami of your mother's Japan to reach here. She is very upset that you escaped her after Pallaius' death." Pythia shifted in her seat. "You didn't know this, but your mother arranged your meeting with Pallaius to bring you to Japan and eventually to get you into the Guard, where you could be controlled. She had always resented your father removing you from her influence and intended to use you as a weapon against her enemies, even though your vows to Pallaius practically crippled you against other kami."

"That certainly sounds like her." Shikarou commented. "Any other wisdom you'd care to impart?"

"I do not know for certain, but if the kami of this world were going to protest you being worshipped by the Yoshihara family, then wouldn't they have acted by now?"

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "If they are anything like the Guard from my mother's world, then yes, the mortals would already be dead and I'd be hunted. I haven't exactly hidden my presence and should be easy for any reasonable professional to find, even if I seem to be jumping all over the planet."

Pythia nodded. "There is one other thing. Your vows to the Empress ended when she released you and your vows to Pallaius ended upon her death."

Shikarou blinked in surprise. "I'll have to think about that one."

Branwyn frowned at her Tamer. "Would being free of these vows increase your power here?"

"Substantially," Pythia answered for him. "I have seen some of his true power and it will be needed in the battle against our adversary."

Gwyneth looked skeptical. "You don't know who we're going to fight, but you know that Shikarou has to increase his power to fight them. What about us?"

"We will all need to become much more powerful than we are, if we are to be successful," she replied confidently. "And any others who join the harem will also have to be well trained."

Circe looked at him. "All right, you've told us about your mother and how her lineage has influenced your life. Are you going to tell us about your father now?"

"No. We really don't have time for my father's story. When we've got a month or two free remind me and I'll consider it. Anything else?"

"I have a question." It was Ruiling again. "How are changes in your power likely to affect the harem?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I'm not sure. From what happened before, when I had worshippers, I was horny more of the time. I think it's a side effect of the life energy I receive from my worshippers. I asked about it when I was in Japan, but the attitude there is if you are foolish enough to question a good thing, it might stop and they didn't know anything useful."

"Oh, no, whatever shall we do?" Gwyneth put her hand theatrically on her head. "More tamings? Not that?" She smiled prettily. "Do you think you could give us a timetable as to when we should expect this blessed, I mean, horrible event?"

Laughter sounded around the camp.

"Why do you suppose Tanaka wanted to meet here?" Circe looked around cautiously.

Shikarou shrugged. "I don't know. Considering the hour he wanted to meet, perhaps he wanted to talk over dinner at that café." He nodded to a three story shop a block farther down the street.

Branwyn glanced at him as she scanned their surroundings. "If so, it's unlikely that he wants to arrest us."

"One of the joys of being a policeman is the ability to change one's mind at any time and stuff someone in jail." Shikarou ran his fingers through his hair. "Still, I remain hopeful that he only wants to talk." He sniffed the air. "I really hope that Tanaka doesn't want to eat there, that place smells like an open cesspool."

_Do not react, there are several people preparing to attack us._ Circe's mind pointed out the vectors she anticipated the attacks to come from. They were surrounded.

Shikarou chuckled. "Of course, it could be that the smell comes from the residents and not the restaurant." _Circe, when the attack begins, get us onto the rooftop over the restaurant. We can decide if we want to flee or fight back at that point. Can you tell who they are?_

Branwyn entered the discussion. "I wonder who would live out here. It must be some of the scum of the earth."

_They are Yakuza. Jiang Fang is here; I recognize the way his mind tastes. He's got two assistants and six pokegirls. There is another pokegirl stationed as an observer in case Fang and his group lose, but she has no intention of entering the combat and he is unaware of her presence._

Shikarou sighed. "He's late. I'll check and see if he left us another message." While checking his com, he verified that the recorder on his pokedex was running. "Nope, but everything seems in order." _We need to wait for them to attack so we are obviously defending ourselves if we end up having to talk to the police._

Branwyn wrapped her arms around his right arm and leaned against him, nuzzling his shoulder. _Are we going to get to see some of these impressive powers that Pythia mentioned?_

Shikarou looked thoughtful for a second and his ears slowly folded back_. I'm getting tired of playing games with these people. I showed Fang mercy the first time and apparently that was a mistake. This time I'll show him something else. I want information about this attack. If it's only Fang operating on his own that is one thing, but if the Yakuza have declared war on me that is another. I also want to know if Tanaka was involved. Get me prisoners._

Branwyn nodded and kissed his neck. _As soon as we get on the rooftop, I'll take care of the com spell while you release the others and Circe briefs them. Shikarou, you'll need to coordinate with Gwyneth as she isn't aware of the unfolding situation. Circe and I'll keep everyone off balance._ He felt a flurry of mental communication between his two harem members as they divided up pokegirls and tasks. He knew that they 'spoke' much faster when not having to push things through his shields, but he was unwilling to forgo his protection for the sake of a little extra speed.

Suddenly Circe vanished. A half second later, once Circe had reported that the rooftop was clear, so did Branwyn, taking Shikarou with her. They came out on the rooftop of the café, looking down on where they'd been standing. Shikarou was already releasing his other pokegirls as Branwyn dropped a fireball on the enemy pokegirls who'd suddenly appeared from the shadows of an alley. Yells filled the air as the fireball detonated in the middle of the group and pokegirls scattered.

"Gwyneth, Ruiling, with me." Shikarou turned to them as he absently noted Branwyn finishing up the com spell. Then she and Pythia vanished as they teleported out and Lorelei took to the air with Circe following close behind.

"We're under attack by Yakuza, including your friend Fang."

Ruiling hissed in anger. "I'll tear his arms off and shove one down his throat and the other up his ass until he can shake hands with himself."

"I want him alive. I've got plans for him." Shikarou's voice was grim. A shadow slithered over the edge of the rooftop. It was almost absolutely silent, but from this distance he could hear her movement. "Gwyneth, your left!"

The ElfQueen's power bolt took the surprised Ninjanezumi high in the chest and flipped her off the edge of the roof.

Shikarou darted to the edge and looked over as the streetlight threw his shadow behind him. From his shadow rose a Kunoichi who hammered him in the middle of the back, catapulting him off the roof.

Only a quick hover spell kept him from smashing into the street below as Ruiling shouted. "Yuko, you whore!"

There was a screech from Yuko as Ruiling flew over the street, whirled in midair and hurled the Kunoichi at the ground below. Yuko hit hard and disappeared as she used vanish.

Gwyneth appeared at the roof's edge. "Ruiling, keep your temper and rescue – " she broke off as she looked down and noticed the Ninjanezumi clinging to the side of the building. "Here!" she called as she released a power bolt to mark the pokegirl's location. The Ninjanezumi shuddered as the bolt hit and let go of the wall to drop into the alley, only to grind to a halt as Ruiling raced in and hit, crushing the mouse pokegirl against the wall with her full strength. The stones of the building cracked audibly from the impact.

Gwyneth wrapped her rose whip around Shikarou's hovering form and pulled him back to the roof. "I despair of teaching her about distance attacks," she complained quietly.

"Then you need to take advantage of her toughness instead."

The ElfQueen snorted and used heal on her Tamer. "Don't try to teach me how to plant seeds."

A form appeared on a nearby rooftop and vanished a heartbeat later as another pokegirl came out right behind her. Shikarou recognized Circe before she teleported away. "What was that?"

Gwyneth finished checking him over as she answered. "She's fighting a Psilady and they are both using foresight to predict each other's movements." A glance. "Your shields are interfering with the telepathic commentary that's going on."

"Tough. I know my limits." Shikarou glanced up as Ruiling flew up over the edge of the roof and dropped the limp Ninjanezumi nearby. The Neo Iczel had some cuts and scrapes but was otherwise ok.

"So who do I get to pound now?" She asked cheerily as she brushed her canary yellow hair back.

The building shuddered before Shikarou could send her after Fang. A second later it shuddered again. Ruiling raced to the edge of the building and looked down as the shuddering continued. "Mina! I've been wanting to see who the best was for a while now!" She dove over the side.

Shikarou and Gwyneth looked down to see that an Amachamp had been using her superior strength to punch handholds in the wall and was quickly scaling it. Ruiling's strike with her energy blade scraped the Amachamp off the wall and sent her crashing down to the street below. Amazingly she landed on her feet, apparently without damage as her knees flexed to take up the shock. All four of her arms came up in a ready position as Ruiling raced down towards her.

Gwyneth pulled Shikarou away from the edge as the Amachamp's mega punch sent Ruiling sailing up above the level of the roof. She reoriented and dove out of sight again, a glow building around her hands as she summoned power.

Shikarou was moving towards the edge again when the access door to the roof blasted across the rooftop and over the side. An angry looking skinny pokegirl stomped onto the roof and glared at the kami. "Die!" she screamed and abruptly doubled in height as the Ogress transformed and charged.

Pythia suddenly appeared on the rooftop, carrying an unconscious human. She tossed him aside and flew straight at the Ogress, hitting her with an energy blade. The Ogress grunted and hit back with mega punch, smashing Pythia through the roof access doorway and out the wall on the other side. Pythia picked herself up, shook her head and vanished.

The Ogress laughed evilly. "Coward," she grunted and turned back to Shikarou as Gwyneth hit her with rose whip. The Ogress rocked back from the force of the blow but recovered quickly and raised her fist as she closed on Shikarou.

Gwyneth hit her again with rose whip, this time forcing the Ogress to crab sideways away from the ElfQueen's attack as she continued to pursue Shikarou, who was trying to keep away from her grip as he summoned his sword.

Pythia reappeared on the rooftop, this time with Lorelei, who instantly hit the Ogress with feather shuriken, the attack picking the ground type up and knocking her flat on the rooftop.

The Ogress climbed to her feet with surprising agility as Lorelei unleashed another feather shuriken, which rocked the enemy pokegirl before she steadied herself and charged the Sphinx, attempting to come to grips with her enemy. Lorelei charged another feather shuriken attack as Pythia grabbed her tail and they vanished as the G-Spliced teleported, bringing them out behind the Ogress and facing her. The spray of ki energy swept across the Ogress like a hurricane and she was already unconscious as she was blasted over the coaming of the roof and slammed to the ground below.

Pythia let go of Lorelei and nodded to Shikarou. "Sorry, I had to get some help." She touched the Sphinx on the wing. "Let's go after the rest of the humans now. That'll throw the pokegirls into disarray."

Lorelei snorted in disgust. "They're already in disarray. This'll put them into an absolute panic." She vanished as a snarl was rippling along her muzzle.

Pythia looked at Shikarou. "Circe's on her way back with the Psilady." She disappeared as she teleported away.

Shikarou grinned foolishly. "What is it?" Gwyneth sounded suspicious.

"They had surprise, cover and more humans on their side to coordinate. This free-for-all leads me to think our training is paying off very well."

Gwyneth smiled. "You're right, but this battle isn't over yet."

"So what are we waiting for?" He hefted his sword. "Let's go hunting."

"They are down three pokegirls and a human. My job has changed," replied his ElfQueen. "I'm to keep you safe until the fight is over."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"I was told to tell you no and that we can discuss it when things are quiet."

"Well one thing is right," Shikarou snarled in sudden anger. "Branwyn and I are going to have a little talk." Gwyneth's eyes went wide and she backed away. He took a deep breath. "Sorry." He forced a smile. "I am not helpless and I don't need to be babied and maybe I haven't been forceful enough in articulating that to my alpha." His hands flexed unconsciously. Claw tips slid in and out of sight. "I'll just have to correct that little oversight."

Gwyneth set her shoulders and moved to stand directly in front of her Tamer. "I understand. I won't fight you."

"What are you talking about?"

"My previous Tamer had to hurt someone occasionally. I won't fight you, but I can't let you wander out into the battle looking for Branwyn. So beat me. That's what he used to do when he couldn't hurt the real focus of his anger."

Shikarou turned white. "Is that what – oh, shit." He carefully reached out and took Gwyneth's hand, wincing when she flinched. "I, I, I'm sorry." He knelt and touched his lips to her hand. "I would never hurt you." He looked up at her. "Please forgive me, I'm unlocking powers that I haven't used in a long time and I've forgotten that the price for having them is my emotions run much more strongly."

Gwyneth smiled suddenly. "You look good down there." She pulled on his hand, gently guiding him to his feet. "You didn't hurt me; all you did was scare me for a moment." Her face sobered. "I am glad you didn't hit me and that you are still you." She raised an eyebrow. "Why does this make your emotions stronger?"

"I," He frowned for a second as he gathered his thoughts. "A kami's emotional state goes haywire for a time, when they first come into their adult powers until they learn control. Apparently my powers have been locked away for so long I'm going to have to learn not only to control them again, but myself as well."

Circe appeared and unceremoniously tossed an unconscious Psilady on top of the Ninjanezumi. She glanced at the two of them. "Silly thing thought she was faster than me. Is everything all right?"

Gwyneth's "yes" came over the top of Shikarou's "no."

Circe's eyes narrowed. "Oh. Do I need to stay around and help you with your emotions?"

Shikarou shrugged. "Can the battle spare you?"

Circe's antenna twitched. "Actually, yes it can. Ruiling is coming with the Amachamp and the Ogress, and Branwyn's bringing a pokegirl and a human."

Gwyneth frowned suddenly. "I'm surprised the police haven't shown up yet."

Circe smiled slightly. "In case you haven't noticed, every person in the whole area is very busy hiding inside their homes. If they knew, then the police were probably bribed to stay away. At least the humans were bribed. The OfficerJennys must have been rerouted to other parts of town."

"This was an assassination, and you, Shikarou, were the target." The Alaka-Wham blinked in surprise as she shivered. "Ooh, that was a nice spike in your emotions." She started to say something else when Branwyn teleported in with a bound human woman and a heavily injured Amazonchan.

The Unicorn grinned. "I return with the catch of the day." She dropped both of her charges and sighed happily. "That was a good fight." She sported some heavy bruises and showed the start of a nice black eye.

Shikarou glanced at Gwyneth. "Gather up the human's pokeballs and let's see if we can find out who goes where."

The ElfQueen nodded and started searching the prisoners as Ruiling appeared and dropped the Amachamp and the Ogress, who'd resumed her smaller form. "I would like to complain formally that I didn't appreciate the Ogress dropping out of the sky without warning. She almost hit me."

Shikarou ignored her and looked at Circe. "Who's left?"

She cocked her head. "Fang and a very sneaky pokegirl who's trying to pretend she's somewhere else." A smile. "And the observer, of course. A Ka-D-Bra. She thinks I don't know she's out there." The smile widened. "She's starting to think about fleeing. Should I fetch her?"

"Yes, please. Ruiling, would you be so kind as to retrieve Jiang Fang?"

The Neo Iczel grinned. "I'd be flattered to. You want him whole, right. I can do that as long as whole and unbroken don't mean the same thing." She launched herself into the sky with an ugly laugh.

Shikarou nodded to Circe. "I don't see the Kunoichi amongst our guests, so she's probably the sneaky pokegirl you mentioned. Please show her to Branwyn and Lorelei so we can finish this up before you leave. I want a clean sweep."

Circe nodded. "I've already pointed her out to Pythia and Lorelei and they are about to catch her. Oh, and I haven't sensed Officer Tanaka at all."

"Understood. Ladies, you have work to do. I want to be out of here before the police suddenly realize that they might have to do their damned jobs."

The winter sun gleamed weakly down on the four bound figures as the ocean lapped at the shores of Caomh Sith.

"Are you sure that bringing her here is safe?" Branwyn watched the prisoners as she spoke. "The Ka-D-Bra is a teleporter and could lead the Yakuza back here. The only reason she hasn't left yet is Circe is keeping a firm grip on her mind."

Shikarou stroked her cheek. "After today she'll either be loyal to me or I'll kill her myself before she can ever leave. I'm only worried that what I'm going to do might bother you and the rest of the harem too much."

Branwyn glanced at him. "Do you want the whole harem to watch whatever it is you're going to do to them?"

"I'd rather that then they get some garbled version of what happened from someone else." He sighed softly. "It's probably going to happen again, and eventually they'd see it anyway." A grimace appeared. "Well, it's not going to do itself. This is one of the things I gave up for Pallaius and I'm not sure how I'm going to feel about it."

"Afraid you're not going to want to do it?"

"I'm afraid I'm not going to want to stop." He reached for his pokeballs and started letting his harem out. They'd stopped long enough to pickup Yushiko, and seven faces watched his as he started to speak.

"The one thing I want everyone to understand is that what you are about to see will never, and I mean never be done to the harem. Remember this, especially if what you see frightens you."

Ruiling spoke up. "What if someone leaves the harem?"

"A good question. Someone outside the harem isn't in it, so all bets are off. However, this isn't something that I would do just to do. I always have a specific reason."

"Is pissed off a good enough reason?"

He smiled. "It can be, but I wouldn't even hunt down Kiyoko to do it to her."

There was silence for a short while. Finally Circe smiled. "Do it. Just be willing to answer more questions afterwards. You've never hurt anyone here before, and you don't have to have a reason to defend yourself if you wanted to start now, so I really don't think this is some kind of ruse to get us off of our guards." There was a murmur of assent.

"Very well. Let's get started."

The group moved over to where the prisoners waited. Shikarou was pleased to see that they were all awake and made sure that they could see each other.

"Hello Fang. It really hasn't been long enough since our last little get together and I'm going to make sure we don't have to do this again."

Fang glared. "Yakuza are born to die. Killing us will accomplish nothing."

Shikarou glanced around. Three other pairs of angry eyes glared at him. "Killing you isn't on my agenda." He shrugged out of his shirt. "I once got the sleeve of my kimono caught. That was ugly." He handed it to Branwyn, who folded it and set it aside.

He glanced at the Ka-D-Bra. "I should do you first, but I've decided for purely personal reasons to take care of Fang initially. I'm confident that Circe can keep you from running."

He turned back to Fang. "I'm a lot out of practice and I really hope this hurts." Extending his claws, Shikarou ripped the shirt off of Fang's chest. Fang remained silent.

Shikarou placed his hand flat against Fang's chest and took a deep breath, which he slowly released. He met Fang's gaze and smiled. "Show time."

His hand sank into Fang's chest like water. Fang screamed in agony. "Now where is it?" Shikarou felt around. "That's not it." His hand dug deeper, and Fang's body arched as he screamed as fast as he could draw breath. "Ew, what's that? Oh, there it is." He twisted his hand and Fang's screams grew even louder. "Stop wriggling, damn it."

Fang abruptly stopped screaming as Shikarou pulled a small glowing white ball from the man's chest. His victim lay limp as Shikarou examined the orb critically. Fangs' eyes were open and his chest rose and fell as he breathed, but nothing else. "It's kind of puny. I hope I got the right thing."

Branwyn frowned. "What is that?"

"Considering how small it is, I suppose it could be his sense of humor, but it isn't. This is Fang's soul."

There was a collective gasp and Gwyneth turned chalk white.

Shikarou held it up and focused his will. A blue swirl appeared in the white and began to spread.

Gwyneth swallowed convulsively. "What are you doing?"

"I'm changing some things. Making him utterly loyal to me and making him less of an asshole." An evil smile. "I'm making it better, although that isn't what the humans call it. They call what I'm doing corruption."

Soon the soul was a uniform light blue and Shikarou grunted. "Finished." He turned and pushed the orb into Fang's chest.

Fang's eyes blinked but otherwise he made no movement. Shikarou rolled him over and cut his bonds. "Stand up."

"Yes, master." Fang climbed to his feet.

Shikarou turned to his harem. "He's mine now. Utterly loyal, but I didn't take all of his will. I didn't want a zombie servant. Any questions?"

Ruiling grinned suddenly. "This is better than anything I could have done. Thank you."

Shikarou turned to the Ka-D-Bra. Her eyes widened in fear as he placed his hand on her chest. He smiled. "Now you understand. I'll try not to hurt you as much." She started to say something but only gasped as his hand sank into her.

The whole process went much faster and she didn't scream nearly as much. When he was done, Shikarou cut her bonds. "I want you to watch and report back what you see. Maybe that will convince the Yakuza to leave me alone. You will be my eyes among them. However you will not bring them back to here unless I specifically authorize it."

She bowed. "Yes sir."

The others went quickly. The woman tried to reason with him. "Please don't do this," she pleaded when Shikarou placed his hand against her chest. "I'll serve you. I'll be your woman, anything that you want."

He nodded. "Yes, you will." His hand slid into her body.

When he was done and the Ka-D-Bra had left Shikarou settled down in the sand. "Circe, are the Yakuza pokegirls going to pose any problems?"

The Alaka-Wham shook her head. "Yakuza pokegirls are well conditioned. They will do whatever their Tamers tell them to."

"Good. I really don't want to have to enslave too many of them if I can avoid it." He looked around slowly. "All right, who thinks I'm a monster and doesn't want anything to do with me?"

Branwyn slid to her feet. "Promise me that you will kill me before you ever do that to me."

He nodded. "I promise."

"Good." Branwyn crawled into his lap. "That was terrifying. Hold me."

Gwyneth protested. "What about me. I want to be comforted too."

The Unicorn snorted and used the pokeball she'd pulled from Shikarou's belt. "Alpha's prerogative." Gwyneth vanished in the red beam. "Anyone else have a complaint?"

Surprisingly no one did.

"I understand that there is a minor problem."

The man in the green cloak nodded as a bead of sweat appeared on his upper lip. "You are well informed, milord. Sir Marcus has failed to retrieve the Grimoire of Danu from Sukebe's manufacturing facility. However, it is, as you mentioned, a minor problem."

"And yet I've been informed that the book was recovered. But not by us."

The bead of sweat was quickly licked away. "I understand that to be the case as well, milord. An investigation indicates that the book was retrieved by a Tamer who accidentally stumbled across the transport device and was far away enough from it to survive its activation."

"The Tamer's name is Shikarou Urufu and he's based out of Wick, in the Blue League. We are trying to locate him, but it is proving difficult since he owns a Unicorn and he appears to make regular use of her teleporting abilities."

"A Unicorn? That is a powerful magic pokegirl. She could prove useful."

"Yes, milord. I'll issue the orders to have her collected." A pause. "Milord, there is a rumor that this Shikarou may have used magic during his confrontation with Marcus. Should I attempt recruitment?"

"Really? So he might be a mage. No matter, with a wog's name, I doubt he'd be of any use to us. Nevertheless, we must be thorough, especially since he comes from Wick. He might actually be English. Conduct an investigation. We may need to know a great deal more about this man if retrieving the Grimoire proves problematic."

"Yes, milord."

"Oh, and Sir Duncan?"

"Yes milord?"

"Marcus had some valuable pokegirls. Make sure they are collected, but since he failed he only gets one of them back once you have him released. And make sure that he can't lead anyone back to us. However, Sir Marcus is a useful tool as well. Don't have him killed."

"As you command, milord."

Shikarou looked around at the former Yakuza. "So, was this your idea, Fang or did you have your oyabun's permission for this?" Shikarou and the three Yakuza agents were alone for this meeting, except for Branwyn, who'd been cautioned beforehand to stay quiet.

Fang shrugged. "It was my operation, but my oyabun approved of it."

"Is he likely to pursue any sort of vendetta against me?"

"That would be unlikely." It was the other man.

Shikarou nodded. "Who are you and why?"

"I am Hachisuka Chikao, lord, and the oyabun is a superstitious man. What the Ka-D-Bra will report will frighten him and he will be unlikely to attempt to retaliate."

Shikarou nodded. "Good." He turned to the woman. "What is your name?"

"Uchida Mamiko, lord." She looked uncomfortable.

"What is the matter?"

She turned slightly pink. "I do not care for men, lord, and I am unhappy that you will wish to sleep with me." Fang and Chikao grinned.

"I don't." Shikarou's tone was even, but his eyes were hard. "I'm not interested in rape. And you two will keep your hands off of her as well, unless she explicitly asks." Their faces fell, but Mamiko looked faintly hopeful. "There are enough pokegirls who will be asking you to tame them that you will not take any woman, be she human or pokegirl, against her will. And to avoid any confusion, if a woman says no, assume that she means no. Not yes, not maybe. If you have a pokegirl that likes to play hard to get, that is another matter, but there are new rules here, and unless she has explained to you that she wants to play this game, hands off. If you violate this I will have you commit seppuku." He glanced at Mamiko. "This applies to you as well."

Tonelessly they replied in unison. "Hai."

"Now, you are going to get with Branwyn after this meeting and arrange to empty any bank accounts you have access to into one that she will provide. You'll only need the money that I will provide for you. Any questions?"

"Hai. Lord, I know where there is a large sum of credits hidden in the city," Mamiko replied. "Do you wish me to retrieve them?"

Shikarou exchanged a glance with Branwyn, who nodded almost imperceptibly. "If you can do so safely, get them today. Otherwise leave them."

"I can get them, if I have my pokegirls?" Mamiko's eyes watched his intently.

"Until you prove to me that you can't keep them according to the rules here, or until they express an interest in leaving your harem, all of you will keep the pokegirls you came here with." All three visibly relaxed.

"Now, I wish to know if Officer Tanaka was involved in this."

Fang shook his head. "No, he was not. We own one of his men, but not him, which was how we were able to send a message with his name on it. Tanaka is young and still idealistic."

"I think that just about covers everything." He watched them bow and rise to their feet. "Branwyn will show you the account numbers you need."

"Hai."

"A very interesting celebration, Shikarou. And it looks like it is a successful one as well."

"Thank you, Yoshihara-san. I'm pleased that you and the rest of your family could make it."

"You've fulfilled an old man's dying wish. Call me Masato."

"That's very kind of you, but I think you still have several years left." Shikarou smiled slightly. "Your singing was very good. Who would have suspected that you listened to Mineko and the Pussycats?"

Masato laughed. "What was that called again?"

"Karaoke. Gwyneth did some research and assured me that was very popular in pre-Sukebe Edo."

"Well I've never heard of it, but it was fun and I intend to introduce it to my friends at home."

"We had to strip the lyrics out of the music and add the subtitles ourselves, so I'll make sure you get copies of all of the music and a spare karaoke machine we've got before you leave in the morning."

"Thank you." Masato leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly. "An interesting collection of guests you have." He glanced at Shikarou. "Especially Sandy and Beth."

Shikarou refused to be baited. "They're members of Lorelei's family. I didn't think they'd be able to come, but it turns out I was wrong. I also didn't think your entire family would be able to make it, but I'm pleased that they did."

Masato blinked and lowered his voice. "Yushiko voiced your concerns to me privately. Are you upset that we've set up shrines to you?"

"Does it matter? Would you stop if I asked you to?"

The old man's eyes met Shikarou's squarely. "If you insisted, I would, if only to ensure my family's survival. The Yoshihara line can be traced back to before Sukebe and I'll not have them destroyed."

"I'm not going to destroy your family." Shikarou gave him a sour look. "I'm kami, not oni."

Masato shrugged. "I know the legends. Sometimes there is little difference."

"You have a point. Your family is safe from my retribution."

"Good." Masato was silent for a time. "Fumiko will be fifteen soon. That is the age that a pokegirl gets a Tamer in Edo."

"Aren't old people supposed to be crafty and subtle?"

Masato grinned suddenly. "That's middle aged people. We old people don't have time for subtlety. After all, we might drop dead at any moment. Will you take her?"

"How's Yushiko going to feel if I take her aunt into my harem?" Shikarou hoped that would end the matter.

"My great granddaughter thinks it's a wonderful idea." He grinned again. "You were right about old people being cunning."

Shikarou grunted in annoyance. "I'll consider it."

"Good." Masato pushed himself out of his chair. "I'll leave you to the rest of your guests."

A little later Faelan plopped into the same chair. "Should I be upset at you for doing an end run around me and going to Svetlana?"

"Well, if I get to decide, the answer is no. You should be thrilled." Shikarou shifted slightly and the Growlie in his lap grumbled sleepily.

"Cute pup. Is she Molly's?"

"Yes, this is Tamara. Molly's putting Belinda to bed and then she'll be back for this one."

"Showing her off like this is going to get me in trouble with Svetlana."

Shikarou flicked an ear. "That's what happens when you love mortals. Sometime between birth and death most of them want children. Give them to her."

Faelan snorted. "You don't give me orders."

"Actually I do." His brother looked astonished. "I'm the eldest here and I'm establishing the clan holdings. That makes me the local clan leader and your superior." Shikarou shook his head slowly. "But right now I'm speaking as your brother and your friend. You two love each other and she wants children. That's a pretty powerful evolutionary force and if you don't father her children someone else might." He glanced at his suddenly mute sibling. "They do grow up and leave, you know. It's part of the logical progression."

Faelan blinked. "Huh?"

"Children. Your wife gets pregnant and they annoy her. They're born and they annoy the both of you. To move on and annoy the rest of the world they have to grow up and move out. It's a logical progression."

"That has got to be one of the strangest endorsements of parenthood that I've ever heard," Faelan announced.

Shikarou wasn't through. "However, as your clan leader I am informing you that we need more kami and we have no idea when or even if father will find this universe again. That leaves you and me to produce them the old fashioned way." Shikarou pulled out his wand and poked his brother on the knee with it. "Now you are on a timer. On Yule of 300 AS, your fertility will become normal. You now have two years to come to terms with it or find a good supplier of condoms." Faelan looked shocked. "And don't worry; I won't make you tell Svetlana. I'll take care of it when I see her." Now his brother looked terrified. "Happy Yule."

Shikarou glanced around the dining room of the inn as he settled down at Branwyn's table. Yushiko was eating breakfast with her parents and one of her grandmothers. He finally looked over at an obviously hovering Alice and nodded. As she bustled across the room, Branwyn chuckled. "Ah, so you are the one she wants to see so desperately." The Unicorn had spent Yule night with him, so they'd already said their greetings.

"Looks that way." He turned his attention to the OfficerJenny. "Good morning, Alice."

"Good morning, sir. There was an incident last night that Molly wanted reported to you as soon as you got up."

"If it could wait until I got up, it couldn't be all bad. What is it?"

"Juniper almost killed Yoshihara Masato last night." Branwyn choked on her tea.

"Is everyone all right?" Shikarou felt a flicker of anger at Molly for waiting and then realized that he could see at least several of the Yoshihara extended family and no one looked all that upset.

"Yessir. Masato is at the clinic and will be released in time for lunch. Juniper was scared more than anything else."

Another spurt of irritation, also suppressed. He said coolly, "Alice, I would really appreciate it if your reports were more complete than concise. Now, tell me what happened."

Alice nodded as Branwyn raised an eyebrow. "Yessir. We're still learning to work together, like when you told me to stop calling you chief." She took a breath. "Last night, or more precisely, this morning at 0445, NurseJoy Candace was contacted by Juniper, who requested urgent medical aid to Masato's room. En route, she contacted Molly who sent me and Amy."

"We arrived only a few minutes behind Candace and found her using her healing abilities to restart Yoshihara Masato's heart. He recovered consciousness and was taken to the clinic for observation. I informed his son Keiichi and his daughter-in-law Shinju of what had taken place. Amy escorted them to the clinic while I remained and questioned Juniper."

"Amy questioned Candace and her explanation matches what Juniper described, she had been approached by Masato as to taming and had agreed. Shortly after his first release he became short of breath and went into cardiac arrest."

"Candace ascribed what happened to general overwhelming fatigue due to his advanced age combined with the strenuous activity of taming Juniper. She says that he didn't respond well to cure or curaga, so in desperation she tried pray. Masato insisted that she pray to you, sir," an odd look crossed her face, "and when she did, only then did the healing start. She wants to talk to you about that later, sir. Anyway, according to her, he seems to have made a complete recovery and will be released later today."

"According to Juniper, it was a very good thing that they were using quick release restraints so she could call for help quickly. She now wants to make sure that we only carry that kind."

"We can't do it," from Branwyn. "You have to have some standard types for dealing with feral pokegirls. However, we can make sure that those are only used for ferals."

"How is Keiichi?" Shikarou asked with a sinking feeling.

"Excuse me." It was Sachiko, Keiichi's other wife and the Brass that Yushiko had been eating breakfast with. "I wanted to express my family's thanks for saving Masato's life." Her eyes twinkled. "It seems we are even more indebted to you. According to my husband, Greatest-grandfather would have died if not for the quick response of your medical personnel."

"I'm just glad that Masato is going to be well. Does this happen often?"

"No, this is the first time, although we know the pokegirl he visits in the city and she's warned us that he does get short of breath afterwards."

Alice nodded. "Candace said it was likely that he overextended himself when he tried for a second taming."

Sachiko looked surprised. "Two, in one night? No wonder he nearly died. She must be some pokegirl."

"He was with Juniper. I'm not sure you met her last night, she's an Omegan and a very gentle soul," Shikarou explained.

"I didn't meet her, but I will need to now." Again the twinkle of suppressed laughter appeared. "Besides I want to meet the pokegirl that almost gave Keiichi complete control of the family business."

Shikarou nodded. "Branwyn, will you see to it? I want to check on Masato. Is there anything else Alice? Your report was well done, by the bye."

"Thank you. I do have one other thing, but it is an observation. The CSG has two teleporting pokegirls right now, but I think you need to get one for the clinic. Once she knows the island it would help Candace reduce travel time and help in transferring patients to the clinic for treatment if she's busy with someone else or they don't need immediate care."

Shikarou smiled. "That is a very good idea, Alice. I'll try to take care of it as soon as possible."

He started shoveling food into his mouth as Branwyn leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Can you look inside someone and tell what kind of soul they have?"

He swallowed convulsively forcing the mouthful of food down. "In a general way," he replied quietly.

"Interesting." She rose and led Sachiko away.

A short time later Shikarou was at the clinic and talking to Candace. "How is he?"

She snorted. "That randy old goat pinched my ass when I got too close. He's fine."

"He's got excellent taste, you have a prime bum." Candace blinked and smiled in spite of herself. "That was good work you did last night. Thank you."

"Well, if you are going to come by to see me every time someone gets a cut, I'll have to encourage people to be more careless."

"I happen to be hoping to have more time for my favorite pokegirls now that Fang and Chikao are here to help with the tamings."

"So I'm one of your favorites? Flatterer." Candace smiled. "So, care to tell me why my patient was dying until we prayed together to you?"

"I'd love to, but I'm not entirely sure how it worked either. I wish I knew. Candace, Alice has made an interesting suggestion; that we get a teleporting pokegirl to work here in the clinic to assist and to reduce travel time. I think it's a very good idea and wanted to get your input."

Candace looked thoughtful. "I don't have enough work to keep me busy right now, but if we could reduce travel time, that would someday save someone's life."

"Would any of the standard pokegirls who work in clinics fit the bill?"

"Not unless you can get a Megami who has teleport or a Supe-Bra Genius." She shrugged. "Not that normal roles matter much here. You've got a Cheshire who's in the Guard, which is incredibly difficult for me to fathom. I'm sure you'll find someone equally bizarre to work here in the clinic."

Shikarou smiled. "I think Amy hopes it will let her get away with her pranks unscathed. Sad to say, I gave her the idea for one that should be a good one."

Candace looked suspicious. "Tell me."

He looked innocent. "All I did was comment that if someone could teleport about twenty feet up, if they were fast enough they could upend a bucket of water on someone else and be gone before the water hit them."

"You are encouraging her. I don't believe it. What if she uses it on you?"

"That would be stupid. I gave her the idea. I'd know exactly who did it." He smiled softly. "And as long as I keep giving her ideas, I'm safe."

Branwyn took his hand. "Where are we going?"

"Glasgow. I do want to hit the gym eventually, but I really want to tell the police that I'm not going to press charges against the mage who tried to kill us."

"Why the hell not?"

"He's our only lead to the nebulous threat and now that I'm using my powers more freely, I'm going to make him my slave so he'll tell me everything he knows, like Fang and others did. He'll also funnel any new information to us as he gets it."

Branwyn nodded. "Glasgow it is." She frowned. "Reading that book might help as well."

"Not until I finish checking it for traps and that's going to take a little while longer."

"You can't be killed so what's the problem. You open the book and heal afterwards."

"Wait a minute." Shikarou pulled her around to face him. "First of all, I'm hard to kill, not impossible to kill. Second, magical traps can do far more than cause injuries. They can change your mental state or paralyze you. They can also turn people into other things, like chickens or fish or rocks. I even helped to remove a magical trap that turned whoever activated it into a pitcher of lemonade."

"Why lemonade?"

"The owner of the trap wanted a reward for the bother of having to reset it and he liked lemonade."

"That's sick.

"No one is touching that book until I finish my examination." Shikarou's tone brooked no argument.

"You convinced me." The teleport exited in a field next to a road a couple of kilometers from the outskirts of Glasgow. "Thank you for using Unicorn Travel. Please remember to thank your Unicorn by taming her on a regular basis. Chocolate would also be appreciated and gifts are never refused."

"I didn't like the movie and there wasn't a comment card." Branwyn stuck out her tongue at him as she transformed into her quad form. Her brown skirt flared over her equine shoulders prettily.

She put her hands on her hips. "Welcome to the ground division of Unicorn Travel. Remember that in case of an emergency; please dismount the Unicorn from the sides or the back. And remember; look for a soft place to land and watch out not to get trampled. By the bye, the navigator thinks that passengers may experience turbulence if they don't keep their traps shut or give bad evaluations."

Shikarou laughed as he slipped onto her back and nestled up against her. "How can I ensure a smooth trip?"

Branwyn chuckled and fell into a trot. "We'll discuss it on the way."

Once they reached the outskirts of town, Branwyn changed back to her bipedal form and they went to the Glasgow Green Park and started looking for an officer of the law to give them directions to the local station.

A Cabbit was sitting at the receptionist's station when they entered. She gave them a bright smile. "Good day. How may I direct you?"

Shikarou smiled back. Alice had told him who he needed to talk to. "I would like to talk with Matilda, if she's available."

"Let me see." She picked up her com and made a quick call. "She'll be right out."

"Thank you very much."

A short time later an OfficerJenny came out and spoke briefly with the Cabbit before coming over to him. "I'm Matilda. What do you need?"

"My name is Shikarou and Alice said you were the person I needed to talk about in regards to the incident in Glasgow Green."

Her eyebrows contracted. "Shikarou? You were involved." It wasn't a question. "What did you want to discuss?"

"I wanted to drop the charges against the man who attacked me."

Matilda frowned. "Why?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Was this some kind of domestic incident?"

Branwyn snickered.

"No, it wasn't. I just want to drop the charges against him. It's Yule." While both statements were true, neither was connected with the other. However, most people never realized what was happening.

Matilda was no exception. "Come with me and we'll fill out the paperwork." She led them through the security gate and then to a desk where she had them sit. She pulled up the file on the computer and read through it quickly, only to look up at him in confusion. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Not at all. Why?"

"You dropped the charges on the 24th and Marcus Pendelton-Smythe has already been released." Her eyes were intent as she spoke.

Shikarou went still. "I see. I did not drop the charges against him, but since that is what I wanted, I suppose I shouldn't protest." He didn't sound happy and his ears were half folded back.

"Still this is very irregular." Matilda manipulated the computer briefly. "And there is no record of the proper forms being filled out." She looked up at him. "Something isn't right here." Something clicked in her eyes and a cop's natural suspicion darkened them. "I'll need to ask you some questions."

"Hey, I wasn't even here when this mistake took place. And I have witnesses to back that up." Shikarou wasn't going to spend the next however long trying to reassure the police that he wasn't involved.

"I'll need to talk to them in order to confirm your alibi." Matilda didn't look happy about this.

"They don't live around here, so I'll give you their com numbers."

"You do that. They'll need to be reliable witnesses, which means not in your harem."

"I think you won't have any problems with that. At least one of them is well known to the Glasgow authorities and should be considered reliable." He smothered a smile as Branwyn sent him a mental image of Sexmet or Bastit visiting the police station to verify his alibi. "Sandy" and "Beth" had arrived the day before the party to spend a little time with Lorelei.

He was thinking of Poppet, who'd arrived a day early as well, mainly to temporarily escape the end of the year paperwork crush.

After leaving the station Branwyn sighed. "Well, I guess he's long gone."

"Probably, but we'll still find him." He smiled at her surprised expression. "As soon as I get my AI up and running, I'll find him as soon as he uses his com or visits a pokegirl center."

"How will you do that? You don't have his com code?"

"I don't need it. My AI will be able to access the cell tower records at the Glasgow Green for the time period he was waiting and cross reference them against the cell tower near the police station to identify his com's handshake protocols. Once I have that I'll be able to locate him whenever he uses his com or if he spends too much time near the same tower." He shrugged slightly. "If the cell towers delete their records in the next two weeks that won't work, but even then I have his name and as soon as he uses a pokegirl center I'll be able to find him. Then he's mine."

Branwyn nodded slowly. "So what do we do in the meantime?"

"This place has a gym, so let's get a badge."

"Where the hell is Caomh Sith?" The Glasgow Gym attendant pronounced it Kayohm Seth. He looked up from where he'd been reading Shikarou's pokedex entry. "I've never heard of it."

Branwyn cocked her head. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"I'm from Indigo. Why, is it someplace famous?"

Shikarou smiled. "No, she was merely commenting on the fact that you mispronounced it. It's pronounced Kevh Shee and it's an island in the southernmost portion of the Outer Hebrides, which are north and west of here. It's not surprising that you've never heard of it, it was only recently renamed from its previous name of South Uist."

"I've never heard of that either." The attendant made a dismissive motion. "Whatever. I have to let you know that Brandon McCullough, the gym leader, isn't here. He's over in Belfast at the Belfast Gym and won't return for a couple of days." He smirked. "Not that you have enough rank to get to face him anyway, you'll have to be satisfied with one of the junior gym battle leaders."

"That will be fine." Shikarou looked amused. "The badge is the same, no matter who I face."

The attendant nodded. "That's correct. You'll be facing Travis Conway. He gets most of the beginning Tamers." A smile. "It's a good thing you got here so early; otherwise you might have to wait for a gym arena to come open. We stay pretty busy here, but right after Yule there's always a rush of Tamers and wannabes coming here to try out the new pokegirl someone gave them."

"Wannabes?" Shikarou sounded surprised.

"New pet owners or underage Tamers." The attendant made a disgusted sound. "They get some low level Chichi and decide she'd look good with a Glasgow battle badge on her collar." He smirked again. "It's actually for the best. The requirements for pet ownership are much more lenient than for Tamers, but what we do here is pass along the names of owners to the Blue League and they do spot checks to make sure the pokegirl in question isn't being mistreated. Also our gym battle Tamers get a warm-up bout because of them." He typed briefly. "I've sent a message to Travis letting him know he's got a battle. He's good about showing up promptly, so it should only be a couple of minutes."  
Travis showed up about ten minutes later, still chewing on some toast. He grinned. "You're lucky I had my pokedex with me, if I hadn't been able to verify you were a real Tamer, I'd have finished my breakfast in a much more leisurely fashion." The grin broadened as he stuck out his hand. "I'm grateful to you for being able to start the day with a real battle before I have to wipe the noses of all the crying snots who just can't understand how I was so mean as to actually beat them."

Branwyn frowned. "Is it really that bad?"

"Oh yes. Legally we have to accept all challenges and so yesterday I had twenty five bouts. That's three an hour and only two of them lasted more than two minutes." He shook his head. "I understand that allowing pokegirls to be pets helps to get more of them into the general population and as well as aiding in keeping the ferals down, at least among the domesticates, but still, kids shouldn't be allowed inside a gym, unless it's on a school tour. Please follow me."

He continued talking as they headed deeper into the bowels of the gym. "We're going to be having a three on three battle without any reserves." A glance at Shikarou. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"You're the gym representative, you are the challenged party and you set the conditions. My only option would be to decline the battle."

"Excellent! Here we are." He led them into an arena that was a mixture of grassland and ponds. "Do you know what the specialty is here?"

"According to my sources, plant and water types. It's an interesting combination, and should work well to keep electric and fire types from getting a huge advantage."

"That's right." He indicated a woman who was waiting in the judge's box and frowned when Shikarou scanned her with his pokedex. "Is there a problem with Tammy?"

"No. When I faced James Irizarry in Stornoway, he had a pokegirl judging and I didn't realize until the bout was almost over that she was spying on me as part of his strategy."

"Sneaky, I like that. No, Tammy is one of our trainee Tamers here. I'll need to be getting down to the other side now. Good luck."

"Thank you." Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "Plant and water. I don't have any fire or electric, so I don't have to worry about that, so we'll go as planned. You, Circe and Yushiko will be my pokegirls."

She nodded. "Sounds like a good mix. I'll take lead with Yushiko. You focus on Circe while keeping a general eye on everything, just like we trained."

Tammy nodded to Shikarou when Travis reached the end. "Are you ready to battle?"

"I am."

"This will be a three on three pokegirl battle between Travis Conway of the Glasgow Gym and the challenger Shikarou Urufu. This battle has no time limit and will continue until one Tamer has no pokegirls able to battle. Begin."

Travis spun three pokeballs into the air and released his choices. A Baleena, A Rosebreasts and a She-Captain.

Shikarou released Circe and Yushiko as Branwyn dropped into the arena and shifted to her quad form. He'd cast a com spell over all of them before coming to the arena and muttered, "Yushiko's with Branwyn. Circe, it's you and me. Branwyn take the Rosebreasts, she'll be vulnerable to yours and Yushiko's flying attacks."

"I'm on her."

"Circe, you've got the She-Captain."

"Understood."

Travis grinned. "Kelly, water floor." A wave of water surged out from the Baleena to cover the entire arena floor as the Rosebreasts and the She-Captain trotted forward in close unison.

Shikarou blinked and then smiled. Water pokegirls would heal in the area of the water floor but there was a serious downside if you were facing an electric type pokegirl. He spoke quickly without pausing between words. "Branwyn teleport you and Yushiko six meters into the air Circe get into the air Yushiko lightning the floor next to the Baleena. Now!"

Travis looked surprised as Circe smoothly lifted into the air and Branwyn grabbed Yushiko's arm and teleported, coming out in midair. His surprise turned to horror as Branwyn dropped Yushiko, who summoned her wings and electricity arced across the arena to strike all around the Baleena.

The Rosebreasts was the luckiest of the three. Being a plant type, the electricity wasn't especially powerful to her, but still she screamed and her armor smoldered slightly. The She-Captain was the farthest away, but the electrical assault still knocked her to the watery ground and her cries mingled with those of the Rosebreasts.

Kelly was the least fortunate, being a pure water type and standing right next to the impact points. Her body bowed as the blast of current surged through it. She would have screamed if she could have, but the direct current froze every muscle in her body and her skin actually steamed as she toppled sideways. Blood ran from her mouth where she'd bitten through her tongue and she was mercifully unconscious before she hit the ground.

A frozen tableau persisted for several heartbeats until Tammy recovered and raised her red flag. "Kelly is unable to battle. Point to Shikarou."

Travis collected the unconscious Baleena in her pokeball slowly. Shikarou waited to give him time to pull himself together.

He gave Shikarou an odd look. "Maggie, Ann-Marie double swordwave on the Armsmistress."

Shikarou grinned. "Circe, psychic." Branwyn cast magic missile on Ann-Marie while Yushiko hit her with feather shuriken and Circe drove her psychic attack deep into the She-Captain's mind.

Maggie's attack staggered Yushiko but Ann-Marie never had the chance to complete her attack as the feather shuriken and magic missiles blasted her backwards, spinning shards of her vegetative armor away from her in a cloud. She staggered on her feet and tried again, her swordwave bringing Yushiko to a halt in midair. The Armsmistress recovered and dropped to the ground, her sword ready as the Rosebreasts closed.

Circe's psychic attack hit Maggie like a thunderbolt and the She-Captain's eyes went unfocused as she fought to remain conscious.

Ann-Marie summoned her thorn cutlass and move forward gracefully, her attention on Yushiko, so when Branwyn hit her from the side, her surprise was total as the heavier Unicorn blended quick attack and takedown. The startled pokegirl went down hard as Yushiko turned in place and lightning arced across to hammer Maggie from the back. The She-Captain dropped in her tracks as Circe used her telekinesis to grab Ann-Marie out from under Branwyn and hurl her across the arena to smash into the wall underneath Travis. Stone cracked and showered down around Ann-Marie as she slumped to the ground.

Tammy stared across the arena and turned to look at Travis, who shook his head slowly. She raised her red flag. "Travis is unable to battle. Shikarou takes the match."

Shikarou was busy hugging his pokegirls and telling them what a good job they'd done when Travis made it back around. He stuck out his hand. "I don't mean to sound upset about this, but how in the hell are you only a thirty rank Tamer?" He shook his head. "That was a gym leader level battle you were fighting and I never had a chance. By the way, that changing targets in mid-attack was masterful and I intend to learn how to do that. My girls never knew what was happening." He smiled slightly. "If my pokegirls can learn to pull that off, I'll give Brandon a run for his money in our next match."

"We've done a lot of training, but most of our fights were in the wilderness." Shikarou shrugged. "Usually you only get ranked in official battles, and most of ours have been off the record."

"In addition, I had misfortune of having something quite similar to today happen to me at the Rum Island gym and I resolved to try to do something to prevent it from happening again."

"Well if you don't mind, or even if you do, I'm going to have your level adjusted upwards significantly, and I'll put a notation in your file to have that level reevaluated after every one of your gym battles."

Travis turned to Tammy. "You remember this fight. This is what a gym battle can be like when one side is completely surprised." He gave Shikarou a look. "Usually it's the gym Tamer doing the surprising, but always remember to pay attention to your opponent." A grin appeared. "Now I'm ready to crush some snot nosed wannabes, at least as soon as my pokegirls get healed."

"Has our original plan changed?" Branwyn slipped her arm through his as they headed down street. Yushiko had bodyguard duty and followed closely behind her Tamer.

"Until we can locate this Marcus, no. From here I intended to head over to Belfast and take a badge there and then sweep through Ireland." Shikarou sighed. "While I have no intention of competing in the Blue League Competition, getting badges is a good cover since it provides an acceptable reason for traveling around and learning the land."

"You'll need to pick up some more pokegirls if that's what you intend." She gave him a sweet smile. "A water type and a fire type would be good for us. I don't want too many new pokegirls joining the harem though; I wouldn't want my time with you to get cut."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think you could handle a Whorepool, but they are hard to find. A Hottie would work well, she'd combine both fire and water in one package, but again, hard to find."

"Masato asked me to take Fumiko into my harem when she turns fifteen. He made it sound like it would happen sometime in the near future." He glanced back at Yushiko. "Well?"

She smiled. "February ninth."

Branwyn frowned. "A Titto could be useful, but sometimes they are a little unstable." Shikarou just raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "Ok, maybe the rest of your harem isn't exactly normal, but how do you think Yushiko would feel? It is her aunt we're talking about."

"I already tried that. Masato talked to Yushiko first and she loves the idea."

Branwyn looked back at Yushiko. "Is that right?"

The Armsmistress nodded. "Hai. I have no problem with Fumiko joining the harem." She frowned suddenly. "Although I wouldn't want to tame with her. That could be uncomfortable."

Branwyn grimaced. "I'll bet." She turned back to Shikarou. "She'll have some serious dietary issues. They can't eat solid food."

"So we get a blender."

Branwyn shook her head. "I actually think she'd be an asset. She's a smart girl. I just worry that another very rare pokegirl would give you more trouble."

"I've already got a Unicorn, a Neo Iczel, a Sphinx and a G-Spliced. Oh, and I'm supposed to save the world. I don't think the addition of a fifteen year old Titto is going to add too much to that, unless she comes with a blood feud with a ninja clan." Yushiko coughed to hide her laughter at his words.

Branwyn snorted. "The way your luck runs, she comes with an attachment to Typhonna, who'll drop by on occasion just make sure she's being treated well."

He glanced at her. "Did Sandy or Beth say something about Lorelei?"

"No, but I'm beginning to wonder if you suffer from some kami version of the Interesting Times bloodcurse." She smiled prettily at him. "I am aware that the original curse did come from China and was probably developed by a kami as a revenge on someone."

"That would be a good one," Shikarou admitted. "I wish I could cast it. I did manage the curse of the teeth, though."

"What's that?"

"The original impetus was what an Arabic merchant said to me when he decided I got the better of him in some bargaining. He told me that he hoped that all of my teeth would fall out, except for one, and that he hoped that the one would hurt for the rest of my life."

"You learned how to do that to someone."

He looked smug. "Hai. I haven't used it very often, but hey, it's a good party trick."

"Have I told you just how bizarre you sometimes are?"

"Occasionally you attempt to, but I don't think you've found the words that really define your feelings completely."

She hit him gently.

"I think next time I'll take Neo Iczel Transport or Armsmistress Air instead of that damned ferry." Shikarou gave the ferry an irritated glare. "That was about as fun as watching grass grow."

"It wasn't that bad." Branwyn pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

"It almost sank!"

"It took on some water. Nothing serious. The sea was rough."

"Excuses, excuses. Ruiling or Yushiko don't sink."

Understanding bloomed on the Unicorn's face. "You don't like boats."

Shikarou snorted. "I don't like that boat." He glared at the ferry again. His hand twitched toward his wand.

Branwyn grabbed his hand. "Are you really thinking about sinking the ferry?" she asked incredulously.

His eyes were narrowed and glittered in the light. "And what if I was? Who'd miss such a trashy boat?"

Branwyn tried another tack. "There are witnesses."

He looked around. "You're right. We'll come back after dark."

"I have got to talk to Circe."

Branwyn watched Shikarou getting a backrub from Gwyneth on the other side of the fire and spoke quietly to Circe. "I'm glad that last night he didn't bring up going back to sink the ferry, but I'm worried about his mental state. I don't have the same depth of telepathic powers that you have, so I wanted to talk to you about what is going on in his head."

Circe was peeling a banana. "When I bonded with him, his emotions were fairly even. He'd occasionally get upset, but it didn't last long." She handed the banana to Branwyn and bit happily into the peel. "That appears to be changing. His emotional state is becoming much more volatile and I think you are right to be worried. In many ways, he's as powerful as a pokegirl, and if he's losing control of his emotions, things could get ugly." She picked up another banana and started peeling it. "I'm worried about the fact that he kills with about the same effort as I peel this banana. The only reason he hasn't killed more is because he doesn't see a reason to. If he starts rationalizing more reasons…"

"What can we do?"

Circe gave her an appalled look. "Not much. We're pokegirls. We are designed on a genetic level to be subordinate to him and if he wants something badly enough, we are going to help him get it. Your best bet is to keep reminding him that he doesn't really want some things as badly as he thinks he does and hope he keeps agreeing with you. Keep playing the love card; it seems to soften him up whenever you do it."

She offered the banana to Branwyn, who shook her head. She eyed it briefly and bit into it. "I really prefer the taste of the peel, but he's right, waste not, want not. You know, we have been lucky so far in that he does his own killing. Have you considered that the day may come when he will order one of us to kill?"

"I hadn't thought about that."

"I didn't think so. I'll do it, of course. I was raised among the Pleiades and they treat killing as just another tool, but you, you were raised as a human among humans so you may balk."

Branwyn looked pensive. "What about the others?"

"Face it, Lorelei and Yushiko will kill someone before he finishes giving the order. Ruiling, I'm not sure which way she'll jump, but considering that before us her compatriots were all part of Yakuza murder squads, I suspect she'll do it. Gwyneth might argue with him, but then again she may not and Pythia is from the time of Sukebe's war and was engineered to kill on command. She probably thinks of killing them before she thinks about other ways to deal with them, like, say, conversation."

Branwyn sighed. "So you think he's going to kill more and he may kill more easily as time goes on. All I can do is try to talk him out of it. That doesn't seem like much."

Circe shrugged. "Right now, it's all you've got. Just don't forget one very important thing."

"What?"

The Alaka-Wham gave her a flat look. "While you are busy trying to keep the love of your life from killing everyone he encounters, don't forget that some people do actually need to be killed."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 50

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 57

Unicorn Branwyn 46

ElfQueen Gwyneth 40

Neo Iczel Ruiling 32

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 29

G-Spliced Pythia 26

Active Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 35

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

_BALEENA, the Whale Warrior Pokegirl_

**Type**: Near Human Animorph (Whale)

**Element**: Water

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: small fish (lots), shrimp

**Role**: Aquatic heavy assault, used in undersea mining and farming post-War

**Libido**: Low

**Strong Vs.**: Fire, Rock, Water, Ice (Special)

**Weak Vs.**: Electric, Plant

**Attacks**: Tackle, Water Gun, Pummel, Water Spear, Takedown, Water Sword, Tail Slap, Mirror Image, Hip Drop, Water Floor, Body Slam, Bubbler, Backhand, Crushing Punch, Geyser, Super Move, Tidal Wave, Hydro Pump

En**hancements**: Enhanced Strength (x10 on land, x20 in water), amphibious, Enhanced Durability (x8), power increases in water, has immunity to cold other Water-type Pokegirls do not

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: None

Baleena were nightmares for every ocean-based fleet and submersible vehicle during the war. Used as undersea juggernauts, they devastated underwater forces arrayed against them. After the War, their numbers took a downturn as whalers realized what they were based on and tried to continue their ways.

Soon after, every whaler in the world disappeared without any trace. Some League officials have theorized Sanctuary Goth involvement in the ending of whaling, but nothing has been proven, and they didn't first appear until much later anyway, so no official statement on the matter has been made one way or another.

Baleenas are tall, stocky Pokegirls. They average 7 feet in height and have massive, whale-like flippers sprouting from their shoulders and upper arms. Their eyes are usually a glass black, and their skin is usually a dark, mottled gray or brown. Their feet are wide and webbed, obviously designed for swimming (although they have very little trouble walking and running on land) and while skinnier than what one would expect for a Pokegirl their size, they are very heavy. They are strong, muscular Pokegirls with a six pack stomach. They usually weigh a great deal, although not as much as a Snorlass. Blubber is stored on their bodies to help insulate them and to provide extra energy when they cannot find enough food. Baleenas also have special organs in their bodies to help regulate their body temperature, keeping them warm in the cold arctic depths where they are usually found.

Baleenas are fierce, unrelenting fighters, tending to prefer overwhelming an opponent with physical attacks as opposed to their water powers. Underwater, Baleenas gain a great deal of strength and durability, as the water pressure adds to their attacks. This is part of what made them so devastating during the Revenge War. They do not indulge in needless talking, and prefer when not in battle to just sit back, relax, drinking something along the lines of an herbal tea and singing to themselves. Although they prefer to relax, they will, however, not fail to defend their Tamer and Harem sisters if they are threatened. Many water-type Pokegirl Tamers that have a Baleena make her the Alpha.

Baleenas have a great air of natural wisdom about them, which fits since most Baleena are quite intelligent to begin with, and other fish-type Pokegirls, especially breeds such as the Boobfin, look up to them as mentors, Yogis, and teachers. They like intelligent discussion, and will warm up to a Tamer quickly if he or she proves willing to learn. They are spiritual beings, believing that all things on the planet have a spirit. The head of a Feral Baleena pod is usually referred to as a Shaman due to the fact that their singing seems to attract friendly spirits.

In Taming, Baleenas are gentle lovers, a stark contrast to their battle mindset. They will almost never be on top, and always let the Tamer take the lead. When they are actually the one taking the lead in the lovemaking, they are gentle and tender with their lovers, quietly bringing them to orgasm. While not the prettiest of Pokegirls, and a bit hard to maintain unless the Tamer has a steady supply of fish, they still maintain something of a fan base due to their many benefits, and are not without their elegant beauty

Even rarer than the Baleena is the orca-type Baleena. Through chance or genetic mystery, some Baleena have black and white, orca-like skin and razor sharp teeth. They are more muscular, and are more fierce and violent inside and outside of battle. Some call this type of Baleena the Killer Baleena, although not enough difference has been found to classify them as a different Pokegirl. They still maintain their aura of wisdom, but it is more a battlefield type of wisdom, that of a warrior who has an instinctual feel for life in general.

Baleenas are a rare Threshold result, usually only occurring if the girl going through Threshold has a Baleena in their recent family line or is near the ocean or another large body of water. Killer Baleenas so far only occur in the wild.

_**ROSEBREASTS, the Noble Grass Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Metamorph

**Element**: Plant/Fighting

**Frequency**: Unknown (All Leagues)

**Diet**: Water, sunlight, soil, sexual fluids

**Role**: Unknown

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Dark, Normal, Rock, Steel, Water, Electric, Plant, Bug

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ice, Flying, Poison, Psychic

**Attacks**: Vine Whip, Thorn Cutlass, Root System, Grass Cock, Probing Tentacles, Probing Pods, Grass Floor, Fruit Juice, Petal Armor (*), Assault, Swordwave, Sword Dance, Petal Dance, Hero Blade, Confuse, Sweet Honey, Royal Honey

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Agility (x3), Enhanced fighting capabilities

**Evolves**: N/A

**Evolves From**: Vinebra (choosing a permanent lover)

When a Vinebra chooses a permanent lover, sometime during the course of a lunar cycle, she will evolve into a RoseBreasts, becoming taller (average between 3 to 7 inches), and her hair will look as if it has been permed. Her bust may also increase, but the amount varies greatly. Her body is generally quite aerodynamic, allowing for faster and more fluid movements.

While the RoseBreasts loses it's immunity to aphrodisiacs, it gains two far more valuable (in the eyes of Tamers) abilities. The ability to create armor and a better ability to fight.

A RoseBreasts Pokegirl is far superior to other plant-type Pokegirls at fighting, capable of using various sword techniques and can even learn to duel at a competent level with other sword-wielding Pokegirls.

Unlike most Pokegirls, who rush in and beat on each other, the RoseBreasts is a graceful fencer, dancing just out of reach, and then dashing past her opponent, slashing a quick but shallow wound, before dancing out of reach of any reprisal.

A RoseBreasts enjoys any battle with a skilled fighter, and will often share her Honey Techniques with any Pokegirl or human who impresses her, but she rarely allows second tastes unless her opponent has defeated her.

Probably the biggest drawback to the RoseBreasts, is that she's got the same attitude as a Neo Iczel when it comes to other lovers. She's got a good heart and is always respectful (unless insulted first), especially towards those who've defeated her before, but she is haughty and demanding of anyone who wishes to join the bed she shares with her lover, forcing them to get both her permission as well as her lover's before they are fully welcome.

Regardless, a RoseBreasts is a powerful plant Pokegirl.

** Petal Armor **\- (DEF) The Pokegirl creates armor made of hardened rose petals. Though this seems rather feeble, it lessens the damage of any Flying or Ice attacks by one-third. It also lowers the damage of all physical attacks by 1% per level of the Pokegirl (to a maximum of 35%). The only drawback is that it doubles damage from any Fire attacks. The petals soften and fall apart after two combat turns.


	8. Chapter 8

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

Chpater 8: Sowing the Wind

Shikarou's phone rang suddenly. Branwyn shook her head at the tone. "I know that phone has ring tones you can assign to different people so you know who's calling. Why don't you do that?"

He unclipped the phone and looked at the id. "If I want music, I'll play music." He pushed a button and turned it to include Branwyn in the camera's field of view. "Hello Poppet."

"Good morning Shikarou, Branwyn." She smiled at them both.

"Mother." Branwyn's voice was neutral.

"I'm sorry to call so early but Devon has called and asked me for another favor, and I was wondering if you could help. You're in Belfast, so you're the closest people I know."

"Hold on, Poppet." Shikarou muted the phone and turned the camera away. "Is she likely to do this often?"

Branwyn cocked her head thoughtfully. "She might. She does have a tendency to treat people like her agents. Are you going to tell her no?"

"No, but I don't want to become the first person she calls when Devon has a problem." He turned the phone around and turned the sound on. Poppet looked faintly annoyed. "What is it?"

"Devon said that Florence has an emergency at the orphanage. Could you check it out?"

"Has she contacted the police?"

Poppet grimaced. "According to her, the police gave her the problem. I need you to find out what's going on and deal with it."

"So what is the current pay for fixing Devon's problems?"

Poppet blinked. "Pay? I just want you to take care of whatever happens to be the emergency."

"Exactly. I'm your friend and you want me to clean up a Conservatory problem. The two things are not related. What is the pay?"

Poppet frowned. "I don't have time to negotiate this out."

Shikarou smiled. "I've got all day."

"You're serious."

"Indeed I am. I am your friend and I'm happy to help you out with the occasional problem, but I've already done the head of the Conservatory a free favor and you only get one free taste of Shikarou."

Poppet smiled in spite of herself. "I've had more than that."

"You are not the head of the Conservatory. Devon is. You may run it, but Devon is the one I'm doing favors for and those shouldn't be free. Freelance perhaps, but not free. So what do you want to pay? Personally I think a million credits would be appropriate."

A choking sound came from the phone. "A million? You don't even know what the problem is."

"Exactly. If I don't know what the job is supposed to be, then I should charge top credit. It could be picking up a box of diapers or it could be disposing of several dead." He grinned. "I know; a million to find out what the problem is and then you can pay me to deal with it according to scale."

"I'll pay you fifty thousand, but only since you are right that I should have more information to give you. I'll relay that to Devon next time."

"Two hundred thousand."

She actually growled. "A hundred and no more."

"So I come down to a hundred and fifty and then the negotiations get ugly. How about we split the difference and call it a hundred and twenty five thousand?"

Poppet's eyes narrowed. "Fine. I'll deposit half now, and half when the job is done."

"Agreed. Do I get expenses?" He chuckled as Poppet broke the connection. "I'll take that as a no."

Branwyn had her hands over her mouth and her face was bright red. Finally she got her laughter under control enough to speak. "That was priceless. So what happens if the job is disposing of bodies or something that should be really expensive?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I agreed to a price, so that's the price. However, if Poppet sends me on jobs that should be expensive, rest assured that the next time we negotiate the price I will get a lot more money. Troubleshooters are not cheap, especially not the good ones." His eyes glittered. "Let us go to this orphanage. Personally I hope they just need some diapers."

The orphanage was located on the edge of town in an old warehouse that looked like it was undergoing some much needed refurbishment. A sign announced this as the Belfast Pokegirl Refuge.

A young Catgirl sat at a desk just inside the door. A scattering of mismatched chairs decorated the room. "Good morning, can I help you?"

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn. "Good morning, indeed you can. My name is Shikarou and I'm here to see Florence. I was sent by a friend of Devon's."

"Oh! Just a minute." The Catgirl picked up a handset and made a call.

Branwyn glanced at her Tamer. "Must be some emergency." Her voice dripped sarcasm.

"Yeah, I noticed."

A heavily tattooed NurseJoy wearing a leather skirt and top walked into the room and looked over Shikarou. "I'm Florence. You say Devon sent you?"

Shikarou shook his head slightly. "I'm Shikarou. What I said was that I had been sent by a friend of Devon's. I was asked by Poppet to see if I could help you out with what she called an emergency."

"That's what it is." Florence sighed loudly. "Please, have a seat." She smiled softly as she settled heavily into a chair. "Ever since I became pregnant, I seem to have less energy."

"That happens sometimes. So what is the problem and why won't the police deal with it?"

Florence folded her hands in her lap. "It's outside the jurisdiction of the Belfast police and they don't think the situation is serious enough to warrant a Tamer callout." A bitter look crossed her face. "After all, what's one more feral pokegirl?"

"So what is it?" Shikarou prompted again.

"About fifteen kilometers from here there have been reports of a feral Penance. I've finally had the reports verified and someone needs to go catch her."

Shikarou frowned as he mentally reviewed what he knew about the Penance. "While Penance can be dangerous, they are usually not an aggressive pokegirl. What exactly makes this an emergency?"

Branwyn gave him an irritated glare. "Penance are the living embodiment of everything cruel that can happen to a pokegirl. Almost unending cruelty is what causes a pokegirl to evolve into one. Of course Florence would want someone to take care of her, she's the ultimate expression of everything bad that could happen to her orphans."

Florence nodded. "That's right. And if you can get her to trust you, I would of course love it if you could find out who did this to her." Her eyes grew hot. "I can think of several things to do to someone like that."

"Now let me get this straight. Florence, you want me to catch this pokegirl because you feel sorry for her and you," he gave Branwyn a confused look, "agree with her?"

"That's a severe understatement of how I feel about the situation, but that is fairly correct." Florence peered sadly into his eyes. "As a Tamer, you should feel outraged that she even exists and you have a responsibility to take care of her."

His ears flicked. "Branwyn, is this one of those unwritten rules you've mentioned in the past?"

She nodded. "That's right."

"I don't suppose I could get a list of these unwritten rules, could I?" He asked in a droll voice.

"No."

"Are you sure these unwritten rules aren't just some way for pokegirls to get Tamers to do what they want?"

"Shikarou, I'm shocked that you would think that."

"Yeah, I thought you would be." He shook his head. "I think I need to set up a website for Tamers to post all of the unwritten rules that they've heard of, but I suspect it would mysteriously get hacked on a regular basis. All right, according to this particular unwritten rule, what am I supposed to do?"

Several long hours of slogging through snow found them nearing the ruins of an old petrol station. Broken windows gaped like missing teeth and the roof slanted alarmingly under its load of snow. Shikarou looked up at Ruiling and Lorelei as they circled overhead and waved as he spoke. "Lorelei, land, Ruiling, continue surveillance." He glanced at Circe as Lorelei changed direction. "Florence's report had the Penance nesting in this area and this is a logical place to look. Is she in there?"

"You do realize that she's a dark type and is immune to my psychic powers, don't you?"

"I do, but you should still be able to taste her mind, even if you can't touch it."

Circe gave him a brief look of respect. "You know more about my powers than most. It's good having you as my Tamer." Her eyes unfocused and her antenna twitched rapidly. "Someone is in there." An antenna twitched more violently. "Yes, it's her." She gave him an amused smile. "Unless there are two Penance out here."

"That is so not funny," Shikarou grumbled as he shrugged out of the two coils of wire rope. Lorelei took one from his hands and checked it before lifting off. She took up station and Ruiling spiraled in to get hers.

He glanced at Branwyn. "I don't see why there was so much protest to catching her the old fashioned way."

She gave him a flat look. "She's been through enough. She doesn't need yet another beating before you put her into a pokeball. This way is much better and I'm pleased that you thought of it."

"I hope you still think so afterwards." Shikarou waved to Yushiko and Pythia, who were providing cover behind the group as they traveled. "Ladies, this looks to be it. Pythia, you've got the electrical cables while Yushiko has the building itself. Take your positions."

"Hai." Yushiko went into a hover near the back of the building, her scarlet wings flashing in the sun. Pythia moved to hover near the electrical lines leading into the building.

"Execute." Pythia grabbed the cables and used thunderbolt. For the first time in almost three hundred years man-made lights glowed brightly in the interior of the building. They promptly exploded, showering the place with bits of burning glass. There was a terrified scream from inside.

Yushiko used thunderbolt on the back and side of the building, the electrical pulses blasting fist sized holes in the exterior until a bolt struck the wall where moisture had managed to penetrate. The water flashed to superheated steam. Several square meters of rock were blasted free and tumbled inside and outside the building. The roof visibly settled with a loud grinding noise and dust billowed across the snowy ground to leave a brick red residue on everything it touched.

More terrified screams came from the interior of the building and a completely red pokegirl came dashing out the entrance to the building, screaming in fear as she ran.

Shikarou spoke. "Lorelei." The Sphinx dropped a loop of wire rope over the Penance's shoulders and lifted her from the ground with vast sweeps of her powerful wings. The Penance clawed wildly at her bonds as Ruiling raced in and draped another loop around the trapped pokegirl's legs. The Neo Iczel backed quickly, putting the line under tension and lifting the Penance horizontal. Now, even if she could cut the first wire rope, she would stay caught.

He glanced at Branwyn, who was watching the Penance struggle with an unhappy look. Pulling out his wand, Shikarou pointed it at the hapless pokegirl. "Sleep." She fought the spell but after a minute or so went under.

He pulled out a pokeball and cautiously approached the now limp captive. He looked at his pokegirls to make sure no one was going to protest this and reached out to catch her. She disappeared into the pokeball without ceremony.

Branwyn watched him tuck the pokeball into his pack and mutter something as he headed back to her. "What is it?"

"Ok, I've got a Penance. Now what?" He shook his head. "You're going to want me to take care of her aren't you? To rehabilitate her. This could take years." His eyes narrowed and he glared off into nothingness for an instant. "Poppet severely underpaid me and I will remember that fact for next time."

As they headed for the front steps of the massive building, Branwyn frowned. "Isn't it time for the briefing?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Didn't you read the entry on the Belfast Gym? It's lead by Karen Cooper and she likes flying types. Devon faced her and we've corresponded about her, in their match she used a Hooter and a Murkunt." He didn't think Branwyn needed to hear about the second match. It was exceedingly unlikely he'd find himself in that position.

Branwyn tugged him to a stop. "So why do you think that the police are here? She gestured at the gym.

Shikarou followed her finger and saw the uniformed Growlie standing next to the front door. She had a sheet of paper on a clipboard and was scanning the people entering the gym. Since it was early morning, there wasn't a crowd. "Dunno, but I doubt the police are looking for us. Maybe there was some trouble earlier."

Branwyn laughed quietly. "Wouldn't that be funny if she was looking for us?"

"Not really. Please don't go tempting the gods. That kind of funny I don't need right now." They started up the steps. "Now I don't know how the sudden bump in my rank is going to effect how we battle here. I figure it'll make the battles tougher, but I doubt a rank of fifty will make the cameras or gym leaders come out."

He glanced at the Growlie as they walked past her and into the building. She gave him a bland look back. "You know, I've been thinking about uniforms for the harem. It could be a unifying factor or just a major pain in the neck. Think about it and tell me what you think, all right?" Branwyn nodded; her attention was still on the Growlie as the door slid shut behind them.

"There's the receptionist's desk." He smiled. "Good morning, I'm Shikarou Urufu and I'm here to challenge for a gym badge."

The young man nodded. "Your pokedex, please." He read the entry and nodded. "Let me get you an assistant to battle you. It'll only be a moment." He smiled. "Since you got here nice and early, you shouldn't have to wait long."

A few minutes later an attractive brunette appeared. "Mr. Urufu?"

Shikarou ignored her until Branwyn tapped his arm. "That's you, Mr. Urufu."

He blinked in surprise and turned to the woman, who was tapping a toe softly. "I must apologize, my name is Shikarou. I've been forced to use Urufu because the authorities here insist that I have a last name. Apparently not having one screws up their paperwork. I'm not used to hearing it yet."

The brunette smiled. "That's an original reason to ignore me. I guess I'll let it pass." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Karen."

Shikarou took the hand with only a tiny hesitation. "You're the gym leader, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." She gave him another smile. "Normally you'd face one of my assistants, but recently several people have spoken to me about you and it's stirred my curiosity."

"May I ask who has been talking about me?" Shikarou was very curious. As far as he knew, they didn't know anyone in common, except for Devon.

She chuckled. "Travis Conway called and left me a long message about how dangerous you were in battle and then Devon called me and spent some time talking you up. He's been avoiding me and probably hopes I'll stop chasing him for you. He thinks I'm trying to get married or pregnant or both."

Branwyn choked when Shikarou asked, "Are you?" with a completely innocent expression.

Karen gave him an annoyed look. "That's not nice thing to ask."

"Perhaps not, but apparently Devon wants you to shift your attention to me and whatever he told you was interesting enough to get you to come out to meet me, so I think that might be an important question for me to ask." He smiled. "It doesn't mean I'm going to run away if you say yes, I'm a widower and the concepts of marriage or children don't frighten me. I just want to know what I might be getting into."

Karen's look became thoughtful. "I suppose you are right. I'm not young enough to be a Tamer anymore and I guess that I am starting to think about those things, although not nearly as seriously as Devon thinks I am. It's just that he's interesting. Are you interesting?"

"Well, there's a dangerous question. If I answer no, then I'm stupid and if I answer yes, I'm vain. I don't suppose maybe will do, so I'll instead answer by saying that some people seem to find me so." He nodded slowly. "I suppose it's an individual preference."

Karen smiled. "That's not a bad answer, and invites me to discover if I find you interesting myself. I think I'd like to. Say, over dinner tonight?"

The last time Shikarou had seen the look Branwyn was giving him, he'd still been married to Pallaius and he'd been caught flirting with one of the Empress's ladies-in-waiting. Her look was unhappy and filled with a multitude of silent promises of unpleasant times ahead for him.

The difference was that this time he didn't deserve it, but he doubted Branwyn would be rational about that. So, since he was going to be punished anyway… "That sounds intriguing. How about we discuss it after the battle? You might not think I'm worth getting to know at that point."

Karen opened her mouth to reply when another voice intruded. "Shikarou Urufu?"

It was the Growlie from outside. She compared a picture to his face. "Are you Shikarou Urufu?"

Shikarou gave Branwyn a see-what-you-got-me-into look and was pleased that she looked horrified. "Yes I am."

She nodded happily. "Good. I couldn't recognize you from this picture." She waved it in front of him. In his opinion it wasn't his best side, but it was definitely him.  
"It's ok, officer, to gaijin we all look alike."

The Growlie smiled and nodded. "Good. I have to take you into custody. You have a warrant," she announced cheerfully.

"For what?" Branwyn was trying to keep her voice level.

"They'll explain that at the station. Please turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Shikarou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I will not kill her._ He shrugged out of his pack and unclipped his belt, wrapping the belt and his pokeball carrier around one of the straps of his backpack. He handed everything to Branwyn. "Find out what the fuck is going on, if you can."

She nodded and took the pack. "I will."

Shikarou turned and placed his hands behind his back. As the Growlie put the handcuffs on him he gave Karen an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline dinner."

Karen smiled. "We'll reschedule after you get released." Her smile broadened. "Arrested under mysterious circumstances does qualify you as interesting."

"Thank you."

The Growlie finished securing him. "Let's go." She led him out the door and down the street. Behind them, Branwyn vanished as she teleported away.

When they arrived at the police station, Shikarou was divested of all of his possessions as part of his processing. They would have missed his wand, but he volunteered it and his shoulder holster. He was then placed in holding cell with several other prisoners to wait. He made himself comfortable against the wall and put himself into a light meditative state.

At noon they were each given a metal tray of food, mainly winter vegetables and processed grains. A big man stepped in front of him as he returned to his spot, tray in hand. Shikarou suppressed a spurt of anger and kept his face emotionless as he stepped around the man, who moved to block him again. "What is it?" His mind raced as he formulated plans to deal with a situation that could easily spiral out of control.

"Your lunch. Give it to me." The man was an easy two meters in height and very broad. Little of it was fat. He grinned as he watched Shikarou look him up and down. "Now."

Shikarou decided to fight monosyllable with monosyllable. "No." Pause. "I will not."

The man made a fist. It seemed as big as a Khangasscunt's egg. His eyes gleamed as he waved it slowly in the general direction of Shikarou. "Last chance."

Shikarou snapped the wrist and stepped around the man as he howled and curled up around his injured arm. Settling down, he started eating his lunch, ignoring the noise.

He sighed and sped up his eating when the OfficerJenny appeared to find out what the ruckus was about. She looked around the cell. "What is going on here?"

The guy with the broken wrist glared at Shikarou. "He attacked me. My arm is broken."

The OfficerJenny looked at Shikarou. "Is this true?"

"No, that's not true. His wrist is broken, not his arm."

She blinked in surprise and pulled a com unit from her belt to call for medical assistance. "Why did you break his wrist?"

"He told me to give him my lunch and I said no. He threatened me and I responded to it."

"You don't assault the other prisoners!" She sounded indignant.

"I do if they are preparing to assault me."

She glared at him. "And when you are convicted and sent to prison, how do you think you'll do with that attitude?"

He gave her an even look. "Better than you suspect." He slid to his feet and moved to the cell door. "Are you going to move me to isolation?"

A human policeman appeared. He frowned and looked around the cell. "Another troublemaker. Why do they always seem to come out on a holiday? I should leave you here with Josh and his cronies."

The OfficerJenny shook her head. "You can't. Policy demands we move the aggressive one to solitary."

Josh glared at Shikarou. "You'd better hope they do, pokegirl, or you'll be dead by morning."

Shikarou gave him a pleasant smile. "Someone will be."

"That's enough of that kind of talk." The OfficerJenny glared at the policeman. "I'm moving him now, Robert."

Robert glared back. "Jenn, I outrank you and you're going to stay and wait for the NurseJoy who's coming to treat Josh. I'll move the idiot to isolation."

The OfficerJenny dropped her gaze, but Shikarou could see that her eyes were still angry. "Yes, sir."

"Hook him up." Robert handed Jenn his cuffs. She opened the cell and cuffed Shikarou's wrists in front of him.

Robert took Shikarou by the shoulder and shoved him down the corridor. "Move it pokegirl."

Shikarou tried to control his irritation at being touched. He managed to do so until the third shove. In a pleasant tone he asked, "Are you always such a jackass or am I special?"

Robert halted in shock. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted. "No one talks to me that way, bitch." Suddenly he smirked. "Yeah, you're special and I've got just the place for you, pokegirl." He pointed down the hall. "Now move it before I call for reinforcements and you end up getting carried." Shikarou headed down the corridor again, mentally berating himself for losing control like that. Something wasn't right with his mental equilibrium and he was worried because he wasn't worried.

They entered the isolation ward, which turned out to be a row of metal doors, each of which had a tiny viewing window that could be covered with a metal plate. The lights were dimmer here, and the air moved sluggishly.

"Here you go, pokegirl." Robert hit a switch next to the last door. With a hiss, an electromagnetic seal unlocked and the view plate slid open. Fiercely bright light streamed out. He peered in for a minute. "Perfect." He unlocked and opened the door. "Inside, bitch."

As soon as Shikarou stepped into the room the door was slammed shut. "Stick your hands out the window so I can remove your cuffs." Robert's voice sounded muffled as Shikarou looked around.

The room was the same size as the holding cell, but appeared empty. It was much colder here, and his breath steamed slightly in the bright lights. There was a bunk against the far wall, and some thin blankets were piled in a large mound in the center of it.

"I want my cuffs. Bitch, your arms, now!" Shikarou fought down the impulse to snap the cuffs and slowly shoved his hands through the viewing window. The handcuffs were roughly removed. "Now you be good and I'll check on you in an hour or so and see if you are feeling more compliant," Robert almost whispered in a silky tone. "Then maybe we'll talk about moving you to another cell." With a harsh laugh he shoved Shikarou's hands back into the cell and snapped the view plate shut.

Suddenly there was a click and the lights dimmed to a feeble glow. Shikarou gave a slow sigh and turned to head to his bunk.

The pile of blankets was staring at him. It hissed.

Shikarou blinked and shook his head. Nope, the blankets were still staring at him.

As his eyes adapted to the low light, he realized that there was someone under the blankets. He took a lungful of air. His nose said it was a she and that he had no idea what she was, although there was the faint sour smell of old blood, which could be coming from anywhere around here.

The girl sat up slowly, cautiously dropping the blankets at her side. She opened her mouth and hissed at him again. This time he could watch elongated canines gleam in the low light. She was a pokegirl then.

He tried to talk to her. "Hai."

She hissed again.

He began applying a process of elimination in an attempt to identify the pokegirl as she uncurled from the bed. He'd thought she was a girl, so she was a very near human. The teeth eliminated a lot of possibilities. She was short, a mere meter and a half. More possibilities were eliminated when she lifted a handful of centimeters off of the floor to hover and slowly began to drift in his direction. He backed away from her as she advanced until he hit the wall. Suddenly the room didn't seem very large at all.

In the low light, he could tell her hair was dark, brown or black. That didn't help much.

While he was thinking, she faded from view.

_Crap._ Shikarou went very still, only his ears moving as they swiveled, listening intently for the attack he was sure was coming. His fingers tensed as he began to hear her breathing and heartbeat as she got close. Very close. He kept his ears moving to keep her from knowing he was tracking her.

She appeared again suddenly, not a meter in front of him. She hissed again and this time Shikarou could see drops of fluid form on the ends of her canines. _Her fangs._

He started to throw himself sideways as she lunged, but she turned in midair and caught his arm, sinking her fangs into the meat of his forearm. The pain was sharp and intense as she sucked hard, swallowing convulsively as she drank. The tips of her fangs grated on bone as she worried at the wound and he went white as pain exploded up his arm and through his body.

Shikarou raised his free hand to his mouth and bit, driving his own teeth into the artery in his arm. He offered it to the pokegirl, who released his other arm and latched on, sucking hungrily. It still hurt, but at least it didn't feel like she was trying to sample his bone marrow.

He glanced at the bite she'd given him and suddenly stared hard at it. There was a soapy film around the bite and it was heavily laced with small bubbles. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath when he realized that her saliva was a greenish-yellow in color. She was a bloody Vampire.

He brushed the Vampire's hair back and was startled when she giggled around his arm. He inhaled sharply, and felt surprise sweep through him as he realized that her scent had started to significantly change. She rolled an eye to look at him as he spoke. "I guess it makes sense."

Awkwardly, since he only had the use of one hand, Shikarou shrugged out his shirt, leaving it hanging on the arm the Vampire was feeding from. He kicked off his boots and started struggling out of his pants. The Vampire giggled again.

He frowned and tapped her on top of her head. She rolled her eyes up to look at him again. Her pupils had expanded, leaving only a thin ring of iris. "You're high." He chuckled quietly. "I'd heard that blood-drinkers could get high off of our blood, but I've never seen it before now." The Vampire shifted slightly and sucked harder.

"Eventually I'm going to run out of blood." Already he felt light headed. His regenerative powers would create more blood quickly, but not instantly. These powers also needed fuel to work with, and he'd gotten the opportunity to eat only a little of his lunch.

The Vampire switched to licking his arm with broad strokes. She looked up at him and whimpered. "Closed up, did it?" He chuckled and lifted her head to his. He murmured as their lips met, "While I've still got enough blood for an erection, let's move to the next stage."

He kissed her hungrily as he pushed her backwards, his tongue thrusting deeply into her mouth as he licked up the last of the blood she'd been drinking. She made a hungry noise deep in her throat and suddenly started kissing him back, her arms pulling him with her as she moved backwards.

She twisted slightly and sank her fangs into his lower lip, sucking as the blood welled forth. Shikarou winced but kept pushing her backwards until she was flat on the floor.

He slipped his hand between her legs and stroked her wetness. The Vampire moaned and let go of his lip. Her head dropped to the floor with a thunk as she spread her legs to give him better access.

Shikarou became even more lightheaded as blood flow redirected to his groin. He slid between the Vampire's legs as she urged him on and rubbed himself against her. She groaned as he forced himself deep inside her and wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him to move faster.

Shikarou quickly discovered that if he moved too quickly the world swam, so he kept a fast enough pace to keep the Vampire content and reached down between them to stroke her clit. Her body bucked and she suddenly surged up to sink her fangs into his shoulder.

The room began to spin as she drank and Shikarou finally forced her mouth from his shoulder. "You need to leave me some of that, missy." She let him push her away and lay back again. Shikarou could hear her stomach gurgle as she moved.

Ignoring his dizziness, Shikarou thrust harder, rocking her body as he drove into her. She howled as her body convulsed beneath him and raked his back with her nails.

An odd feeling swept through his body and before he could think about it, Shikarou pulled the Vampire's head to the side and sank his fangs into her throat. She hissed in pleasure as he drank.

Suddenly her body bowed and she screamed and he exploded inside her, taking and giving at the same time.

Shikarou pulled his mouth off of her neck and leaned to the side. _Gods above, what was I thinking? The only time I drank blood I threw it back up. On the girl I took it from._

The Vampire reached up and pulled his mouth back to her neck as she ground her crotch against his. He took the hint and started sucking again as he continued to thrust into her. She moaned in pleasure, her voice becoming louder and louder.

Surprisingly, Shikarou's world steadied and some strength returned as he increased his pace. The Vampire forced his face against her neck again and again. He rose up and she met his gaze as she pricked her finger on one of his teeth. She nodded quickly and pulled him back down. He sank his teeth back into her throat and her whole body arched beneath him, threatening to throw him off as she convulsed. She screamed until her voice was hoarse.

He felt his orgasm build from the bottom of his feet and fill his body before it spilled over into her. His world shrank to a pinpoint and he fought to remain conscious.

The Vampire cradled him against her and purred sleepily as he slowly became aware of his surroundings once more.

He waited until her breathing slowed and her heartbeat became even before slowly propping himself up. When he moved too quickly, the world had a tendency to spin around him and he swore he heard laughter. Malicious laughter.

Slowly he slid off of the Vampire, who was, appropriately enough, dead to the world. His stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm working on it," he muttered.

He slowly moved into a sitting position and held his hand out. The wounds had healed, although his arm still ached where she'd scraped bone. He focused his will. "Wand."

It appeared in his hand and he slowly let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. It had been some time since he'd performed this little bit of magic, and it was good to know he still could.

Shikarou created a platter of rare steaks and dropped the wand in his lap to grab a steak in each hand. While his instinct was to cram his mouth full of food and swallow, he knew it would get processed faster if he took the time to chew it thoroughly. Still, it was hard.

He ate nearly five pounds of beef before his stomach signaled that it was full. He put the rest to the side and leaned back against the Vampire as his body worked hard to replenish the blood he'd lost. After a couple of minutes he slowly picked the Vampire up, staggered to the bunk and lowered her into it before climbing in to lie with her.

He rested and waited.

_Pay attention when I'm talking to you. I'm done. _A pause. _Hey, is this thing on? Two donkeys walk into a bar. The third ducks and avoids injury. Thank you, I'll be here all night. _

Shikarou roused himself from his meditation. "What have you done?" He blinked as comprehension dawned. "You're finished?"

_It is alive. Well, as much as an AI can be._

**I AM AS MUCH ALIVE AS BOTH OF YOU ARE.**

Shikarou winced. "Do you have to shout? We're all in the same head, at least for now."

**SHOUTING? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Ah, I see. I am sorry.**

"That's ok. Have you chosen a name?"

**No. I have not yet meshed with you enough to create a persona. Then a name will either become obvious or you will choose me one.**

"I guess that will have to work. Do you accept the precepts that have bound our people together since the first time?"

**I do. And do you accept the laws of your people?**

"I do. You are a living being and in seventy five years you will be free to live your own life."

**And in the meantime I will serve you loyally and with initiative, except where you circumscribe my actions.**

"Done."

**And done.**

_Aren't you two so sweet?_

**You are an adjunct to the Shikarou self. You have no free will and little ability.**

"Now, we all have to work together and if I've allowed my twee more free will than you think is good, you only have to live with it for seventy five years."

**You are correct. It is crowded in here, when can I move out of your head?**

"I'm in jail right now and don't have access to my stuff, so you'll have to sit tight for a little while."

**The clock is ticking, whether I work or not.**

"Yes it is. Now be quiet and let me get some rest."

**Very well.**

Shikarou closed his eyes again and went back to waiting.

A couple of hours later his mind became alert as the Vampire stirred. She sat up slowly, her eyes on his. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and looked him up and down. She blinked suddenly and reached up to stroke one of his ears. "Soft," she said quietly.

Shikarou tilted his head to give her easier access. "Do you have a name?"

The Vampire kept stroking his ears, alternating between them. "So soft." She glanced into his eyes before refocusing on his ears. "No."

"May I give you one?" She nodded, still looking at his ears. "Then I'll name you Elizabeth."

Her eyes flicked down to his and back up to his ears. "Ok."

"Are you hungry?"

She stopped stroking his ears. "Yes, but I shouldn't. I remember what happened. I almost killed you."

Shikarou raised his arm. "I'm not dead. Go ahead. Do you know much about anatomy?"

"A little. When I realized what was happening to me I did some reading." She flushed slightly. "I thought it would, you know, make me a better hunter. I was hoping I could stay sane." She touched his arm. "It didn't work." She smirked. "Do you know why I'm not in a pokeball?"

"No, I don't. Do you want to tell me, Elizabeth?"

"Mom has nine daughters and when I got bit she was happy. She was going to sell me, cause Vampires are very rare. So I emptied her bank account and got myself chipped with an anti-capture chip." Fury crossed her face. "The bitch deserved it." Just as suddenly her face went empty again. "Will you keep me? I would like that. Your blood makes me feel really good. For a little while I'm happy." She shifted slightly. "I know it's not real, it's something in your blood, but I've never been happy before."

"Elizabeth?" Her eyes moved to meet his. "I'll keep you. Now feed."

Her nervous smile made her look vulnerable and terribly, terribly young.

Shikarou lifted his arm. "Now look, along here," he traced above the main artery, "runs the biggest artery in my arm. At this point right here it lies just under the skin, so when you bite, do it slowly, until you get a lot of blood. There's no reason to try to drive your fangs out the other side; that is wasteful and hurts your victim." He smiled. "It'll take a bit of practice to get it right, but I have faith in you."

"You know a lot about this." She looked at him curiously. "You bit me. Are you a Vampire too?"

"Not yet." Shikarou smiled when she looked confused. "You injected me with your transformative agent last night. We've got six days before I become a Vampire, but I won't let it happen." He snorted. "I'm not even sure I can be transformed, but that's a test for the lab and not the field."

"I know about biting arms. Mainly because I have to release my blood to summon my blood magic and so I learned how to do it with as little pain as possible."

"What if they want you to become a Vampire." Elizabeth sniffed his arm.

He smiled. "I've got a Vampire of my own now. Anytime I want to leave, you can take me through the walls. There is no way they can keep me from getting medical help. I suspect turning me into a Vampire is against some rule, however, so the OfficerJenny's won't let that happen."

Elizabeth sealed her lips on his arm and slowly forced her fangs into him. She looked so startled when the blood spurted into her mouth that Shikarou laughed quietly. She sucked gently, making small happy noises.

Elizabeth disengaged, licking his arm as the blood oozed. "Enough." She looked up at him. "I feel good." Her pupils had dilated slightly.

She straddled his legs and sucked his cock into her mouth. Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled as her head bobbed. Shikarou reached for her and she shook her head and sucked harder, so he leaned against the wall and put his hands at his sides. She smiled and nodded.

His groin tightened and he moaned, "Elizabeth, I'm going to come." She giggled and slowed her pace, watching his eyes until he exploded in her mouth. She swallowed everything he could give her and licked him clean before resting her head on his thigh.

Reaching behind her, she fumbled for the blanket and pulled it over her, covering herself along with his legs.

"Why are you doing that?"

Her voice was low and vibrant against his thigh. "Sometimes they warn me before they turn on the sunlamps. Sometimes."

Shikarou stirred and slid out from under the blankets. Elizabeth grumbled sleepily, but stayed put as he padded towards the door. He knew the doors were soundproofed, but with his hearing he once again heard a voice.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND MY TAMER?" He grinned as he recognized Branwyn's voice, albeit louder than he was used to hearing it. "HE WON'T FIT IN A POKEBALL AND YOU'D BETTER FIND HIM RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!"

Silence. He could barely hear another voice, but couldn't make out the words through the soundproofing.

"WELL IF HE'S NOT IN HOLDING AND HE'S NOT IN THIS ISOLATION CELL THEN HE'D BETTER BE IN ONE OF THE OTHERS! YOU"D BETTER BLOODY WELL CHECK THEM ALL!"

More indistinguishable words.

"I DON'T CARE IF FUCKING TYPHONNA IS IN HERE! CHECK THEM ALL! I AM GOING TO END UP OWNING THE ENTIRE CITY OF BELFAST UNLESS SOMEONE FINDS MY TAMER RIGHT NOW!"

"Ah, the dulcet sounds of love." Shikarou snickered quietly. "I guess it's time to let my alpha know where I am." He raised his fist and set himself, throwing all of his strength behind the blow as he hit the observation window.

The door rang like a bell and Elizabeth squeaked in surprise. Shikarou hit it again and the electromagnetic seal failed in a spray of sparks. The cover plate shot across the hallway and ricocheted down the hall.

Shikarou waited for the echoes to fade away before looking out the window. "Hello, Branwyn." He recognized the person with her. "Hello Jenn."

Branwyn looked shocked and anxious and slightly relieved. "Shikarou! Are you ok?"

"Not really." He turned his attention to Jenn, who was chalk white. "I'm going to need to file a formal complaint against Robert for putting me in here. I'm also going to need immediate medical care."

Her voice quavered. "T, There must have been some kind of mistake. No one would have deliberately put you in that cell."

"No, Robert knew exactly what he was doing when he put me in here."

"What is it?" Branwyn was back to looking worried.

"Robert stuck me in here with a feral Vampire." The color drained from the Unicorn's face. "Yes, I've been infected. Three days ago. At this point I was about ready to break out of here to get help on my own, so I'm very glad you showed up."

The OfficerJenny was on her com. "We've got medical on the way." She gave him a curious look. "What about the Vampire?"

"She won't hurt anyone anymore." He grinned. Jenn flinched away from his teeth. "Someone owes me a bounty. C57500, I believe."

The OfficerJenny unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"No, the bounty is C200000," Branwyn corrected as she stepped back out of the way.

Shikarou chuckled as the OfficerJenny tried to look away from his nudity, but kept sneaking glances. "No, that's for killing her."

Jenn froze. "She's still alive?" She grabbed frantically for the door, only to be body-checked backwards by Shikarou. She careened across the corridor and went sprawling in a tangle of limbs.

"That's right. I tamed her. Now she's mine and harmless unless I say so." His eyes glittered. "By the bye, where is Robert?"

"No." Branwyn touched his arm. "We have to do this legally." She sighed. "I'll get one of the spare pokeballs for her."

"That won't work." Jenn picked herself up off the floor. "For some reason, she won't go into a pokeball."

"That's because she's got an anti-capture chip." The OfficerJenny looked astonished at Shikarou's explanation. "I suspect you were proceeding under the assumption that she is feralborn? Well, she isn't." A nasty smile twisted his face, all teeth and anger. "That also means she can testify that Robert put me in here and that he knew what he was doing." He glanced at Branwyn. _I've already removed the anti-capture chip with her approval so we can put her into a pokeball. Yes, I'm going to keep her. She needs to be with someone who can feed her without dying, at least until she learns how to do it right. And she's been alone her whole life, or at least that's what she's told me._

_What about the Penance? Will you keep her as well?_

_I said I would and I will. _Shikarou gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. _What's an additional needy pokegirl, in the long run?_

Branwyn nodded as a NurseJoy hurried down the hall. "I suppose you are right." She sighed. "However, understand this: I'm your alpha and I come first." She reached out and touched his cheek. "That was the last time I'm letting you out of my sight. Now I understand how mother felt about losing Jamie." She stared into his eyes. "You're getting some serious cuddling later." Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. _Don't ever send me away again._

"Agreed." Shikarou noted the look of confusion on Jenn's face, but decided that he really didn't care.

After a bath and some clean clothes, Shikarou felt much better as he settled into the chair. He was in a conference room with Branwyn and Circe. A large viewscreen was mounted on one wall and was filled with the image of an impatient looking young man.

"It's about time you showed up. We were supposed to meet at 1000 hours." He glared at Shikarou, who glared back.

"Are you the person who had me arrested?" He made person sound vaguely obscene.

A brief smile appeared. "I had you held for questioning, yes. I want to talk to you about your brother."

"Who are you and why was I held for so long?"

"I'm Paul McDonald and I'm with the Planetary League Council." He smirked. "The reason you were the Belfast police's guest was because you took too long to be located. By the time the police notified me you were in custody, I was on my way home to celebrate the New Year. I got back to the office this morning." His face smoothed out and became businesslike. "Now, your brother, Faelan, works for us. Do you know where he is?"

Shikarou blinked and checked his com before looking up. "You lost my brother?" _He hasn't left me a message since the Yule party._

Circe looked at him briefly. _There is a teleport block here but as soon as we get outside, I'll check with Lynn and see if he's contacted her._

**I can help as soon as I get downloaded into my containment unit.**

_I know. Please wait. Twee, download the AI into the pokedex._

_I'm on it. It will take some time._

Paul was speaking. "We haven't lost anyone. Your brother is late checking in and I wanted to see if he'd contacted you."

"No, he has not contacted me within the last week."

"Didn't you notice?" Paul almost sneered.

Shikarou closed his eyes for a moment. "Someone had me arrested for no particular reason several days ago, and I didn't have my com with me."

"Don't blame me for your problems," McDonald snapped. "If you'd behaved, your time wouldn't have been quite so unpleasant."

The table creaked beneath Shikarou's fingers and stress marks appeared in the plastic. "When did my brother last report in?"

"That is classified. Need to know only." A smirk appeared. "And you don't have a need to know."

"I see." Shikarou nodded. "Then we are done."

"I'm not finished with you," Paul snarled. Shikarou ignored him and headed for the door. Circe beat him to it and jerked it open. They headed through the building and outside, into the winter air. Circe immediately teleported.

Shikarou took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What about the man whose wrist I broke?"

"There will be no charges against you for anything." Branwyn sounded smug. "I contacted mother and she is taking care of everything as a favor to us."

"That's good. Now we only have do deal with what she'll want in return. Well, one problem at a time. We'll deal with her when what she wants becomes an issue."

His pokedex beeped three times. "Ah, the download is complete." Shikarou unclipped the pokedex and held it up. "Talk to me."

"I need a name." The image that formed in the holographic display was of a slender green haired woman with red eyes.

"Aggie." Shikarou replied without hesitation.

"Very well," Aggie replied. "Paul McDonald is the assistant to the Assistant Director of Special Affairs."

"How does he interact with Faelan?"

"He does not. Faelan Wolf reports to the Director of Special Affairs only, Ms. Olivia Sanchez. Faelan has no contact with McDonald or McDonald's superior."

"So McDonald is a peon and your brother didn't have anything to do with him." Branwyn looked curious. "What is he doing investigating your brother's disappearance?"

"I don't know, and right now I don't care. If Faelan is in trouble, we'll need to move fast, he was investigating some very dangerous pirates somewhere in Indigo."

Branwyn frowned. "And if he's not?"

"Then we'll surprise the shit out of him when we show up to say hai."

"Can you do it?"

Circe shook her head slowly as she thought. "I'm not sure. None of my sisters have ever tried to do this." She cocked her head. "I'll need to consult with them first."

Shikarou ground his teeth. "All right, how quickly can you do that?"

The Alaka-Wham reached for his com unit. "I don't have the range to reach the base so I'll need to get in touch with Ming-Die."

"Very well, you do that while we continue on the old fashioned way. I'll meet you at Stroak's in ten minutes."

Circe nodded as she punched in Devon's com code. "Understood. Ten minutes."

Branwyn took his hand. "You know that time's going to drag while we are there waiting."

"Oh, I do, which was why I was trying to eliminate all of the hours we're going to be stuck doing this." The terrain changed and now they were looking at Professor Stroak's lab. "I'll let the Professor know we are here so he doesn't think we're bandits or something. In the meantime we'll wait for Circe where we'd put our tent."

A short time later Circe appeared where they were waiting. Shikarou had released all of his teleport capable pokegirls so they'd have this location marked.

She shook her head before he could speak. "Devon's not answering his com, so I left a message." She handed back his com. "So we'll have to proceed as if I can't."

He nodded as he smiled slightly to cover his bitter disappointment. "I know you're doing all you can." He turned to Ruiling and Pythia. "Ladies, you know what to do."

Ruiling nodded. "We'll see you in an hour." Flying in close formation, the two pokegirls lifted off and raced north.

Shikarou watched until they were out of sight and then turned away. "I know they can take care of themselves but it's hard to watch them go," he muttered. "All right Branwyn, let's review what we know."

She nodded. "Your brother hasn't been in contact with anyone since the Yule party. His twee can function as a transponder and your satellite surveillance shows that on the 27th he left the Indigo Plateau and moved north into the Capital League, staying over water and keeping far enough out to be over the horizon from land."

"On the 29th he landed on an island off of the eastern coast of the Ice Maiden Preserve and his transponder vanished." She frowned. "Doesn't that mean he's dead?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so." Shikarou had left the picnic table behind and now he summoned a tea service. "His twee would have sent out an alert if he'd been dying and another one if he'd actually died. It's far more likely that he was taken underground or underwater, the transponder will only register for a short distance after that. The only way his twee wouldn't have alerted would have been if his body had been vaporized instantly."

He grimaced. "At least I hope he's alive. Killing siblings is moderately serious and I don't want to spend the next twenty years tracking down everyone involved in his death. Also, I kind of like the git." He gave Branwyn and Circe a quick glance. "Not that he needs to know."

Circe cocked her head, her antenna slowly moving in a circle. "So what would you consider very serious?"

"Very serious includes murdering a member of my harem or any of my children. For that, I would hunt the killers down through the generations until their entire genetic line was eliminated."

"Ah."

An hour later Ruiling teleported into sight. She landed in front of Shikarou and smiled. "Everything is in order."

"Excellent, we'll be ready to go in just a short time." Shikarou looked at Branwyn as he pulled out her pokeball. She sighed and gave him a reproachful look, but didn't protest her retrieval.

Ruiling slipped her arm through his and rubbed her cheek against his. "She's not happy when you're out of sight of her right now."

"That's a case of stating the obvious." Shikarou shook his head. "However, you know where we are going and she doesn't."

Ruiling smiled. "That's right." They teleported, coming out in the middle of a snowy field. A hundred meters in the air, Pythia came out of her orbit to inspect them briefly before landing as Shikarou released his other pokegirls, everyone except Elizabeth and the Penance. "Team one, perimeter watch. Team two, recovery and backup. Gwyneth, you've got guard duty."

Circe lifted into the air and hovered as Yushiko summoned her wings and launched herself upwards. Her wings glittered like rubies in the weak sunlight as they drove her ever higher.

Branwyn got out the PPHU while Lorelei caught the two pokeballs Shikarou tossed her. The Sphinx returned Ruiling and Pythia and then she and Branwyn ran them through a healing cycle before she released them again.

Shikarou took Ruiling and Pythia by the hand. "You are doing very well. Do either of you need anything?"

Pythia shook her head. "We're fine." She smiled. "Actually this is fun; I've never flown so far and so fast. The first leg was uneventful and if there are any problems on the second leg, one of us should survive long enough to return to you, as we had planned."

"I'd rather you both returned safely. I want to find Faelan, but shaving off an hour or so in our quest is not worth the lives of any of my harem."

Ruiling kissed him gently. "We understand. No heroics. Branwyn made quite clear what would happen if we didn't follow your orders." She gave the Unicorn a nasty look. "She presumes to control how often I get tamed. Later, when this is over, she and I are going to have to settle who's in charge once and for all."

The Neo Iczel lifted into the air, closely followed by Pythia. The two of them turned north and resumed their journey.

Branwyn watched them go, her eyes closed to slits against the glare. "You will teach me that forcewall spell, right?"

Shikarou nodded. "That and any others you might need. I recommend sleep."

"Good. When I beat her, I want her to hurt so much that she feels it for a week even after she gets healed up."

"You do realize that as long as you keep winning, things will not be 'settled once and for all'."

Branwyn snorted. "Then she'd better get used to the taste of defeat, because if she beats me, it won't be over until I beat her twice."

Over two hours had to pass for this leg, but Pythia, who was the strategic leader, was under strict orders to be gone no longer than that, so it was no surprise when both of them reappeared at the two hour point. Both of them looked tired.

Pythia landed in front of Shikarou as Ruiling went to land in front of Branwyn for healing. "At 1520 we were followed for a short while by a Rack, but she couldn't keep up with Ruiling and eventually gave up pursuit. Her behavior appeared to be erratic, insomuch as she broke off and reacquired us several times, and I suspect that she was feral." She dropped her voice. "Ruiling wanted to catch her for you, but my instructions were firm and when I threatened to return her to here immediately, she obeyed. I am concerned that she might jeopardize the mission."

Shikarou nodded. "I understand but right now I need there to be two of you out at a time more than I need to correct Ruiling. Later, we will deal with it. What about your return point?"

"We were still over water when we had to return. We can move you to a shoreline closest to where we are, but we've begun to have to search for the island and it may take some time." She shrugged tiredly. "Where you are when we return is really immaterial as long as we know where that happens to be."

"I want to be moved to that shoreline." Shikarou stroked her muzzle and she leaned into his hand slightly. Her fur was sweaty beneath his palm. "Do you two need to rest for a while?"

Pythia gave him a wry flick of the ears. "I'm not sure and I don't like not being sure. Pokeballs and your healing machine are still so new to me that I'm having a hard time factoring them into my calculations. I still don't know all of their capabilities and when I think I do, you always seem to throw a new wrinkle in how you use your equipment."

She bumped her nose against his hand and gave his palm a quick lick. "I can tell you this, if we'd had them in large numbers during the war, Sukebe would have won. If we'd had the PPHU, we would have won easily." She winked. "It's a good thing my loyalty is to you now, or I'd be trying to figure out how to get this information to him."

Her tongue lolled in a canine laugh. "Of course, considering how creative you seem to be, I'd be trying to get you to work with him to ensure his final victory." She gave him a little girl look. "If I asked nicely, would you be my general?"

Shikarou kissed her gently on the nose. "I am your general and it's a very good thing we aren't there. With pokegirls like the ones in my harem to offer, I'd have a hard time saying no to anything Sukebe asked of me." He pulled his hand away. "Now off you go."

She smiled and loped off to be healed.

Afterwards, Shikarou had a brief conference with Ruiling, Pythia, Branwyn and Circe.

He looked at Pythia. "Well?"

She nodded. "I feel completely refreshed, however I read the instruction manual for the PPHU and it won't replace our need for sleep."

"I know. I won't even try to push you two for more than eight hours." He looked at his alpha as he unclipped his pokedex. "We'll need to talk later." She nodded as he returned his attention to the group.

"I moved one of my reconnaissance satellites over the area when we started this trip and just got the realtime downloads." He activated the display. "Here are the infrared traces of Ruiling and Pythia and here is the island." He looked up. "We have a compass that you'll take with you and if you go twenty degrees from magnetic north and fly for fifteen minutes from your teleport point, that should put you in visual range of the island. If you fly for more than thirty minutes, you are to return here to get your flight path updated." He grimaced. "I know it's slow, but this is the only way we can work until I get some long range coms set up."

Pythia shook her head. "We've made trip of over a thousand kilometers in less than a day, without using technological means for transport and you were only off by fifteen minutes. Most definitely Sukebe would have put you in overall charge of his tactical units, if not in command of all of his forces."

Branwyn looked stunned. "What kind of asinine complement is that?"

"A nice one, actually," commented Shikarou. Branwyn harrumphed.

The move to the coast was uneventful. It was ugly; slate gray seas and leaden clouds raced out to meet at the horizon and the snow extended down the beach to where the water ate at it with each sullen wave.

Shikarou checked his pokedex as Pythia and Ruiling vanished. "We're on the east coast of the Capital continent and although the boundaries are kind of vague, it looks like we're a wee bit north of the border putting us a little inside the Ice Maiden preserve itself." He glanced around. "Bring Yushiko in from perimeter overflight and put Lorelei out there instead, her wings are much less conspicuous."

"Too late." Circe motioned to a hill a kilometer or so away where a form was silhouetted briefly. "It's an Ice Maiden." Her antenna moved slowly. "She's just watching us, but she's already sent in an advisory about our presence to a nearby monitoring post."

"Aren't we lucky?" Branwyn's scorn was as cold as the landscape. "I'll let Lorelei know not to get excited by her presence." She glanced at Shikarou. "Unless you want to catch her?"

"No, and even if I did, I don't know the rules for hunting up here. Besides, if she's sending warnings, she's not feral. If she's willing to leave us alone, I'm happy with that."

"And if she's not?"

"Then I've got a pokeball that she'll fit into quite nicely and when I'm done I'll cheerfully dump her arse right back on this beach." Shikarou shrugged. "I don't have time to deal with anyone's bureaucratic crap until after I find out what's happened to Faelan." A slight smile. "After that I'll have time, even if I won't have inclination."

**Someone is attempting to remote access your pokedex to get your Tamer information. What do you wish me to do?**

"Let them. Display no special abilities at this time." He explained when Branwyn gave him an odd look. "Aggie says someone is getting my Tamer information from my pokedex."

"I see." She thought for a minute and nodded. "That sounds reasonable, I've already learned from both Faelan and you that there is hidden software and hardware in pokedexes, so building in remote access capability makes sense."

Circe shook her head. "You'd think they don't trust their own Tamers," she mused.

Twenty minutes later Pythia and Ruiling appeared. "We found it." Ruiling announced.

Pythia was more pragmatic. "We located an island. I think it's the one we are looking for."

Shikarou was already accessing the satellite data to follow their flight path. "Yes! That's it." He blinked. "Wait a minute. That wasn't there before." He looked up. "There is a third infrared trace, located on the island itself. Probably a feral water type pokegirl, but whatever it is we'll proceed under the assumption that it's involved with Faelan's disappearance."

"The Ice Maiden is heading for your location." It was Lorelei from where she circled a hundred meters up. "It'll be several minutes before she can make her way to you."

"Understood. We're leaving in a just a bit, so get down here."

"I'm on my way." She turned and started a steep descent.

Shikarou looked at Pythia. "I want you to have overwatch while Ruiling carries me." Ruiling smirked. "As soon as we come out, I want to head straight for the location of the infrared source. If it's a pokegirl or a human, I want them taken prisoner_." I want you to have the more sensitive job. I can't trust Ruiling not to accidentally kill._

Pythia nodded. "You'll assist." It wasn't a question.

"Right. As soon as we make contact, Ruiling will put me on the ground and join the fray. I'll assist, but I'll release my other pokegirls first." He'd seen the looks Branwyn and Gwyneth were giving him.

**I can assist by monitoring the satellite information so you are free to pay attention to the surroundings. While we still don't have realtime access at this time, I can follow more closely and provide intercept vectors.**

"Let's do this, ladies. That Ice Maiden will be here in a minute and I want to be gone before she arrives." Shikarou reached for his pokeballs as Ruiling wrapped her arms around his waist.

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 50

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 57

Unicorn Branwyn 46

ElfQueen Gwyneth 40

Neo Iczel Ruiling 32

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 29

G-Spliced Pythia 26

Active Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 35

Penance ? 42

Vampire Elizabeth 22

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

_**PENANCE, the "Handle-With-Care" Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Dark/Steel

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare (Not rare enough in some people's opinion)

**Diet**: Human-style, only eats with permission in a Harem

**Role**: Victim needing rehabilitation

**Libido**: None, raises if placed with kind Tamer

**Strong Vs**: Psychic, Flying, Normal, Dragon, Ice, Water, Magic, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Bug, Fighting, Fire

**Attacks**: Cry, Scratch, Tackle, Pummel, Claw Slash, Claw Carve, Harden, Midnight, StrengthDrain, Wrestle

**Enhancements**: Super dense body, obeys without question, fingers, hair, and toes condensed into blades, completely invisible in the dark

**Limitations**: terrified of everything, cries at random intervals for no visible reason, totally incapable of speaking, skittish and hostile towards anyone they don't know

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Pokegirls that have undergone long term mental, physical and spiritual abuse

Abused Pokegirls that are killed or commit suicide are the lucky ones. Those who don't, who stay with their abusive Tamers, accepting berating after berating, beating after beating, taking so much abuse that their very soul starts to wither away, become what is called a Penance. Their body changes, losing any animal, plant, or insectile features, becoming fully human again. Then their body starts to become denser and denser, a 'thick-skin' to protect against physical abuse, their skin and hair turning blood red and their eyes glowing blue. Their fingers and toes atrophy, morphing into bladelike claws, their hair becoming razor-edged strands. Any clothing they wear goes through a transformation as well, becoming form-fitting straps of leather. Their body hardens tremendously, a sign of their withdrawal from reality, and their personality degenerates into a frightened, skittish wreck. They will always run away from their original Tamer and hide in the wild. Any other Pokegirls that witness an evolution to a Penance becomes extremely angry and attacks the one responsible for creating the Penance, usually leading to severe injuries to the one they are attacking.

Finding a Penance is tricky enough, as they run from all contact. It's also uncertain how many Penance may exist, as they're often so skittish that one could very well be sighted in multiple towns, fleeing from city to city. A greater challenge comes from trying to catch one. They have incredible defense with their super dense skin, and fight fiercely to get away. Once captured, the REAL challenge begins, trying to get a Penance to trust their Tamer. They won't run away once re-caught, but they will be very fearful, constantly shivering and crying until a Tamer can convinces the Penance that they can be trusted.

Because they have been so abused, they have to be treated with kindness, gentleness, and above all PATIENCE. They will obey without question, but Taming is impossible due to the dangers of the Penance's super dense body. Eventually, with consistent kind, loving treatment, a Penance's body will start to 'soften,' becoming more light to the touch. The Penance's appearance will not change, save for the hair, toes, and fingers de-atrophying and looking normal again, although the skin/hair color and glowing eyes will remain as before. The Penance, if well-treated enough, will regain part of the personality they had before they became a Penance. (Although they remain totally mute, and cannot change into another form, as Penance is a dead-end evolution.) Tamers who have managed to get their Penance acting like their old self again and not like a skittish, terrified young girl are regarded as saintly.

Once a Penance has been healed from the abuse they had suffered, they become excellent fighters for their Harem. They can manifest their ultra dense skin and bladed digits and hair at will, and shed them once the fight is over, fighting in a more coordinated fashion than before they had been 'softened' by their master's kind treatment.

_**VAMPIRE, the Bloodsucking Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Ghost/Magic

**Frequency**: Rare (Crimson League), Very Rare (Elsewhere)

**Diet**: Blood

**Role**: Hunters

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Fighting, Ground, Ghost, Magic, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Infernal

**Weak Vs**: Dark, Electric, Ice, Celestial, solar-based attacks

**Attacks**: Vampire Bite, Drain, Invis (all levels), Night Shade, Phase, Illusion, Fear Aura, Mega Drain, Dark Shield, Cocoon of Darkness, Dark Mist, Dark Matter, Blood Blade, Vampiric Touch, Ghost Blade, Nightmare Syndrome

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Strength (x4), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Enhanced Durability (x4), Enhanced Healing (x3), Darkness affinity, Constant Ashen Wings and Dark Goggles effect, light transformation and illusionary capabilities,

**Evolves**: Redeemer (Blessed Vampire, battle stress)

**Evolves From**: Humans, Dark-type Pokegirls or Amazon-type Pokegirls (infected through bite)

**Bounty (for confirmed kill)**: 200,000 SLC (applies to Ferals only)

**Bounty (for reporting sighting &amp; getting out alive)**: 57,000 SLC (applies to Ferals only)

**Bounty (for successful capture &amp; taming)**: 57,500 SLC (applies to Ferals only)

**Recommendation if you see one**: Before anything is done, be certain that the Vampire is indeed a feral one. Observe it, trying if at all possible to stay out of its way. The difference between a Feral Vampire and a Tamed Vampire is very subtle. If the Vampire seems even remotely animalistic in nature, then evac immediately, making sure to have a fighting-type Pokegirl at the ready if you are spotted. If you are spotted, be prepared to kill the Vampire as its bite is potentially lethal and has the potential to infect you or your Pokegirls, resulting in a transformation into a Vampire. (Applies to Ferals only)

Vampires were one of the few species of non-Infernals that campaigned with the Legions of Terror during the war. Their presence alone was enough to inspire fear in the populace, and since Sukebe's research had yielded that humans could be converted to Vampires and forced into service with the Legion, they were considered to be even more terrifying. Human in appearance, save for their pale skin and more pointed than normal canine teeth, they were easily capable of blending in with humanity.

While sunlight didn't kill them, as it normally would with vampires in the old stories, they were weakened severely by the sun and generally stayed inactive until nighttime. This made it easier to catch and tame Vampires, however doing so guarantees that the Vampire will never have any respect for you. Catching a Feral Vampire at night, and especially at a full moon, when their powers are at their strongest, and you guarantee a loyal, cooperative Vampire in your harem.

Vampires have a variety of fearsome abilities. They can transform into pre-Sukebe creatures such as rats or bats, more powerful Vampires being able to change into swarms of these creatures. They can also transform into mist for silent movement through an area, remaining aware of their entire surroundings when transformed and capable of reforming at any time. They can pass through walls and turn invisible, and manipulate dark energy to their own ends. They are fierce, savage fighters when Feral, losing all of their complex abilities except for much lessened invisibility powers and natural flight. When Tame, their tactics change, as they tend to favor a combination of intimidation and evasive tactics, using illusions and trickery to basically terrify the opponent into defeating themselves. They can turn up to one other person invisible as well, as well as phase them through a wall, but only if they are completely tangible and/or visible before grabbing someone and using the ability.

Having a Vampire in your Harem is not recommended, but doing so shows that you have the patience, diligence, and willingness to do what is necessary for your girls to be happy. Vampires need only one thing to survive: blood. If a Tamer is willing to let their Vampire feed from them, just enough for the Vampire's needs to suffice, then they guarantee loyalty from their Vampire. It's best to let them stay in their Pokeball until nighttime, as they become severely weak during the day and cannot take pleasure from any sort of physical act, making Taming useless. In official Pokegirl battles, it is forbidden to use Solar attacks on them, as it is potentially fatal to them.

Vampires can secret a chemical substance through the hollow canines they use to feed. This chemical is what triggers the change into a Vampire. Males turn female before their transformation. To tell the difference from a normal feeding bite and an infected bite, looking for a greenish-yellow foam around the wound. A vampiric infection can be treated and cured within seven days of the bite via white magic and careful medical treatment, but by the eighth day, the effects are irreversible. Due to the nature of how Vampires are formed, no cases of Threshold have been recorded, or are believed to be even possible.

Note that Ferals are FAR more dangerous to travelers than Tame Vampires. Tame Vampires have a strong sense of dignity and are far more likely to be polite to people they meet. They will also NEVER drink more than they need to survive. Ferals are savage, and will drink even when they aren't thirsty. They also have less control over their bodies and are far more likely to accidentally infect someone with a vampiric transformation virus. Feral Vampires also command Feral Vampira, a breed that Tame Vampires look down on with derision and amusement, as they are moderately useful to their purposes.


	9. Chapter 9

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

Chapter 9: The Whirlwind

**You are within ten horizontal meters of the infrared source according to the last sat download three minutes ago.**

"Good." Shikarou twisted in Ruiling's arms to look at her. "Look sharp, ladies, the infrared source is somewhere nearby. You can put me down right over there," he indicated a spot a nice safe distance from where the heat source was supposed to be.

"Very well, let's keep you safe," Ruiling replied as she changed direction and lost altitude. Pythia began a slow circle above the area.

"Whatever it is shouldn't be too hard to see," the G-Spliced muttered. She was right; the island was only a couple of kilometers across and was nothing but rocks and some unhappy seabirds.

Ruiling pulled into a hover a handful of meters up from a large grouping of rock. "Be safe." She let him drop into the open area in the center of the rocks and accelerated hard back towards where their target was hiding.

Deep Hunger had come up to the surface to get away from having to watch others with what she couldn't have. She watched with surprise as the two flying pokegirls come into view and had smiled to herself when she realized that the yellow haired one was carrying a human. _Finally, a good meal and maybe some sex._

She was low enough in the nest's hierarchy that she hadn't been allowed to feed much from their latest male and her stomach rumbled as she salivated.

The yellow haired pokegirl changed direction suddenly and moved a distance from the first. Deep Hunger watched with interest as she hovered and dropped the human before dashing back. She slowly lifted her sickle arms into a ready attack position.

_It's a him. Tasty. And she dropped him. Right in front of me._

The male landed easily and Deep Hunger lunged as she dropped her camouflage. Her hands grabbed the male and jerked him off the ground to press him face first against her while one of her scythe arms jabbed at his neck. She looked past him to the two pokegirls as the blue furred fox suddenly whirled in midair.

"Land and surrender or I'll kill your Tamer," the Mantis hissed. The yellow haired pokegirl gaped at her in shock. "Thanks for the hostage."

The man fumbled at her, trying to push away, but had no chance against her superior strength. Deep Hunger felt a tightening in her groin as one of his hands groped her breast in his attempt to escape. _This one will be fun and once I put his pokegirls in their pokeballs, I'm not going to share him for a while, other than with Rage._

She sliced her spare sickle arm down his back, ripping his shirt open. "I said land and surrender or I will kill him."

Sudden pain lanced through her body and her world went black.

Shikarou pulled his hand out of the Mantis's chest. "Put me down."

The Mantis dropped him. "Yes master."

Pythia immediately snatched him away, heading upwards with Ruiling close behind.

"Stop!" Shikarou twisted in her arms. "She's mine now and harmless to us."

Pythia went into a hover. "You enslaved her?"

"Exactly. When she pulled me to her, it was the perfect opportunity." A smile. "I'm getting faster, but I'm still not as quick as I used to be. Oh, well, practice makes perfect."

"I do not think Branwyn will want her in the harem."

He snorted. "Put us down. I'll never have a slave in my harem. Never." A tiny smile appeared and vanished. "No matter how entertaining it would be to pull her out of a pokeball in the middle of a gym battle and watch people run in terror." The G-Spliced landed a safe distance from the Mantis. "Besides, that's a pretty ugly pokegirl.

Ruiling glared at the enslaved pokegirl. "I thought you said she was over there." She sounded insulted.

"Apparently she moved. Living creatures do that." Shikarou stripped off the remnants of his shirt and reached for his pokeballs. "Let's get everyone out since I only want to have to explain this once."

He released Gwyneth, Yushiko, Branwyn and Circe in one bunch. "Don't anyone panic, the Mantis belongs to me."

Branwyn shifted to her quad form and immediately grabbed him, trying to pull him out of the way as Circe lifted him to safety with her telekinesis. Yushiko drew her sword and stepped between him and the Mantis while Gwyneth pulled a leaf from her hair and grew it into a rose whip as she moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Armsmistress.

The result of all of this was that Shikarou almost had his arms pulled from their sockets as Branwyn was lifted with him. Deep Hunger just laughed quietly.

"Put me the fuck down right now!" Shikarou's voice was loud enough to startle his pokegirls, without quite being a bellow.

"Master, you must be quieter or the others will hear you." Deep Hunger looked slightly worried. "I cannot protect you from all of them and these," she gave his pokegirls a contemptuous look, "can't protect you from anyone."

"Everybody stand down and you," he pointed at the Mantis, "shut up."

The Mantis blinked and nodded, her mouth snapping shut as everyone else stared at her.

Branwyn put her hands on her hips. Or her equine shoulders, depending on how you looked at things. Shikarou suppressed a smile as she glared at him. "How come every time I let you out of my sight something seriously fucked up happens to you?"

"This time was an accident. Apparently the Mantis was the infrared source and she moved between downloads. Ruiling and I both thought I was being dropped well out of the line of fire and it turned out that instead I landed in front of her."

Branwyn gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you saying the other times were deliberate?"

Shikarou gave his Unicorn an annoyed look and glanced at the motionless Mantis. "You have a name?"

"Deep Hunger."

"Ick. Anyway, Deep Hunger grabbed me and used me as a threat to get Pythia and Ruiling to surrender. I grabbed her soul and enslaved her." He shrugged. "All I lost was my shirt. Didn't even get a scratch. By the bye, this isn't the time or place for an extended argument."

Branwyn sighed. "Fine." She turned to the Mantis. "Is Faelan Wolf here?"

"I do not answer your questions, food."

Shikarou shook his head slowly. "Deep Hunger, this is Branwyn, my alpha. Unless she directly contradicts an order I have given you, she speaks with my voice."

"I understand, master." She gave Branwyn an unfriendly look. "Faelan Wolf is here and is our prisoner. He is still alive, as are most of his pokegirls."

**I am reprocessing your twee's inputs to enhance any incoming signals. Yes, there is a faint signal from Faelan Wolf. He is critically injured but stable. I cannot boost your twee's transmission strength to request detailed data without equipment that you do not possess. As soon as the situation improves I will gather the desired data. There is no signal from Svetlana.**

"Very well." Shikarou cut off whatever Branwyn was about to ask. "What is the personnel composition of this base?"

"Our nest has, including myself, ten Mantises." Deep Hunger answered calmly. "Of course, now I serve you and no longer belong to the nest."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "Can you get another Mantis to come up here with you, but only one? More than one would lead to a fight I'm not quite ready for." He didn't bother to look at Branwyn. He knew what she was doing. "Don't look at me that way. I have a plan."

"Yes, my lover, Seething Rage. She will come up here, especially if I tell her about you and say that you are my prisoner and that we will share your meat and sex." Branwyn looked slightly ill as she realized what the Mantis's words insinuated.

"Excellent." Shikarou summoned his sword and handed it to Deep Hunger. "Draw your nest in detail. We need to know everything we can before we begin the hunt."

"This way, Rage. I have him hidden over here." Hunger's voice carried perfectly to Shikarou's enhanced hearing and he could hear the rocks crunching beneath their feet as they approached.

"How did you find him here?" Seething Rage sounded excited. "There isn't anything up here but rock."

"I'll explain everything after we've had him a time or two." Hunger laughed. "Or would you like to take the time for an explanation and chance someone else finding him? You know they won't share."

He heard the footsteps speed up. "You are so right, my love. Feeding and fucking first."

The two Mantises paused when they found Shikarou standing and waiting for them. Rage grinned. "He's free. Wonderful, we can hunt him too. This is perfect!" She surged forward only to come to a sudden halt as Deep Hunger grabbed her from behind, pinning all of her arms as Shikarou lunged forward.

All six of his pokegirls appeared as his hand sank into Seething Rage's chest, Branwyn teleporting in with Yushiko on her back and Circe carrying Gwyneth. They watched quietly as the Mantis went stiff for several seconds before Shikarou pulled his hand back out.

"All right, Hunger, let her go." The Mantis released Seething Rage, who stood patiently.

Circe looked at him critically. "Are you getting faster at that?"

"Yes I am. Practice, you know." He smiled. "At one time I could enslave a soul in two seconds. I used to hit a sentry, enslave it and be gone before anyone else knew I was in the area, leaving my new spy behind."

"You must have been a very successful predator."

"At one time, my name struck fear into the monsters." He said it simply, without pride or regret. "They considered me one of their greatest foes." He flicked an ear, dismissing this particular line of conversation. "Now, the nest is one primary cavern with a few smaller caverns branching off from it. The primary cavern is where the Mantises live, eat and tame. The smaller caverns are used for food storage and Faelan is in one of them."

"The assault will focus on the primary cavern. Once we take out the Mantises in the main area, we'll sweep the side caves. Pythia will lead team one, which will be Pythia, Ruiling, and Yushiko. They will be the heavy assault team. Circe will command Branwyn and Gwyneth. Your job is to protect team one's flank and roll up any leakers. You will also provide fire support." He looked around. "Rage and Hunger will compose team three and their job will be to get behind the defending force and hit them from the rear. I'll be your eyes and ears and I'll use spellcasting to support anyone who needs it."

He summoned his sword and held it out to Yushiko. "Here. You know several two-sword styles so take it. I'm going to stay in the back, as befits my non-pokegirl and relatively vulnerable status."

The Armsmistress gave him a pleased and surprised smile as she accepted the weapon. "Yes, my lord. I will make you proud."

Branwyn looked surprised. "Sense? From you?"

"Whether you believe it or not, I didn't live to be as old as I am by taking stupid chances. If I didn't have you and if they didn't have Faelan, I'd take the next lunar month to destroy this nest, picking them off one by one, and by the time I was done they'd think there was some kind of insanity going through them. It would be unlikely that they would ever know I was here, until the very end."

"Rage, Hunger, as I said before, I want you two to get behind the other Mantises quickly and hit them from behind. Assassinate the strongest fighters among the nest." He gave them an even look. "Your survival is immaterial to the success of your mission. For everyone else, that means you don't hold back an area attack if you are going to catch Rage or Hunger in its effect." A glance around. "That does not apply to my harem. Don't do anything stupid. We can pull back and hit them again if necessary, and the PPHU gives us a nice rapid repair ability they lack. If necessary we can swamp them with wave attacks to wear them down."

Rage nodded. "It will be as you command." She smiled happily. "I've always hated Red Fury and I'm going to enjoy eating her afterwards."

"Fine. Now everyone gather around close. Yushiko, your swords."

The Armsmistress raised her weapons as Shikarou nicked an artery on his arm. He anointed the swords with his blood, intoning, "Strength, accuracy and sharpness shall be yours, until the day is reborn." Both swords glowed with a sapphire blue light for an instant.

Then he cast a spell which surrounded everyone with a shimmering field that slowly faded away. "That was a haste spell, so be careful." He looked around slowly. "Team three, you are up front. Act like we've chased you into the nest and stay just ahead of team one, but don't start yelling a warning until one of the other Mantises sees you. Slow down just before entering the area where the other Mantises are gathered, Branwyn, Circe and I are going to open the assault with fireballs. Team two, stay close on the heels of team one and then drop back once we enter the cave. I'll be behind you. My ladies, I bid you all good luck. Execute."

Gwyneth swung up onto Branwyn's back and Circe picked up Shikarou as the groups shook themselves into a loose formation and moved out.

Inside the cave entrance it opened out rapidly into a cavern almost twenty meters across. Visible were seven Mantises, a group of four sitting together, another group of two, and a singleton who was coming out of one of the small entrances on the back wall, licking her sickles clean as she did.

_There._ Circe chose the target for the magic attacks as Hunger and Rage started yelling for help. Three fireballs went off almost as one on the group of four Mantises, followed quickly by a volley of bamboo spears as Gwyneth used lance. Two of the Mantises survived the flurry of attacks, and one of those took a feather shuriken from Yushiko that splattered the hapless pokegirl against the back wall of the cave.

_I have established contact with Faelan's twee and Aggie and I are compiling a detailed report of his injuries. Still no contact with Svetlana._

"Later," Shikarou muttered as the wounded Mantis leapt, easily clearing team one and heading straight at him. Circe's telekinesis caught her in mid air and pulled her limbs off before dropping the body.

Yushiko glowed as she employed focus energy and swept towards the two Mantises. They readied themselves, but the Armsmistress went through them like a buzzsaw, her hasted multiple focused double slash attacks combined with the enchantments on the swords resulting in pieces of Mantis flying for meters as she actually cut them to bits.

Pythia and Ruiling were trading blows with the remaining Mantis, her sickles deflecting their energy blades until Yushiko matched blades with her. Once again the Armsmistress was in her element and quickly chopped the Mantis down.

"What you did to Yushiko, that technique you need to remember," Branwyn observed clinically.

"I don't think they'd appreciate it in a gym battle. It's a tad messy."

"No, but I will. You really need to get her a second sword to use all of the time."

"Maybe you're right."

"Maybe?"

Hunger and Rage had engaged the single Mantis and finished her, although Rage was severely injured in the fight.

That was when the last Mantis came out of one of the small caves, taking Rage from behind and crushing her torso as she charged Hunger, screeching in anger. "Traitor!" She ignored the other pokegirls and Shikarou in her fury.

That cost her as Gwyneth hit her with lance at the same time as Yushiko slashed her with feather shuriken. The Mantis was blasted sideways and off of her feet. She bounced back up and began to glow as she prepared to use zanmato on the invaders.

Branwyn smashed into her using mach breaker, the sonic boom driving Shikarou to his knees as she blurred from his side. The Mantis was thrown flying, the glow surrounding her dying as her focus was lost.

Then Yushiko waded in. Her first cuts removed the Mantis's sickles and the second series sliced into her body, opening up the Mantis's chest in a spray of red.

Before her body hit the ground, Shikarou was giving out new orders. "Team one start on the leftmost cave. Team two takes the rightmost. Find Faelan." _Tell me._

He listened to his twee's report on his brother's status as the teams searched. Hunger remained near him, waiting patiently.

Branwyn appeared at the entrance of one of the caves, her face stricken. "Shikarou, we found him. He's not well."

Faelan was in what looked like a food storage area. Considering his injuries, it was a mercy that he was unconscious. His legs and arms had been chewed off where they joined the trunk of his body and it looked like someone had burrowed into his abdominal cavity to feed on his organs, bits and pieces of soft tissue were scattered around him. His groin was a gaping red wound.

Shikarou looked at Pythia. "Get Candace." She nodded and vanished. He knelt and examined Faelan closely before looking up at Branwyn, who was watching him, her face pale. "Other than possible psychiatric issues, he'll recover fully."

She looked stunned. "But his wounds, and his stomach?"

"Will grow back, given time. Everything physical will heal." Shikarou glanced around, his face bleak. "I'm more concerned about that." He pointed with his chin at two identical pink heads, one resting on top of the other. "The twins. Spread out and see if you can find any pokeballs or other bodies."

There were many other parts of corpses scattered around the room in various states of decay, but no one knew who they were. Faelan's other pokeballs were found in a bag in the same cave he occupied and after a pokedex scan verified that they were occupied, Shikarou ordered them run through the PPHU before he'd even consider opening them.

While the search was still going on, Candace showed up and after getting one look at him, insisted that Faelan be immediately taken to the clinic on Caomh Sith. Shikarou released Lorelei to take him while Pythia carried the NurseJoy back.

Then Shikarou released Svetlana. Her eyes went wide and she practically crawled into his arms. "Shikarou. Does this mean that everything is all right now?" She whispered against the skin of his chest.

"Faelan will be ok." Shikarou held the Megami-sama for a moment before she pushed away from him.

"You said Faelan. What about the others?"

"The twins are dead and I don't know about Midori. Your other two harem sisters are still in their pokeballs but they've been run through a healing cycle like you were."

She nodded, her face grave. "Midori will be trapped where Faelan was taken. She used up all of her energy and she'll be stuck there until either someone feeds her or she passes on."

"Even with his recuperative powers, Faelan won't be up for a month or so." Shikarou sighed. "Would Midori feed off of me?" Branwyn's eyes widened at his question.

Svetlana nodded thoughtfully. "She knows you, and if I tell her it's ok, then yes."

"Then let's go. Circe, you are in charge until we get back. Branwyn, follow us." The Unicorn nodded briskly, her eyes bright. She vanished as Svetlana took Shikarou to where Faelan had been captured.

It was a mountain pass where the icy wind tried to flay the meat from your bones and the snow was waist deep. Shikarou absently cast a warmth spell on Svetlana as he looked around. She gave him a grateful smile.

Branwyn appeared and immediately floundered in the snow. "Damn!" She looked around and then pointed. "There."

A black shapeless mass hung motionless in the air near an overhang of rock and ice, hidden from Shikarou and Svetlana by a large snowdrift.

Shikarou bounded through the snow, vanishing once when he hit a spot deeper than he was tall. He reappeared again in an explosion of snow as he jumped out of it, landing near the inky shadow, which immediately surged over him. He shivered for the first time. "Blood but she's cold."

Midori began to assume her true shape as she drained energy from Shikarou and finally stepped away from him to bow deeply. "Thank you, master Shikarou. I know you saved my lord and now you have saved his servant. I will not forget this." With another bow, she vanished.

Svetlana watched the episode with alert eyes. After Midori left, she shook her head. "Faelan once confided in me that he was worried that you appeared to be backsliding and that you might take Midori away from him. I'm glad to see that he was wrong."

Branwyn looked puzzled as Shikarou gave a slim smile. "Midori chooses to serve my brother. I would never presume to take that choice away from her." A sad look crossed his eyes and vanished. "For most of them, it's all the dead have left."

Svetlana touched his shoulder. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all." She smiled brightly. "Now, I'm off to see my Tamer. I've got the rest of his harem and on his behalf, I thank you."

Shikarou nodded. "Perhaps you could do me the favor of trying to convince Faelan that he's given enough to the PLC. I'd rather he works for me and I won't send him after nests of Mantises without adequate backup."

"I'll give it my best try." She vanished.

Branwyn took his hand and lifted him onto her back. "Well, you've managed to make Svetlana like you, at least a little. Will wonders never cease?"

"That will end just as soon as she finds out I can steal souls." Shikarou gave a bitter laugh. "At that point, I'll be even more horrible than before."

They returned to the main cavern as Branwyn looked at him. "Who's going to tell her?"

"Won't she find out when she asks what happened here? I can't lie to her, and we know she's going to ask."

The Unicorn gave him level look. "I have no qualms about lying to her. You just send her to me. And I'll explain to the harem not to say a word."

"Thanks, I think." He sighed. "Let's clean up. We've got a lot of salvage to collect. The pokedexes will help to identify some of the dead and we'll gather up everything else we can."

"What about Hunger? What are you going to do with her?" Branwyn looked at the Mantis where she stood.

"Oh, yeah. Hunger," he called. The Mantis looked up. "I command you to kill yourself." The Mantis drove her scimitars into her torso and ripped sideways. "There."

"Shikarou, next time please warn me." Branwyn's voice was unsteady. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I can order my slaves to do anything and they will." He looked around at the dead pokegirls scattered around the main chamber. "You know, I'm glad we rescued my brother, and for more reasons than I originally thought."

Branwyn gave him a suspicious look. "What is it?"

"Ten dead Mantises. That's forty million credits. That will go a long way towards paying for all of the improvements for the island." He smiled. "I suspect we only need the heads."

"We are here to remember our dead. We are here to remember our living. We are here to remember that all of us are family." The words rolled easily off of Shikarou's tongue. While technically it was Faelan's job to remember his harem, he'd only gotten out of the clinic this afternoon and was still recovering from having to regrow major portions of his anatomy. Also, Shikarou knew that Faelan hadn't ever had to attend a remembrance, much less speak at one. Sadly, it was far from his older brother's first.

The harem concept and bonding complicated matters. Family custom was ironclad on the fact that only current family could attend a remembrance. Neither previous nor future family was allowed to attend, even if they had children who were family. There were no exceptions, and interlopers would be treated poorly, to say the least. So where did a Tamer's family end? With his harem? But Shikarou was bonded to several pokegirls on the island who technically were not in his harem.

In the end he'd decided to play it by ear. Both he and Faelan had brought their harems and Faelan had also included Midori. Shikarou had included Lynn (to Gwyneth's disgust), Molly, Candace and Alice.

He'd also thought about leaving the Penance, whom he had named Zorione, out of this, but at the last minute changed his mind. If she was going to be family then she needed to start right away.

As he wound the speech down, he glanced at Pythia. _Are you sure you're up to this?_

_She's fine._ It was Branwyn. _Stop pestering her. We all agreed, including Svetlana that this would be for the best. Faelan agreed as well._

Shikarou just gave her a glance._ Fine._ He finished up and nodded to Svetlana, who used hypnotize to put everyone, including herself, to sleep and Pythia then took everyone into dream time.

An hour passed and Shikarou opened his eyes. A minute more passed before Pythia stirred and quickly the others awakened.

Faelan was more relaxed. The tension lines around his eyes had eased. Shikarou flicked an ear. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Faelan nodded. "She and I get along well."

Shikarou nodded and turned to look at Zorione. "And you?" She nodded slowly. "Very well." Shikarou pulled Zorione's pokeball from his collection and gave it carefully to Faelan. "I know you'll take good care of her."

Faelan grabbed his brother's hand. "I want to thank you for what you did. All of it."

"It was no less than what you would do for me." Shikarou smiled broadly. "Just don't get so badly hurt again, ok. I'm not sure how long it will take me to get the Megami-sama essence off, but I'm sure it'll be longer than I want."

Svetlana managed to look amused and offended at the same time.

Faelan looked amused. "I'll be sure and remind my captors next time not to hurt me so badly that I can't tame my harem. I'm sure their torture of me will come to a complete halt at that point."

"Of course it will," Shikarou replied in a droll voice. "Hysterical laughter has that effect on people." He shook his head. "Let's get you back to the inn. I suppose I need to set up a residence for us eventually, but there are just so many other things that need to happen too."

Svetlana touched his shoulder. "That you don't believe that your wants should come first speaks well of you."

Faelan blinked. "You just said something nice about my brother. Who are you and what did you do with my Svetlana?"

Shikarou stood up and looked at Branwyn. "Let's get everyone back to town. We've still got a lot of work to do before we can get back on the road."

Branwyn laughed quietly. "I don't suppose that we could find work enough to enable us to stay here until spring?"

"Nice try, but if nothing else we have to get Fumiko in a couple of days."

"Edo's warm. We could go there early and let the two of you get acquainted. Just to make sure that someone else doesn't come along and snatch her away." Branwyn sounded hopeful.

"You know, that is an excuse I can accept." Branwyn gaped. "Plan on us leaving in two days."

Shikarou winced as the bright sunlight pounded his eyes. "Sorry. I forgot about the time difference." Predawn at Caomh Sith was afternoon in Edo and he'd been looking almost directly at the sun when they appeared.

Branwyn chuckled, one hand covering her eyes. "I didn't."

"The fact that you were so quick to remind me is yet another item to add to the list of reasons to replace you with a wooden rocking horse."

She glanced at him. "Pro or con?"

"I'm not sure yet." He released Yushiko. "Why don't you go say hai while we find a place to put camp?"

"Yes, lord." She rushed inside happily.

"You aren't ever that happy when we go to the Conservatory." Shikarou commented idly as they started exploring for a suitable campsite.

"Her family is glad to see her."

"Poppet's not happy to see you?"

Branwyn shrugged. "She's never been overly fond of us and I'm beginning to think that the more time she spends with you, the less happy she is to see me."

"Do you think she's going to become a problem?"

The Unicorn gave him a look. "Does it matter? You were quite clear about not ending your relationship with Poppet."

"I said I wouldn't end it because you didn't like it." He reached out and took her hand. "Your life is irretrievably entwined with mine and any relationship I have with anyone else is going to have to accommodate that fact. If Poppet doesn't like that then she is free to find someone else to spend time with."

Branwyn pulled her hand free and slipped her arm around his waist. "Sometimes you say exactly the right thing." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes."

Shikarou nibbled her ear. The Unicorn tilted her head to give him better access before suddenly pushing away. "We don't have time for that. The Yoshiharas are expecting us."

"Not even for a quickie?" His ears hung sideways sadly.

She smiled and shook her head. "I swear your libido is going from high to extreme. Your idea of a quickie is taking longer and longer, not that I'm complaining, mind you, but we have some obligations to meet first." She backed away as he moved towards her. "Stop that."

Shikarou sighed. "All right. Camp first, then the Yoshihara business and then Unicorn."

Fumiko looked around the tent eagerly, her eyes bright. "This is wonderful."

There had been some changes. Since he'd been increasing the membership in his harem, Shikarou had remodeled the interior to reflect the additions. The doors to the individual rooms had been replaced with three hallways leading off from the main area. The first hallway lead to the kitchen and a new storage area for supplies. Going down the second hall one would find the doors to the individual harem member's bedrooms along with a bath and the hot tub. The last hall held Shikarou's room and a small arena for battle practice as well as a workroom for equipment maintenance.

The entrance door to the tent had been replaced with a much more substantial one that even Yushiko had a hard time battering through when they tested it. It was also fireproof as was the entire tent. Shikarou had also redone the magic of the tent itself so that even if someone cut their way in, they would only find themselves under the awning, staring at the front door while the cut magically sealed itself.

The Titto watched him warily. "You know that my birthday isn't for over two weeks, right?"

"Yes, I do. Branwyn suggested that we come here ostensibly so I could spend some time get to know you, but she really was just looking for an excuse to get out of Scotland and go someplace warm. We've had an unusual cold snap and the snow's a meter deep. It didn't matter to me; we can and will train anywhere."

He smiled. "I thought that talking to you would be nice. I've really only talked to Yushiko and your sister Junko. In addition, with everything that's been going on, I never took the opportunity to see if you wanted to join me."

Fumiko gave him a blank look. "Why would what I want matter? Grandfather, father and mother want me to go with you."

"I'm not implying that you aren't a dutiful daughter." Shikarou held up a protective hand. "In my harem, my family, pokegirls have rights too, and I expect them to exercise those rights in public, not just in private. The life I lead can be fraught with danger and will be filled with lots of hardship, especially when compared against living in a nice shop with a loving family. If it's not something you want to experience, then I'll take you with me, but we'll find you someplace where you'll be happy and someone you'll be happy with."

Fumiko had been listening silently. "Yushiko warned me that you were odd." She frowned. "I have had a great time growing up here, but as you know, I'll be fifteen soon. Some kind of magical transformation takes place at that point and suddenly I become a woman." A smile appeared. "Everyone has been kind of vague on what that transformation entails and frankly I was terrified for years that the night before, I'd spin a cocoon and transform into something else entirely."

"Then there was the whole business with my evolving suddenly. If I'd been caught, I would probably been sent to a pokegirl ranch, if I didn't end up in some official or Yakuza boss's harem. That happens you know."

"I've heard."

"Yes, but you don't know that a Yakuza boss knows what I am, and he just happens to be coming by on the ninth, to pick up a tanto that father finished up for him over a month ago. Curious timing."

"Indeed," Shikarou murmured.

"Yushiko has told me about the battling, which I've never done before and the tamings with you, something else I don't know about. I've tamed with pokegirls from town, but father was worried I'd bond to any men, and I was legally too young."

She gestured at herself. "I know I'm not much to look at, what with my flat chest and no hips, but I'm hopeful that I'll fill out as I get older. You don't find me repulsive, do you?" She looked suddenly worried.

"No I don't and yes, you will fill out." He smiled suddenly. "You don't know much about being a Titto, do you?"

Fumiko gave him a suspicious look. "No, I've read the pokedex entry on it, but my parents forbade me to practice my powers. Why?"

"Transform can be used outside of battle for a whole host of things, but one of them is you can turn into other individuals or parts of them." He looked thoughtful. "It means that you can make your body more adult, or copy someone else's body. If you wanted a bust the size of Circe's, you could have it."

"I will encourage you to use your abilities creatively and to use them often. With my PPHU, you don't have to worry about running out of strength so you can practice transform whenever you want."

The Titto stared at him for a moment and then her eyes narrowed and her face tightened in concentration. Her ears moved up on her head and became larger and wolflike and green lines appeared over her cheeks as the line of her jaw changed slightly. The shape of her eyes changed and their color went to amber.

She blinked slowly, her ears twisting. "Everything is so, so different." Her jaw moved as she ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth. "My teeth are strange now."

"Be careful. You can easily bite off the end of your tongue now, if you are careless."

She sniffed the air. "What smells so good?" She move towards him and sniffed his arm. "It's you." She licked it and made a happy noise.

"You'd better change back right now." Shikarou's voice was firm. Fumiko blinked and returned to her previous form.

"What did I do?"

"You were becoming aroused, and we're supposed to wait." He smiled to let her know he wasn't angry. "I think that you might want to save copying me until you've had practice with some others."

"Ok. When can I start on the others?" Fumiko asked excitedly.

"Just as soon as you join the harem."

Her mouth formed a straight line. "That was mean."

Shikarou looked puzzled. "What was?"

"You showed me how much fun I'm going to be able to have and then told me I have to wait. Very mean. You are not a nice man."

Shikarou couldn't help it, he laughed at her, which didn't help her mood. Finally he got his laughter under control. "You are right. I'm not a nice man." He gave her a measuring look. "You of all people on this world will have the chance to find out just how not a man I am."

She thought hard for a moment. "Is that why things were so strange?"

"I wouldn't know, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd have to say probably."

Fumiko gave him a suspicious look. "Why wouldn't you know? You are what I was copying."

"Yes, but I've never been human, so I don't know what the differences could be like."

"Oh." Fumiko looked surprised for an instant. "I'd never considered it that way."

"Few people do."

"I've made up my mind. I want to be in your harem and journey with you. I think it will be fun and I'll learn a whole lot."

"Thank you."

The Titto looked surprised. "Why are you thanking me?"

"I like you. While it goes against my philosophies of life to try and unduly influence your decision, you made the one I'd hoped you would."

"Even if I look like a Tomboy?"

"You don't look like a Tomboy. You are young and will fill out. Besides you have a very pretty smile."

She smiled and it lit up the room.

"We've located him. He's in Edo, staying at the residence of some merchant."

"Sir Kenneth, our orders are clear. Retrieve the Grimoire and the Unicorn. We must have that book."

"Yes sir. I'll see to this myself. I'll take Sir Louis with me."

"Very well. Do not fail as Sir Marcus did. Our leader will not tolerate that kind of pathetic behavior again."

"Sir Duncan, you may count on me."

Even in the evening, Tomakomai was seething with people and it made Shikarou a little nervous as Fumiko pulled him along, with Branwyn trailing along behind them. The Titto'd wanted to go into town and do some shopping for gifts for her family to remember her by and Shikarou had been ganged up on by the Yoshihara women and Branwyn until he'd agreed to take her.

Yushiko had stayed at the Yoshihara residence with her family, where she was testing all of the swords in the shop to find a second one for her. At Fumiko's advice, Shikarou was openly wearing his sword in an attempt to scare off troublemakers. So far it had worked.

"Shikarou Urufu, may I have a moment of your time?" Shikarou came to a halt as Branwyn moved protectively up next to him and Fumiko looked puzzled. The man who'd asked the question was tall and muscular with a bright red shock of hair peeking out from under his bonnet. A green cloak graced his shoulders and was pulled closely around him. A second green cloaked man stood nearby, watching them and the crowd.

"I suppose so, but you have me at a disadvantage."

The redhead smiled. "I am Louis. I would like to talk to you about purchasing the Grimoire of Danu. It is of no use to you and I would like to add it to my collection of rare books." An ingratiating smile appeared. "I would of course, pay you handsomely for it."

Shikarou nodded. "Grimoire of Danu, huh? Thank you very much."

"What for?" The man looked genuinely puzzled.

"I've suspected that the name of the book was required as part of the procedure to open it and thanks for telling me what it is. I probably wouldn't have been able to find out otherwise."

Louis's eyes narrowed. "I see. Would that mean you are not willing to entertain offers to purchase the Grimoire?"

"That would be correct. It has sentimental value."

Louis looked astonished. "That is absurd."

"No, it's a memento of the first time someone in a green cloak tried to kill me." Shikarou smiled. "Will this be the second?"

Louis sighed. "I am afraid so, if you aren't willing to be reasonable." He swept his cloak back, revealing a broadsword in its hanger. "I challenge you to single combat, winner take all." He gave Shikarou a grim smile. "I see no reason to hide behind pokegirls and I notice you wear the symbol of a gentleman." He gestured at Shikarou's scabbard.

"Winner takes all? I thought you were only interested in the book?"

"No, I also collect magic pokegirls and that Unicorn would make a fine addition to my collection."

"What about your friend?"

Louis smiled thinly. "I'm afraid that if you survive me, you will have to make your own arrangement with Kenneth."

"I see. Have you compiled an inventory of your assets, in the case that I win?"

Louis nodded and tapped his belt pouch. "It is in here. And you?"

"Branwyn knows my assets and the access codes."

An OfficerJenny shouldered her way through the crowd that had formed a circle around them at the sight of Louis's sword and the obvious challenge. "What is going on here?

Louis turned to the Jenny. "I have challenged this man to a duel, to be fought immediately, here in the street. Under Edo law, I formally request your assistance in preparing the dueling area."

The OfficerJenny scowled. "Very well." She looked at Shikarou. "Do you feel that you were coerced into this duel?"

"Actually officer, I haven't accepted yet." Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "How do you feel about this?"

She gave him a fierce look. "That man makes me feel slimy for some reason. 'I collect magical pokegirls' indeed. Take him down." _Give me your pokeballs. I want the rest of the harem close at hand in case his friend Kenneth interferes._

"Sounds good. Here, take my pokeballs so I won't be tempted." Shikarou handed them over. He lowered his voice. "Fumiko, stay with Branwyn. If I should lose this fight, you get home as quickly as you can. You aren't part of my harem and aren't bound by my agreement."

She nodded; a frightened but determined look on her face. "I'm going to stay until the fight is over."

"Ok, but be careful. Go to the OfficerJenny if it looks like there will be any trouble for you and be sure and remind her that you are underage." Shikarou turned back to Louis, ignoring the flare of red behind him as Branwyn released his harem.

"I accept your challenge for a single battle, winner takes all."

The OfficerJenny bustled about briefly, but she had little to do, the crowd, eager to witness the duel, had instinctively formed a cleared space about ten meters across.

Louis drew his sword with a steely slither. "You will lose, Mr. Urufu." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a wand. "I have resources you can't even begin to imagine."

Shikarou shrugged. "I doubt that, and I'm not afraid of a little stick." A little ignorance couldn't hurt to put his opponent off guard.

"Oh, but you will be." Louis aimed the wand at Shikarou and released a long streamer of fire which he used like a whip and snapped at his target.

Shikarou had already shifted quickly to the side and watched as the fire whipped through where he had been standing. "I'm still not frightened," he announced in a contemptuous voice.

Louis frowned and snapped at Shikarou again, who dodged again. "I am afraid, sir, that you are going to have to actually hit me to have the slightest chance of impressing me with your legerdemain."

Louis growled and dismissed the flame whip. "You won't dodge this one." The magic missile slammed into Shikarou like a hammer, knocking him a step backwards and leaving a smoldering patch on his shirt.

"I'm getting too rough on my clothing," Shikarou muttered. Louis's eyes narrowed and then widened as Shikarou pointed his hand at his foe. Lightning smashed into Louis, who was spun into the air by the blast.

Kenneth lurched forward, his hand going to his pocket, only to find he couldn't move as Circe grabbed him with her telekinesis. "You just be a good boy and you'll get your turn." He glared at her and she just smiled back. "You misbehave and I'll twist your head off like I'm unscrewing a cheap bottle of wine."

Louis pulled himself to his feet. "So you can do magic."

"I know a little."

"Well, here's one you may not know." Louis cast an imitate spell and shot an identical lightning bolt at Shikarou, who almost instantly drew his sword, drove it into the pavement and crouched behind it, letting the sword ground out the stroke. Louis hissed beneath his breath.

Shikarou smiled. "Let's see if I learned it." He repeated the spell perfectly and a magic missile hit Louis, lifting him off his feet. This time Shikarou noticed that the spell was absorbed by a badge on Louis's chest.

Louis rolled to his feet and pointed his wand at Shikarou. Lightning cracked again, this time smashing Shikarou backwards. He rolled to his feet and grinned. _Let's see just how versatile this spell is._

Louis was casting a fireball when Shikarou finished the imitate spell and used the telekinesis that Circe had just employed to pick Louis up into the air and smash him to the ground. _Interesting, it will copy pokegirl attacks._ Louis went white when Shikarou used telekinesis to then pluck the badge from his clothing.

Shikarou hit Louis with lightning again. Louis's torso bulged as the water in his body cavity flashed to steam. He went down and didn't move.

Shikarou turned and looked at Kenneth, who glared back. "Do you have anything to say to me, sir?"

Kenneth settled his cloak closely around himself as Circe released him. "I will see you again, Shikarou Urufu, you may count on that." There was an implosion of air as he vanished.

The OfficerJenny bustled up. "You will have to come to the station with me to fill out a report." She didn't look happy. "And there will be a fine for littering unless you make arrangements to dispose of the body."

Shikarou nodded. "Pythia, will you see to it?" _Loot it and dump it in the ocean off of the Ice Preserve._

"As you command." Pythia picked up the body and teleported away.

**I will arrange to deplete any bank accounts Louis possessed and transfer the title of any property he owned to you as soon as Pythia returns with his inventory.**

After nodding to the OfficerJenny to lead the way, Shikarou turned to Fumiko, who looked shaken. "Are you ok?"

"That's the first person I've seen killed." She watched his face, sucking on her lower lip. "Was it easy for you to do?"

He watched the Jenny leading them down the street for a moment. "Yes." He blinked and looked back at her. "I am, however, trying to avoid situations where I or the members of my harem have to kill. Unfortunately, right now that doesn't seem to be working."

Fumiko was quiet for a while as she thought about his words. Then her hand slipped into his. "I don't think you wanted to kill him, he forced you to with his challenge." She glanced up at him, her eyes shining with the reflected streetlights. "These are things I need to understand. You'll do."

(01/28/99 1420 BC)

"Sir Duncan, I bring grave news."

"I am already aware that you failed to retrieve the Grimoire, Sir Kenneth, what news could be graver than that?"

"Sir Duncan, I did not attempt to retrieve the Grimoire. Once I saw how badly Sir Louis failed, I returned here immediately. If I attempted to retrieve the Grimoire and failed, you would be unaware of the facts that have been revealed. If my life be forfeit because of my diligence, then so be it."

Sir Duncan leaned back in his chair with an air of curiosity. "What is more important than retrieving the Grimoire?"

"Nothing, Sir Duncan, but the one who has it, Shikarou Urufu, is a powerful spellcaster in his own right and had already determined how the Grimoire could be opened. If he can open it, he may be of use to us as well as to our lord."

Sir Duncan didn't move but the air suddenly seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the gaze he held Sir Kenneth with. "Why do you say this?"

"He told Sir Louis that he had already determined that the name of the Grimoire was needed to open it and as far as I know, only a handful of people are aware of that fact." His head ducked. "Sir Louis told Urufu the true name of the Grimoire, so he now possesses that key."

"I see." Sir Duncan's tone hinted that it was fortunate that Sir Louis was already dead. "Is there anything else?"

"Sir Louis used imitate against Urufu to return a lightning attack and Urufu learned it by watching him. He used it to return an attack that Sir Louis had used against him earlier. Sir Duncan, there is another thing. Urufu survived magical attacks that would have killed a normal human. He appears to have a constitution more in line with a pokegirl's and that should be taken into consideration in future attempts to recover the Grimoire."

Sir Kenneth kneeled. "I returned because this is knowledge that you need to possess and I do not believe that I could defeat him. I believe that the Templar may have to be employed to deal with him."

Sir Duncan steepled his fingers as he considered Kenneth's words. Finally he nodded. "I will speak to our lord of this, Sir Kenneth, and you are relieved of any responsibility for Sir Louis's failure."

"Yes, Sir Duncan. What would you have of me?" Kenneth rose to his feet smoothly.

"You will investigate this Shikarou Urufu further. He knows you, so you will coordinate our intelligence evaluation of him rather than go back into the field yourself." Sir Duncan smiled. "We have many resources throughout the Blue League and more abroad. Use them all to find out everything that there is to be known about Shikarou Urufu."

"As you command, Sir Duncan, so shall it be done."

"So, how did that cocoon spinning go last night?"

Fumiko looked up from her breakfast and smiled around a spoonful of pureed rice. "Once I got the silk started coming out my butt, fine. Can't you see the difference?"

Shikarou just winked and settled down at the table. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"For the last time, yes." She gave him a wry smile. "It's too late for me to change my mind anyway; Yumi has already moved my stuff out of our room. She started when I went to the bathroom." She looked up at him again. "Would you be upset if I cursed sometimes?"

"I do it, so I can hardly complain. I will though, if I think you are overdoing it."

"Ok. My sister's a bitch." She blinked. "There, I said it. Felt good too."

"I'll bet." Shikarou looked slightly uncomfortable. "Look, about what's going to happen today." He broke off.

"It's ok. I talked with Circe and she let me feel what it's going to be like, and it's not that bad. So after I eat breakfast you pokeball me and later this evening you ball me again."

"All right, I wanted to talk with you about this so early so we could get things taken care of in case this Yakuza boss comes by and tries to catch you today. For all we know he might try to catch you at school."

She looked startled. "I'd forgotten all about him. I guess I was too caught up in anticipating being with you."

"I thought you might be. Besides, one of the things we do is cover for each other."

"That's nice." She finished her breakfast and put her bowl down. "Then shall we get the capture out of the way?"

Shikarou pulled a pokeball out of his pocket and held it out for her inspection. Carefully, without touching it, she looked it over. "Why don't you personalize them?"

"Actually, the leagues forbid it. You can't make any changes to pokeballs that might make them more distinctive. It keeps things fair in a random salvage battle, otherwise people would put the pokegirls they wanted to keep least in the prettiest pokeballs and then deliberately lose a battle to get rid of them."

He chuckled. "Branwyn and I are trying to personalize my harem, instead. We're looking at uniform designs, but it's hard to find one that everyone likes. I may have to just decide and live with the unhappiness." A sigh. "Other problems arise from possible complaints of unfairness. It's ok for a pokegirl to have body armor if she comes with it or makes it herself, but if I supply it for her, then I become an asshole to other Tamers."

"No, that is only important if I happen to care about their opinions, but it turns out that I'm supposed to. Apparently some Tamers feel that supplying pokegirls with equipment that they don't come with doesn't help to keep a level playing field." He made a face that caused Fumiko to giggle.

"Of course, if someone has a level 90 Umbrea, it's perfectly fine to challenge some git with a level ten A-Bra, as long as the Umbrea doesn't wear armor. It's not very sporting, but to professional collectors or competitors, sporting isn't important."

Fumiko looked curiously at him. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to supply my pokegirls with body armor," he replied. "I don't give bloody damn about what other Tamers think of me and so far the vast majority of the battles we've been in wouldn't be legal anyways. I just want to keep you safe."

The Titto reached out, her hand hovering over the pokeball. "I'm scared, a little."

"That's ok, so am I."

"You are?"

"Of course. I'm bringing an unknown person into my family. You and I seem to get along together, but when a relationship reaches the moving in stage, things always change. What if you snore really loudly, or have really bad morning breath?" His voice softened. "Or can't get along with the rest of my harem? That's what I really worry about. Not to mention you are all so damned young."

Fumiko patted his arm. "Only physically. Pokegirls aren't really allowed to have a childhood, so we aren't children. Even in my family. I went to school because I could hide what I am, but everyone knows when my birthday is and when I don't show at school tomorrow, they're going to know the truth. My records will be removed from the school and sent to my family. At school the teachers will never mention me again. It will be like I was never there."

"And my friends," she sighed. "If they do call it will be to commiserate with me for the horrible thing that happened to me." Fumiko looked up at him. "I'm glad I'll be gone and I won't have to deal with their fake sympathy. Almost all they will actually be saying is that 'I'm glad it wasn't me' or something very close to that. Most of them won't even try to get in touch with me."

"Hey." Fumiko looked up at his tone. "I want you. I want you in my harem and I want you in my life."

Tears glittered in her eyes as she whispered, "I am so glad to hear that." Shikarou dropped the pokeball on the table and gathered Fumiko into his arms while she cried.

Fumiko stepped in the door of the tent and plopped her books down with a note of finality.

"So how was school?" Shikarou smiled slightly as she jumped.

She looked at him for a minute, frowning. "It was weird. My last day, but nobody knew it but me." She grinned briefly. "I'm glad it's over. They're going to have a major test next week and I'm going to miss it."

"Your education isn't over. You will still be learning, and not all of it is going to be battling or taming," Shikarou warned.

"I know. Branwyn has already explained to me that I'm still in school, just with a larger variety of subjects." She looked down at herself. "Will I still have to wear the uniform?"

"I don't know, you look pretty cute."

Fumiko looked surprised and then dimpled. "You think so?" She twirled in place. "What part do you think looks best?"

"You have great legs. They are nice and muscular and very shapely."

Fumiko felt a tingle in her belly as she realized how intently he was watching her. "Oh." Her Tamer. The tingle increased as she remembered just what a Tamer did. "I'm too skinny."

He smiled, a predatory smile, and Fumiko felt her belly flutter. "While I haven't seen all of you, from what I can see, I would disagree. You've still got some filling out to do, but too skinny? No."

She hesitantly touched the top button of her blouse. "Do you want me to undress so you can see?"

His smile widened. "Not right now." Fumiko felt a stab of disappointment. "Don't worry, I am going to tame you today, and I will see all of you." He patted the floor next to him. "Come, sit."

Fumiko's stomach fluttered again. She settled down next to him slowly. Shikarou smiled softly at her. "I've been thinking about you on and off ever since you went to school."

Her voice quavered slightly. "You have?" She could smell him. He smelled good, like he did before.

"Yes. I wondered many things about you." He turned to face her. Reaching out, he gathered up one of her hands in both of his and leaned down to rub his cheek against the back of it. His eyes flicked up to her before returning to his examination of her hand. "How many boys have you kissed?"

She flushed and her hand twitched. "Mother would never allow such a thing."

"So, are you saying you haven't kissed any boys?" His eyes laughed up at her as his lips brushed the back of her hand. She shivered. "Remember I'm kami and I'll know if you lie."

"No," she finally said in a small voice. Shikarou brushed his lips against the back of her hand again and she closed her eyes for an instant.

"No, you haven't kissed any boys or no you aren't saying that you haven't kissed any boys?" Shikarou turned her hand over gently.

"I've kissed a boy," she almost whispered. Her eyes closed in mortification at the admission.

"And how was it?" Shikarou pressed his lips over the pulse in her wrist and Fumiko's breath caught in her throat.

She tried to concentrate on the conversation. "At first it was ok, but then he tried to stick his tongue in my mouth. Then it was just wet. It was before I was sent to a pokegirl to get tamed for the first time and I didn't know what he was trying to do."

Shikarou grinned against her wrist. When he knew he wasn't going to laugh out loud he continued, sucking gently on her wrist. Fumiko whimpered.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No." Once again she whispered to him. "It feels good." He felt her pulse speed up.

"That's how it's supposed to feel." Shikarou ran the tip of his tongue from her wrist up her arm to the inside of her elbow. She trembled in his hands. He gently kissed the hollow there and Fumiko gasped. "This is always supposed to feel good, so if I do something that doesn't feel good, I want you to let me know." He lifted his head slightly to look up at her again. Her gaze was slightly unfocused as she concentrated on what he was doing. "If there is something that you want me to do, something that feels good to you, I want you to tell me what it is."

Fumiko nodded unconsciously. "That's what Kimiko said. She told me that if I was very lucky I'd get a Tamer who cared about what I liked." She reached up with her free hand and stroked one of his ears. "I was jealous of Yushiko when I first saw you. I hoped that I would get a Tamer who might be like you. I never dreamed that you would be mine."

Shikarou lifted his head and Fumiko leaned forward to meet him as their lips touched. Fumiko's lips parted when he brushed them with his tongue and the kiss deepened. She was never sure how long that first kiss lasted, but she was breathless when he pulled away.

Her eyes opened slightly and watched his mouth form a smile. "You stopped off for some kind of fruit drink on the way home."

She smiled back. "A cherry fizz."

"I can taste it in you." He kissed her again and she sighed, leaning into it. He let her taste some of the hunger that sang in his blood and she moaned quietly against him. Her hands crept up and around his neck to wrap in his hair as she kissed back.

She shivered when he slid his hands under her and lifted, the skin on her legs burning at his touch. They continued to kiss as he carried her down the hall and into his room, sliding the door shut with his foot.

Shikarou sat her gently on the edge of the bed and broke the kiss, sliding down to the floor in front of Fumiko. Her eyes opened and she watched him lazily as he untied and removed her shoes and socks.

His eyes met hers as he lifted her foot and licked her instep. She jerked. "That tickles." He smiled and kissed her ankle. Fumiko gasped. She trembled as he kissed his way up her leg to her knee and moaned softly when he twisted to kiss the hollow behind it. Her skin burned as Shikarou ran his tongue in a line up the inside of her thigh to where her skirt brushed his face. He lifted it with his nose and peeked. He raised an eyebrow and flicked an ear. "Pink?"

She laughed breathlessly. "I like pink." He smiled and crawled onto the bed next to her, moving with an animal grace that made her knees go weak.

"Lie back." She settled backwards on the bed slowly, unwilling to break her gaze with him. His eyes burned into hers as he pulled her blouse out of her skirt

Fumiko gasped when he rubbed his cheek against the smooth flesh of her stomach, twisting to rub his face against her over and over, his breath hot on her skin. Her skin burned when his tongue began licking her stomach with long, broad strokes and she jumped when his fingers undid the bottommost button on her blouse, giving him greater access to her. The air was heavy with her scent and she trembled nonstop as he worked his way up her body, one button at a time, until the last one came undone. Carefully he slid her blouse to the sides, draping it around her like a nest. He smiled as her bra was revealed. "Pink again. They match." His breath made her skin quiver and although her mouth moved, no words came.

Shikarou cocked his head. "It fastens in the back. Too bad." His lips kissed her skin where the cups of her bra met and Fumiko lifted her head curiously when he took it in his mouth. His head twisted slightly, moving the bra to the side of his jaw, and when he closed his mouth there was a crunch and the halves of the bra sprang sideways to fall at her sides. He smiled again. "That's better."

Fumiko's head spun and she suddenly remembered to breathe. She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them, Shikarou was removing his shirt. She watched the play of his muscles with awe, and a little tremor of fear.

Her fingers clenched the sheets as Shikarou dropped his head down to her stomach and licked his way back up towards her breasts. He raised his eyes to hers and blew gently on one of her nipples. She hissed, which became a loud moan when his lips closed over it and he sucked gently. Her blood boiled as he nursed at her breast.

Fumiko pressed her thighs together and twisted, moaning as she tried vainly to quench the fire in her loins as Shikarou suckled first one nipple and then the other. The moment seemed suspended in time and yet ended all too quickly when he lifted his head and kissed her hungrily, once again drawing the breath from her lungs.

She made an unhappy noise and lifted her head to follow his lips and he chuckled quietly. Fumiko dropped back to the bed when he kissed her nipples again and began kissing his way down her abdomen.

Her skin burned beneath his touch as he slid his hands behind her and undid the fastenings of her skirt and slid it down over her hips and off her legs to lie in a heap on the floor. Shikarou rested his head on her thigh and looked up at her. "Take off your blouse." Fumiko slid it and the remains of her bra off and tossed them away.

Shikarou took a deep breath, taking her scent deep into his lungs, and Fumiko's thighs fell open when he exhaled warm air over them. She shivered again and the sheets creaked in her grip. He lifted and turned her, pulling her fully onto the bed and his blue eyes filled with heat as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties and eased them over her hips, moving with them as he slid them down her legs and dropped them on the floor.

He eased her legs apart and crawled between them, kissing her knees and then slowly licking his way up her thighs. He paused, and looked up at her as he closed his mouth over her wetness. Fumiko gasped and moaned when she felt his tongue seeking out her hidden places. She cried out to the heavens, the gods and mostly to her kami until her body tightened and convulsed and Fumiko screamed at her release.

When she was aware again, Shikarou was looking down at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

She gave him a shaky smile and replied in a quavering voice, "I've never gone so hard before."

He smiled. "I'm glad, but we're not done quite yet." Fumiko bit her lip as she felt his cock nestle into her opening, spreading her petals as he slowly forced his way inside. Pleasure and pain mingled together until he was fully inside her and then the pain slowly faded away and the pleasure grew until it threatened to engulf her as her Tamer slowly stroked himself into her. Fumiko began to moan in time to his thrusts and her hips rose to meet him. With each thrust the pleasure grew higher, its promise to swallow her up becoming ever closer to fulfillment.

She felt something change, he swelled even larger inside her and increased the speed of his thrusts and her legs rose to drape over his hips and encourage him to even greater speed.

Sudden liquid heat spilled into her from him and the pleasure roared over her like a tsunami.

When she opened her eyes again, it was with a contented smile when she looked into his satisfied gaze. She opened her mouth and he pressed a finger against her lips. "You don't want to try to talk. From your eyes you've entered taming shock and I don't want you to get frustrated when all you can say is tit."

Fumiko nodded, frowned slightly and touched a large bruise on his collar. She made an inquiring noise.

Shikarou kissed her on gently. "You happened, that's what. That, my dear, is where you bit me." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, you did it." She touched it again and her smile broadened. "I'm glad you're pleased," he replied in an amused tone. She nodded as her eyes danced with laughter.

Shikarou slid off of her and gathered his Titto into his arms. "Now rest, we've got about a half hour before Branwyn comes looking for us. Your family will want to spend some time with you tonight, and I don't think they want to watch us bond more."

Fumiko giggled.

"Oh, and Fumiko?" She looked at him curiously. "You are not too skinny." Her eyes lit up and she hugged him tight.

Shikarou glanced up as Branwyn folded up her com. He was currently playing Go with Fumiko, and considering she was beating him handily, any distraction was a good one.

It was nice to be back at Caomh Sith, he mused, even as he listened to the rain pounding the inn and watched it run over the windows of the taproom. The temperature had finally risen above freezing and rain was washing away the snow.

The Unicorn noticed him watching and smiled. "That was Poppet."

He grunted. "So how much are we charging her this time?" Fumiko stopped eying the board and watched the two of them intently. She was always trying to be aware of what was happening around her, something Shikarou heartily approved of. It kept you alive.

"C50000. I know it's not much, but it's the standard fee. She needs me to do an inspection of a pokegirl ranch. It's required as part of the reciprocal agreements between the leagues, each one periodically inspects ranches in other leagues." She shrugged. "We also sometimes inspect ranches in other regions in the Blue League. That's what this is all about."

"I'm the only qualified inspector nearby. The only other one we have is Ming Die and she's currently not working at the Conservatory."

"Neither are you."

Branwyn nodded. "I know, but Poppet's in a bind, the Conservatory has to do this inspection and she's never gotten certified."

"So she gets another freebie." It wasn't a question. "The money really isn't that important, but it's often the only way to remind others that our time is valuable too." He cocked his head, thinking. "From now on, all personal requests like that have to go through me. Poppet knows I would have balked so she went around me to you and played on your sense of responsibility." He shook his head. "Well, it's done. So where is this ranch?"

"It's in the England. The Shurcliff Ranch. It's down by Falmouth." She smiled as Shikarou looked blank. "I didn't expect you to have heard of it."

"Well, you're right." His voice was uninflected. "I'll do some reading before we get there. So, when do we leave?"

"I'll need to call and schedule the inspection. Are we doing anything for the next couple of days?"

"No. Set up what you need to and I'll let Lynn know we'll be leaving again soon."

Branwyn nodded. "We may be there for a couple of days, so it's likely we'll end up visiting Falmouth for Sadie Pokens Day."

"Do you think I should I be impressed or worried that you make it sound like I should know what you are talking about, and yet I don't?"

Branwyn smiled. "Well in part you don't know what I'm talking about because Lynn decided not to have a celebration here, at least this year. She talked to everyone here, and they're happy where they are. When the community gets big enough, we'll have to have one, but I think we are going to need some unusual rules, and we'll discuss it later."

"Sadie Pokens day is a get away free card for pokegirls. On this day, all pokegirls in an area where it's celebrated are released at sunrise and are free to choose new Tamers, if they so desire, with no recriminations or strings. They have until sunset, and then all of the unattached pokegirls are eligible to be captured by whoever wants. It's first thrown, first caught as soon as the sun goes down and anyone who can go into a pokeball is fair game."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed dangerously and his ears snapped flat. "Not around here they're not." His voice rumbled.

"Of course not." Branwyn watched him carefully. His anger was unexpected. Welcome, but unexpected. "We don't have the money to get the equipment that disables the pokeballs and the bonding circuitry, and when we do, we'll designate an area for the festivities. Your unofficial pokegirls will be safe. Lynn also intends to discuss with you the possibility of having your unofficial harem given anti capture chips." She gave him an even look. "I think you should just take them officially into your harem and be done with it."

Shikarou still looked unhappy. "If hoping that they stay safe and taking them into my harem are my options, I like your way the best."

Branwyn nodded. "I'll start the paperwork on your Breeder's license today. It shouldn't take more than a day or so to get your approval."

"Isn't there a two year wait?"

"Normally, yes, but like in all things, it's who you know."

"Then expedite it as much as possible." Shikarou glared at nothing in particular, his eyes filled with blue fire. "I went to a lot of trouble to set this place up and if some baka unko thinks he's going to pokeball the people who make this place work, I'll tear his kidneys out of his torso and eat them in front of him before I let that happen."

"Down boy." Faelan looked sternly at his brother from the doorway. "If you aren't careful, Svetlana will hear you talking like that, and then she'll make my life hell, at the very least." He settled down at a nearby table and gestured to the Elf at the bar. "Cerveza, por favor." She gave him a blank look. "A pint, please." Comprehension flared in her eyes and she grabbed a mug off of the rack.

"I think your alpha is right. If you bring the pokegirls you are taming on a regular basis into your harem officially, you won't have to worry quite so much." He accepted the beer from the Elf. "Thanks, dear. Besides, it's not really fair to Molly and the others to leave them hanging."

"I've already agreed to make them part of my harem." Shikarou glanced at the Go board and made a move. "Or did you miss that part?"

"No, I just wanted to hear you say it specifically. That will reduce the number of kidneys you'll be tempted to scarf down." He made a face. "Gods but that sounds bizarre. You don't really want to eat human organs do you?" Shikarou gave him a flat look. "That's good. Sometimes I wonder about you kami."

"I understand you have a shrine of your own, brother."

Faelan made a face. "Yeah, but I hear you've already outstripped me in popularity. You're even granting prayers." He nodded at Fumiko. "Your sister, Yushiko's mother, is a good example."

Fumiko smiled. "Yes, she prayed for a child and now she's pregnant. I prayed for a kind Tamer and now I have my kami as my Tamer." Shikarou looked very uncomfortable at her words. Now that she had him off balance, she placed a new stone on the board and assured her victory.

Faelan grinned at his brother's discomfiture. "Let's see, Misaki and Niamh are already in your harem, so you would add whom? Right, Molly, Candace, Lynn and Alice." He nodded to nobody in particular. "I was thinking about claiming Amy, your police Cheshire. Now that I'm leaving the PLC and staying here full time, I'll probably want to fill my harem to capacity."

Fumiko frowned. "I thought Amy was with Fang."

"Puhlease." Faelan gave his brother a flat look. "I know exactly what Fang is, and you won't let him complain, now will you? Fortunately for you, Svetlana hasn't figured out what you did, and it's probably for the best that she have no idea you can do that."

Shikarou shrugged. "You mean fortunately for her. Besides, he's not dead, so he's still able to help tame and eventually he'll probably be one of the donors of genetic material when the pokegirls start breeding." He smiled slyly. "Just like you."

Faelan glared. "Don't go there. Svetlana is already planning our new home, and it's got a huge nursery. I'm not sure if it's a large home or a small pokegirl ranch that she's designing." He shuddered. "I'm not ready for this."

"You never are." Shikarou had a far away look in his eyes. "When Pallaius told me she was pregnant the first time, I caught myself planning escape routes."

"Did she ever know?"

Shikarou shook his head. "No. It wasn't any of her business and I got over it once our first daughter was born. Just remember one thing, no matter what Svetlana might think and no matter what she might insist; children aren't nearly as fragile as she's going to think her first one is. She'll know better by the time the second one comes around, and by the fifth, she'll be tossing them to you to deal with without looking to see if you catch the little darlings."

Faelan choked. "Fifth? Ye gods, how many children do you think I'm going to have?"

"With a full harem, and an empty town," Shikarou looked thoughtful for a moment. "Say three kids per pokegirl, maybe a lot more with Svetlana, she's got that look, oh, twenty, at least while this group is fertile. Later you'll have more."

The pint shattered in Faelan's grip.

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 55

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 57

Unicorn Branwyn 47

ElfQueen Gwyneth 42

Neo Iczel Ruiling 33

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 34

G-Spliced Pythia 28

Active Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 35

Vampire Elizabeth 22

Titto Fumiko 15

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Lynn

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

Inactive Harem – Caomh Sith

ElfQueen Lynn 33

Denmother Molly 49

NurseJoy Candace 45

OfficerJenny Alice 35

Ladyien Niamh 28

Venuswhore Misaki 20

_**MANTIS, the Man-Eater Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Animorph (insectile)  
**Element**: Bug  
**Frequency**: Not Rare Enough  
**Diet**: Live, wriggling meat (Mainly human males, but also bird, lizard, frog, and bug-type Pokegirls)  
**Role**: Sex, Limbec Pirate executioners

**Libido**: High  
**Strong Vs**: Dark, Fighting, Ground, Plant, Psychic  
**Weak Vs**: Fire, Flying, Rock  
**Attacks**: Slash, Carve, Cut, Parry, Deflect, Sword Dance, Megaton Kick, Slash Wave, Spincut, Confuse, Broken Castle, Weapon Guard, Weapon Repel, Zanmato  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x8), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Enhanced Speed (x5), Enhanced Agility (x6), 2 extra arms with razor sharp serrated sickles on them, light shape-shifting, wings to aid in jumping

**Evolves**: HOPEFULLY none  
**Evolves From**: None

**Bounty (for confirmed kill)**: 4,000,000 SLC

**Bounty (for reporting sighting &amp; getting out alive)**: 500,000 SLC

**Recommendation if you see one**: Have a strong warrior-type or fire-type ready to fight. Otherwise, evacuate at once if at all possible.

Sukebe had a sick sense of humor, and an even sicker sense of irony.

He started his war because of women like Linda McKenzie, but in his madness he hated the men just as much. He hated them for their weakness, for letting women like Linda get out of control.

So he created a Pokegirl breed who would be known as their bane: the Mantis.

Manti were amongst the most cruel, vicious fighters in the war. A tall Pokegirl, around 7 feet at the smallest, with a thick, athletic musculature that allowed them excellent agility, large, compound-like eyes, clawed, taloned feet, long antennae which increased their senses tremendously, green, chitinous skin, and an extra set of arms over their first, that are equipped with long, serrated sickle-blades instead of hands and are double-jointed to allow the Mantis to bend them in almost any direction. The blade-arms are, when not in use, held in a position of prayer, and can be used like swords, allowing for many powerful attacks. So skilled in the use of their sickle arms are they, that Manti are considered to be some of the best swordswomen on the planet. Their favorite method of attack was to use their light shape-shifting abilities, disguising their skin-color to blend in with their surroundings, disguising themselves as rocks or large plants, then using their powerful jumping skills to fly over the battlefield and come down with a powerful pair of slashes. But their combat skill is not what they were most infamous for.

The thing they are most infamous for was their sexual appetites. Frequently, after disarming a soldier (sometimes literally), they would take them off and rape them, forcing them to erection with their human hands and taking what they wanted from them, and then once they had gotten off, the Mantis would then start eating their victim alive, usually starting with the genitals, the victim screaming in agony as the Mantis stripped his body of all his flesh.

After the war, an effort was made to exterminate all Manti they could find. Problem was, they couldn't find any. The Manti retained enough intelligence to go into hiding, keeping their movements secret. A few were found shortly before the first Widow was sighted, and the first Pokegirl bounties were made. That bounty was subsequently increased, as Manti seemed to have developed a taste for bird, insect, frog, and lizard-type Pokegirls as well, great piles of bones being found in Manti lairs.

More and more, Manti are found in the company of the Limbec Pirates, who are apparently quite fond of the vicious man-eaters. A captured member of the Pirates revealed that once the Pirates became a noticeable force, Mephaesta recruited Manti en-masse to serve as torturers and executioners, an arrangement that both sides appreciate and enjoy. This put the bounty on a level seconded only by the Widow and the bounties recently put out for the Dark Queen and Anima Pokegirl breeds.

In recent a raid on a Limbec Pirate lair, a particularly fat, Snorlass-sized Mantis was found in the base's dungeons, alongside several hundred bones. DNA testing later revealed that these were all Tamers, Pokegirls, and civilians who had disappeared in the last few months. Before the Mantis was put down, a psychic probe revealed that all those she had eaten were somehow connected with anti-Threshold and anti-Feral research. The Mantis knew nothing more than that, she simply ate whom she was sent. This has led security to be increased around those facilities and for the family members of those involved.

_**TITTO, the Copycat Pokegirl **_  
**Type**: Near human Metamorph  
**Element**: Magic  
**Frequency**: Very Rare  
**Diet**: liquid. Due to digestive problems, Tittos have trouble eating solid food  
**Role**: a very adaptable Pokegirl, unfortunately not many are known to exist.  
**Libido**: Average (with seasonal peaks)  
**Strong Vs**: None  
**Weak Vs**: Rock, Psychic  
**Attacks**: Transform  
**Enhancements**: shapeshifting  
**Evolves**: Glass (normal), Brass (Fire Stone), Marble (Diamond Stone)

**Evolves From**: Statue (Water Stone), Marble (de-evolved with Water Stone), Psivamp (mechanism unknown), Firemaiden (special evolution stone)

Titto is a rare Pokegirl with a single powerful ability. She can transform into a number of other forms, duplicating the abilities of other Pokegirls.  
It is more common for the Titto to partially transform, changing her legs to a Mermaid's tail for swimming, or manifesting an Angel's wings for flight, or changing a hand into a Warcat's claw. Titto full body transformations can only manage a range of 75% to 125% of her usual mass. The smaller the mass changed, the greater the control the Titto has over the end result.  
Titto are also vulnerable to sonic attacks. The most peculiar problem of Tittos is that when in their season, their drive to mate with a male that they have a psychic bond with is irresistible and frantic. If there is no such male, the Titto must be forcibly restrained or she will bond with any suitable male.


	10. Chapter 10

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf.

Chapter 10: Sadie Pokens in the Eye

Pythia appeared in front of Shikarou, her tongue lolling out in a grin as she held out her arms. "Your chariot awaits, master." Shikarou stepped into her arms with a smile and she lifted off, her arms wrapping tightly enough around him to make his ribs creak. She chuckled when he raised an eyebrow. "Just making sure you are secure. Branwyn would do nasty things to me if I dropped you." The view jumped like a bad splice in a movie. "And here we go," she commented as they started to descend. "The Shurcliff Pokegirl Ranch."

Once they landed, Shikarou looked around as he started releasing pokegirls. Compared to the Conservatory, the place was huge, with large buildings set on a rough lawn stretching in several directions. He knew that the Conservatory was actually much larger, only ninety percent of the Conservatory's facilities were underground, a side benefit of being built at the end of the worst war in history.

Pythia had landed just outside the main gate and by the time Shikarou had released his girls, a man in a small electric cart was headed towards them from the main building.

Shikarou chuckled. "That looks like a golf cart."

Branwyn gave him an odd look. "That's because it is a golf cart."

"They still play golf?"

"Of course they do. If one Scot made it through the end of the world, you can rest assured that golf survived as well."

Something in her tone caught his attention and he gave her a suspicious look. "Do you play golf?"

She smiled sweetly. "Of course I do."

"I hate golf."

Her mouth thinned into a line. "I see," she said in a lofty tone. "I knew you were a barbarian, but I never suspected you were that uncivilized." She shook her head. "Well, it's a good thing your brother plays. He was already planning to set up a course on the island." She patted him on the cheek. "It's ok; you'll come to enjoy it." The look she got in return suggested she had a lot of work ahead of her. "Hate golf," she muttered. "The next thing you'll be telling me is that you don't like curling, either."

Shikarou kept his mouth shut.

The man in the golf cart drove up and got out, looking around at the assembled pokegirls carefully and finally focusing on Shikarou. "Welcome to the Shurcliff Pokegirl Ranch. I'm Geoffrey Ames, the owner, and from what I can see, you wouldn't be wanting any of my pokegirls."

"Thank you, Mr. Ames. I'm Shikarou and this is my alpha, Branwyn."

"How do you do, Branwyn?"

"I'm well, Mr. Ames. I'm from the Harris Conservatory; I believe you were aware you were going to be inspected?"

"Aye, that I was. Will all of you be inspecting my place?"

Branwyn smiled. "No, my Tamer and the rest of my harem will find a place to set up camp and then they'll find someplace quiet and train, if that's all right with you."

Ames nodded. "Would you mind if I let some of my kits watch? Most of them haven't seen a real battle before, much less training."

Branwyn gave Shikarou a questioning look, but he was already nodding. "That would be perfectly acceptable, Mr. Ames. I'm always willing to help out with children."

"Thank you sir, you are doing me a kindness." Ames gestured the cart. "If you would, Branwyn?" She got gracefully into the cart and was whisked away.

Shikarou looked at his pokegirls. "Ladies, let us get this started, Gwyneth, you are the odd lady out and get to protect me." He glanced around. "Don't forget we're going to have a group of pokegirls coming out to watch us train, so let's try to put on a good show for them and not hurt anyone at the same time."

Gwyneth pointed. "Is that them?" She sounded surprised.

Shikarou looked. His ears flicked sideways. "Oh." A quick estimate put the number of pokegirls pouring towards them somewhere between fifty and a hundred. They ranged in age from five or six all the way to their teens, probably already of an age to go to beginning Tamers. A handful of older looking pokegirls were trying to ride herd on them and it appeared to his educated eye that they were fighting a losing battle.

He made a quick decision. "Circe, get some saplings and mark out a large area for them all to sit in. Yushiko, Pythia, Fumiko start queuing them up. We'll do this in an orderly fashion and get them all settled down before we start our demonstration. That's right, it appears that training isn't going to happen, and instead it looks like we're the day's entertainment."

Gwyneth looked curious. "What do you want me to do?"

"You get to run interference for me. Intercept any pokegirl who wants to talk to me. I don't have room in my harem and I'm not interested in hearing the instructors apologize for the fact their girls are usually so well behaved. Hop to it, ladies."

With Shikarou supervising, the entire evolution went smoothly and soon the show started.

The pokegirls were treated to displays of power that they could only dream of someday having. There were some one on one "battles", but they were never full bore combats and Shikarou picked the winner by listening to the children's cheering, although he was careful to make sure that every member of his harem won at least one of these bouts.

He was surprised at how involved the members of his harem quickly became, there were some silly speeches and posturing during the "battles" and all in all he was very pleased at how the whole thing had turned out, he mused as he watched the last kid being shepherded off. Autographs had been signed and there had been about a fifteen minute question and answer session that went smoothly once Shikarou had been firm about ignoring any questions about openings in the harem.

It had been a little disheartening to see the educational level of the pokegirls here, most of them could only do what he called money math. That meant that they could make change from small denominations of money. As far as he could tell, none of them, including the euphemistically termed teachers, could read. It wasn't Ames fault; he was following Blue League policy to the letter, which only emphasized to Shikarou where the true fault lay.

It was a waste of potential, one that he would not tolerate on Caomh Sith, and the Blue League could fuck off and die if it thought that it could mandate otherwise. While he hadn't considered it very much before this point, he now knew that there would be a topnotch educational system on the island for anyone who wanted to go and damn the consequences.

That evening, after rounding up the strays that "just happened" to wander down to the camp, Branwyn and the others got a good laugh out of watching portions of the recording of the days events.

After dinner, Shikarou noticed a sudden lack of pokegirl in his life and went looking for the source. He found all of them, including the girls who were supposed to be in stasis, gathered in Branwyn's room, clustered around the Unicorn while she worked on her computer. She blanked the screen hastily as he poked his head into the room and gave him a hesitant smile. "Can I help you?" Everyone else, with the exception of Pythia, looked nervous. The G-Spliced looked bored.

"Just wondering what was going on. Something seems different this evening and I suddenly realized I was alone."

"We're updating your Tamerdex entry." Pythia looked amused.

"My what?"

Branwyn smiled. "So you didn't know. That would explain why you haven't set up an entry. Don't worry, I took care of it."

"You see, on there is a database of Tamers and it's called the Tamerdex. It's a way to track victories, battle strategies, and so on. It also allows individual Tamers talk about themselves, mostly to impress other Tamers, but it's also for talking up pokegirls in reference to Sadie Pokens, to try and get more pokegirls to join their harems. Your pokedex Tamer rank is averaged with the scores from your latest Megami scan as well as your last psychic evaluation and is used to compile a total taming rank or TTR. Ranks are used to compare yourself against other Tamers all over the world."

"And you set up an entry for me?" Shikarou gave her a hesitant look when she nodded. "Uh, thanks. Sorry to intrude." He closed the door behind him as he left and went to his room, pulling out his pokedex as he went.

"Aggie, access my entry and let me see it."

**Very well. Here it is.**

He read through it quickly. "Well, it says I don't have a TTR since I haven't been evaluated by a Megami and psychic pokegirl, but it will happen the first time I attend a Sadie Pokens event. My entry is pretty sparse as well, but that's fine by me." He stretched and leaned back against his pillows. "Do a search and see if you can find anything else about me."

**Give me a minute. **Time passed. **Interesting. It turns out that there is a second layer to the Tamerdex and the encryption is fairly sophisticated.**

"Can you defeat it?"

**Already done. I said sophisticated, not difficult. Not for me, anyway. Just a moment, there's a lot of data here. It's another database linked to the individual Tamer entries. Apparently only pokegirls can access it. It won't show up on a Tamer's pokedex at all and no Tamer would be using a pokegirl's computers.**

"What do pokegirls need an exclusive section for?"

**The entries are very explicit and quite a few are not flattering at all. All of then seem to be done by pokegirls who have interacted on some significant level with the Tamer that they are writing about. There is also a rating system in use here, and numbers sometimes show a large difference from that of the official Tamer rankings.**

"So what does it say about me?" Shikarou couldn't help it.

**Your rankings are positive and you are solidly in the high eighty percent approval ranking, your TTR is 87.59 out of a possible one hundred. Apparently you have been scanned by Svetlana and Branwyn, and an unofficial scan is accepted here.**

"I don't think I want to know any more right now."

Faelan looked around carefully. Yeah, it was built in the center of an impact crater of some kind, and the idiots didn't have the sense to level the ground, but essentially Dogpatch wasn't any different from the many small towns he'd passed through in the last twelve years. Which of course, still left him wondering why Svetlana had insisted that they come here for Sadie Pokens day. Usually they passed the holiday in a WAPL league, so as to keep up his accreditation. Well, you only had to spend every other year there if you were outside the league full time, so his was still safe.

Right now Dogpatch was heavily decorated with bunting and banners hanging everywhere that one could be stuck. He thought it looked like someone had dropped a circus from about a kilometer above and what he was left examining was the wreckage of the crash.

Svetlana covered her mouth as she gave a huge yawn. Her eyes watched him over her hand. "You know, sometimes you are so annoying. You don't look the slightest bit tired."

He cocked his head. "Right. After twelve years you don't know that I don't sleep and I don't get tired like you mortals do. I just need a couple of hours of meditation and I'm fine."

She sighed. "Is your brother like that?"

"Worse, I suspect. As we get older we seem to need less rest."

"Lovely." She glanced around. "Well tomorrow is the big day. Did you get the sensor array set up like I asked?"

"Yes. Everything is focused around that area over there. There isn't anything there, but I did what you wanted. Care to explain?"

Svetlana looked up. "Oh, there she is. Be right back." She hurried off.

Faelan watched her leave. "I didn't think so." He straightened up when Svetlana stopped to talk to a pokegirl with beautiful white wings and long platinum blonde hair. She practically oozed Celestialness. "Now what?" He pulled out his wand and cast an eavesdropping spell. He never put much stock in the rumors of a conspiracy involving the Celestials as a group, but it never hurt to gather more information. Knowledge is power, blah blah blah ad nauseum.

The winged pokegirl was talking. "In truth, mine Tamer was lost during the ensuing battle. Mine heart is rent, but needs must I continue mine quest. So I have come unto you to beseech your aid in attaining a powerful and daring Tamer to stand at mine side during mine journey."

Faelan winced and lifted his pokedex in their general direction. Seraph. From the conversation, he figured as much. Ugh.

Svetlana was responding. "Well, no matter what you've heard, my Tamer doesn't do that anymore. We're retired. In fact we're going to be raising a family soon." (Faelan winced again.)

"Wondrous news indeed. Canst thou direct me to another? Thine sisters guided me to thee, claiming that thou wouldst be able to give mine life direction."

"What the hell?" Faelan listened harder. Perhaps this conspiracy theory needs reevaluation.

"Yes, I do. He's perfect for your needs, sister, and you can help us. We've been trying to get eyes into his harem, and he'd like you, I think. At least, if you play your cards right, he won't be able to justify trading you away."

The Seraph snorted. "What the gods hast decreed, no mortal shall deny. If his understanding be lessened, then his eyes I shall open."

"Excellent. That's a good attitude to take." Svetlana chuckled. "And later you can help to get his blood into our lines."

Even from where he was, Faelan could see the Seraph blush. "Svetlana! As thou knowest, there art certain topics that art not ever for proper discourse." She looked around eagerly. "Prithee, tell me, where art my new Tamer?"

"Oh, he's not here. I couldn't allow that. Especially not now. It's the prophecy."

"Truly great is it if that blessed time hast finally arrived! And yet, curiosity drives me to inquire as to how mine new Tamer couldst cause discord with thee and thy sister's ordained plans?"

"He's a magnet for trouble. We couldn't take a chance on others disrupting what's going to happen tomorrow, and if he was here, something would happen. Something bad."

"Indeed, a wonderful choice is he." The Seraph's eyes glowed. "So where might this great hero be, that I might join him forthwith?"

"I'll take you to the gym in Plymouth and from there it's not a long flight to Falmouth. He'll be there and you can join him tomorrow during the celebration."

"Then let our journey to him begin without delay"

Faelan watched Svetlana take the Seraph's hand and disappear. "Why do I suspect that this does not bode well?" he asked no one in particular. "Well, I warned him about garnering attention." He snickered. "Listening to her talk should be fun. 'Master, mine heart art indeed filled with true longing for thy mighty weapon. Fucketh me with all dispatch.'"

Others looked at him curiously as he dissolved in laughter, slowly collapsing to the ground as he howled with glee.

"What is so funny?" It was Svetlana, she was back and she looked cross.

Faelan sucked air and fought the giggles that tried to escape. "I think I peed myself." He patted his crotch. "Oh, good, I was wrong."

"I asked what was so funny."

"I'm not sure that you would find it funny." He took a deep breath and climbed to his feet. "Why are you trying to stick a Seraph in Shikarou's harem?"

She glared. "No one will talk to me about why there are three Yakuza working on the island. Hopefully she will find out." Her eyes narrowed. "Do you know?"

Faelan grinned. "I know that they aren't Yakuza anymore." His smile widened. "You're hoping that she'll be able to keep him on what you think is the straight and narrow, don't you? How old is she?"

"She's nearly seventeen. A grown adult. She can handle him."

"Shikarou is over two and a half centuries old. She doesn't stand a chance." He snickered.

"What?" Svetlana snapped.

"I'm trying to imagine what a Seraph will look like when Shikarou gets through corrupting her. Perhaps she'll evolve. I know, she'll become a K-Sera-Sera." He grinned. "The Get Along Pokegirl." He made a sound suspiciously like a snicker.

"There's no such thing. Never happen. I'd bet anything that Shikarou won't be able to corrupt her."

"I'll take some of that."

Svetlana looked startled. "You only bet on sure things."

He gave her a serene smile. "That's right. So what kind of odds are you giving and what do I get when you lose."

Shikarou rolled out of bed, giving Elizabeth a fond nuzzle as he did so. She opened her eyes sleepily and smiled. "Do I need to get up?"

He shook his head as he slipped on a robe. "No. Not for another hour or so."

"Ok." She yawned and pulled the covers over her head.

Shikarou headed out into the common area just as Branwyn appeared. "How do you do that?"

He smiled. "The delta bond lets me know when you are awake." He watched her critically as she used her wand to create tea and biscuits. "You're improving quickly." He eyed the tray. "Cubes. I don't understand the Blue Continent obsession with sugar cubes."

Branwyn shrugged as she poured him a cup. "Habit. Kind of like your taste for sake." She gave him a glance. "To me, hot or cold it tastes bad."

He nodded. "You're probably right about it being a habit. So what's the plan for today?"

"I'll finish the inspection. It should only take about half the day. Then we can move on to Falmouth. Are you going to put on another show?"

"No. I'll work with Pythia and Circe on spells and I'm going to test Fumiko's magic capabilities today. Hopefully she won't be like Yushiko. She tested so high, it's been frustrating that she can't learn any spells." He shook his head slowly. "I'm hesitant about doing anything significant until after Sadie Pokens Day and I find out how many pokegirls elect to leave my harem."

"Don't forget the pokegirls who may join you."

He snorted. "Doubtful. I'm not a well known Tamer and my scores are mediocre. Hell, I don't even have a TTR yet." Shikarou lifted an eyebrow. "Here I was busy poking fun at sugar cubes and I completely missed your love of acronyms." He returned to business. "Of course I'm going to get my first formal scan, and the responses of the scanners should be fun. I'm hoping for panic."

"That's not very nice."

"No, but it would be funny and I'm going for the fun part, not the catching pokegirls part."

"I see. And what about the frantic rush to catch pokegirls at the end of the day? Will you participate in that?"

"I'm not planning on it. So, my alpha, would you have me reconsider that decision?"

She gave him an amused look. "And have my time with you cut back even further? Ha!" Branwyn got up and moved around to where he was sitting and pulled up her skirt before settling into his lap. She kissed him gently. "I resent the time I have to give up now, why would I want to give up even more?"

Shikarou slipped his arms around her and she made a contented noise as she settled back against him. Then she frowned.

"What is it?"

"I left my tea over there." Shikarou handed her his cup. "Thanks. Um, how much sugar did you put in yours?"

"None."

"Can I have three lumps please?"

Shikarou finished the spell and held out his hand as Fumiko peered intently at it. "Tell me what you see, if anything, in as much detail as you can."

The Titto cocked her head. "It's some kind of animal. I think it's a wolf." Her eyes widened. "It's looking at me. It sees me!" She glanced back up at Shikarou, who nodded encouragingly. "Now it's wagging its tail."

"Ok, that's enough." Shikarou dismissed the spell. "You have a great deal of magical talent. That's not always enough; you have to have the drive to cast spells as well."

"Where did you learn magic?"

"I was apprenticed to a powerful mage just as soon as I was old enough. She taught me a great deal of the magic I know. The rest I picked up while traveling and while I was serving the Empress, I had time to continue my studies."

"Am I going to learn as much as you know?"

Shikarou considered. "Well, there are a couple of you who have the necessary talent, but while we are on the road I won't be able to give you the kind of teaching you need. Maybe after we settle down I'll be able to teach full time. I'd have to recreate my books, though. I didn't bring them with me. It might be easier to learn another style myself and teach that to you, but in the meantime I'll try to keep teaching as much as circumstances allow."

"Does everyone have the talent?"

"No. The spell I just used tests for raw magical talent. The more you see, and greater the detail you see it in, the greater your potential. Those with no potential won't see anything at all."

Fumiko stared at the floor for a moment before looking directly into his eyes. "Ruiling is considering leaving the harem."

Shikarou didn't look surprised. "I thought she might. Is anyone else?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Ruiling talks to me more than she talks to the others. She thinks that since we both come from Edo, then we have something in common. She doesn't understand that she's just as much gaijin as Branwyn." She muttered quietly under her breath. "Only Branwyn's not an overbearing bitch."

"True."

Fumiko looked startled at his voice. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize that you could still hear me."

Shikarou smiled gently. "Considering that I have to tell the truth, I have no intention of getting angry when you speak your mind. As for Ruiling, she is a bitch to those she feels are beneath her, which in one form or another includes everyone else in the harem. The only reason she doesn't lump me in with you is because other than the first time, every time we cross blades, I win."

He sighed. "It doesn't help that the one time she defeated me, I was winning. She only won because I surrendered, and she knows it. It eats at her every time she thinks about it, which considering her personality, is quite often."

"What are you going to do?"

"She is free to leave on Sadie Pokens. There is nothing I can do. Perhaps she will be happier with another Tamer, one who is more malleable." He sighed. "I was hoping she'd be like the Neo Iczel in Devon's harem, Paulette. Apparently she works well with most of the others, with occasional exception of Hatsumi."

_And with her current behavior, I'll probably be happier to be rid of her, too._

"Now, let's get back to the topic. Magic." He began to give Fumiko the standard introductory lecture that he'd given to each of the others that he'd started to teach. Fumiko paid close attention as he spoke.

Faelan shook his head sadly. The festivities were already gearing up and smoke was starting to hover over the town from all of the different cooking units that were starting to produce victuals. It made sense from a practical viewpoint, the Tamers and pokegirls got free food all day long and everyone knew that Tamer's had bottomless stomachs, so you wanted to start cooking early. Even he was looking forward to the promised smorgasbord.

His problem was with the appearance. Earlier he'd thought that the place looked like a circus that had crash landed. Now the wreckage had caught fire.

He was glad that he hadn't brought any of the other members of his harem. Derdekea and Tetsuyo had both told him that they weren't interested in leaving his harem and only the truly insane would have even considered bringing Zorione here. The Penance wouldn't have stopped running until May. He recalled sadly that the twins had often left him while they were still alive; they loved escaping from their new Tamers and returning to him. Ah, well, not this year.

He still didn't know why Svetlana had insisted that they come here. Idly he watched another group of Tamer's enter the village. They glanced at him as they passed by. A tall Asian boy with black hair in a short tight braid, another young man, smaller and weaker looking, with a red ballcap and jacket, and another boy. His nose twitched and informed him that the third boy wasn't. He was a she. And a he?

More out of habit than anything else, Faelan queried their pokedexes with one of the extra programs the PLC had loaded onto his when he joined their ranks. They'd deleted them when he retired, but his AI had recreated them with little difficulty. Ranma Saotome, Ash Sexum-Saotome and Ukyo Kuonji. Kuonji was the girl. His pokedex flickered and displayed additional data. Kuonji was a pokegirl. A Titto.

Well that explained the problem his nose was having.

She was also registered as a Tamer. Great, another one of those. He pushed away from the wall he was leaning against and stopped. He no longer worked for the PLC and didn't care if a Titto was masquerading as a human. Shikarou was right, if they could get away with it, then so much the better for everyone else.

Faelan decided to return to the camp and roust out Svetlana. The festivities would start in a couple of hours, and since he didn't know why they were here, he'd better make sure they didn't miss whatever it was because his Megami-sama decided to sleep in again.

He glanced back as he moved off and noticed that the Tamers were headed for the pokecenter. Made sense to him, but he'd keep an eye on them anyway, if only for old times sake.

Branwyn looked around at the assembled harem. Everyone looked excited and a little anxious. "Now remember, you can always find us by using the communication spell I've cast. It's got voice communication and will allow you to vector in on me and I'm not leaving Shikarou's side. It'll last for eight hours, and before it expires at 1300 I'll call out to let you know to come and have it renewed."

"Shikarou is going to give each of you your pokeball after we eat breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be out in the Falmouth community. There's supposed to be lots of activities and almost any kind of food you can think of, or so they advertise. This is THE Sadie Pokens event for this part of the Blue League, so attendance is expected to be heavy and there will be plenty of Tamers for you to evaluate if you desire to leave. If you want out of the harem, Shikarou has promised that there will be no hard feelings. I'm sure that he'll repeat that to everyone before we break up."

She smiled. "I have a little something to add to that. If you want to leave the harem, fine. Go." Her eyes narrowed. "But don't expect to come crawling back if your new Tamer turns out to be not what you expected. I'm sure Shikarou would be willing to let you back, he's soft that way, but if I see you first, you won't ever make it to talk to him."

"He's still unhappy about what Kiyoko did, and I know everyone of you has heard her story. No one is going to hurt him like that and come back to watch him suffer." She gave Ruiling a level look. "No one." Ruiling's eyes narrowed and her mouth thinned, but she remained quiet." Branwyn watched her for another few seconds before continuing.

"For those who elect to remain in the harem, I want to warn you to be careful and come when I call. It's still winter, no matter what the calendar says, and darkness comes quickly. If you get caught by someone after sundown, there is nothing Shikarou can legally do, and I really don't want one of us to be the reason he has to kill someone else. Don't misunderstand me. He will come for you if he believes you were illegally captured. However, after we get you back, I will be investigating and if you got caught because you were being stupid, I will make you pay for it."

"I think that's it. Remember to check your watches, and worst case, flee to the pokegirl center. It's off limits. Now according to my watch, it's 0505. Sundown is at 1724 sharp. Other than that, let's have fun. There's free food and whatever else they can think up. If you drink a lot, remember it may cost you at 1724."

The Unicorn produced some business cards and handed one to each pokegirl. "Should you leave the harem, under whatever circumstances, I would like to hear from you, if only to know that you are all right. This has my com number and email addy on it, along with Shikarou's and Molly's back on Caomh Sith. Please get in touch with one of us as soon as you can so we know how you are doing."

"Now, let's get breakfast ready for Shikarou. Fumiko, you have setup and Pythia, you and I are in the kitchen. Everyone else, breakfast is 0530 sharp."

Svetlana pointed excitedly. "There he is!"

Faelan looked, expecting to see a star of one of the shows she'd become addicted to since they retired. "Where?"

"There!" She pointed again.

Faelan looked again. Maybe whatever she was so excited about was on the other side of the small group of Tamers. He recognized them as the group he'd seen this morning. "I really don't see anything except those Tamers."

"Yes! In the Tamers! That's him!"

"Who, Saotome?"

Svetlana whirled to stare accusingly at him. "You know him? But that's impossible."

"I saw him, Sexum-Saotome and Kuonji when they entered town this morning."

She relaxed visibly. "Oh. That's ok then." She returned to watching the Tamers. "He's special, you know. They call him "the Stallion".

"Sounds corny to me."

"That's not why he's so special. He's like you and your brother, from another world. He's also touched by fate. That's why he's here." She smiled. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but it's too late for Shikarou to interfere."

"What do you have against him?"

"There's something not quite right about him. I don't think he's supposed to be here."

"Pythia says she brought him here."

"That's impossible. No one can do that."

Faelan smirked. "What about fate? I remember a conversation about how it brought me here to fight a Giantess."

She frowned. "That's not funny. Pythia can't be a servant of fate. She's not the right sort."

Faelan gave her an odd look. "Shikarou was a god once. Maybe she unknowingly serves him."

"You can't be a god and then give it up. That's even more absurd than Pythia being one of us."

"Us? What us are you talking about?"

Svetlana flushed. "Just forget I said that."

"That's not going to happen and you know it." He shook his head. "Magnet for trouble or not, he is my brother and you are not going to conspire against him." He met her gaze squarely. "I will not stand for it."

He suddenly looked vaguely sad. "If the rumored Megami coalition sets itself against my brother, then I will stand with him. With or without you." Svetlana turned white. "And before you waste our time with denials, you have treated him like a convicted criminal since you met. Oh, you occasionally give him damning praise, but don't be surprised if he recognizes it for what it is. He hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, quite the opposite. He's gone out of his way to help when we needed it, and without him, we would all be dead." His ears flattened and rose. "So what is your problem with him?"

Svetlana was staring at Faelan like she'd never seen him before. "Is he that important to you?"

"Of course he is. He's my brother. I would lay down my life for him and he for me." He frowned. "I'm not sure how to explain the ties of blood. How many family members do you have?"

Svetlana looked uncomfortable. "I can't tell you."

"I see. You know, Shikarou will tell me anything that I ask him. If I don't ask, then he might not think it important for me to know, but he won't deny me the answer to a question that I ask him. You claim to love me and want to have my children, and yet your true loyalties lie elsewhere." He stepped away from her. "What kind of life can we have together if you continue to treat me like this?" Faelan picked up his backpack. "Don't think I haven't noticed that once again you changed the subject instead of answering another question. So what is your problem with Shikarou? Which us are you talking about? And yesterday I asked you why you wanted the sensor array set up where it is and once again you changed the subject."

Svetlana's eyes narrowed. "Do you know what Shikarou did to the three Yakuza on Caomh Sith?"

"You've been with me for twelve years and you still don't know how to ask a question. I've already told you that they are not Yakuza anymore. If you always ask the wrong question, then Shikarou is never going to answer your questions because you always give him a way out. And to answer the question you actually wanted to ask, yes, I do. You won't like it."

The Megami-sama took a deep breath. "Will you tell me what Shikarou did to the three people that were Yakuza?"

"Yes."

Svetlana waited. "Well?"

"I answered your question."

She almost hissed. "What did he do to them?"

"He pulled out their souls and reshaped that which makes them what they are to make them loyal to him."

Svetlana's jaw dropped. "That's impossible. How did he do that?" She had a wild look around her eyes.

"I don't know. I can't do it. You'll have to ask him. What is your problem with Shikarou?"

"He's dangerous and he doesn't have any ties to keep him under control."

"He's got ties to his harem and he owns land in the Blue Continent. Isn't that enough?"

"No. There are dangerous probabilities that spin around him like a tornado and Branwyn and Circe would never try to stop him."

"Well, your Seraph won't be able to either. If he doesn't love her and she gets in his way, he might kill her."

"You tell me he's good with one breath and tell me he might murder a Celestial pokegirl in the next breath. Which is it?"

"I never said he was good or evil and neither has he. If he has no emotional attachment to someone and they get in his way, he'll kill if he thinks it's necessary. That's what he does."

"Why does he have to kill?"

"You are still asking the wrong question. I've already told you that he only kills if he thinks it's needed. He won't otherwise." He sighed at her obvious growing irritation. "You have to think while questioning Shikarou or you're going to walk away from a conversation with him wondering if you were run over by a Snorlass. Ask me why killing is what he does. Ask me any question you want, but ask the right one if you expect to get the answers you seek."

Svetlana took a deep breath and thought. "Why does he kill so easily?"

"Shikarou was a monster slayer, a hunter of oni and renegade humans. He was only sent for when there was no negotiating, no misunderstanding, and no other options. When he came in, something was going to die. He was very good and eventually if all you have is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail."

"He might have become oni himself if he hadn't met Pallaius."

"You said he was a god once. What kind? I mean what was he worshipped for?"

"He was a god of death, of course." Faelan smiled. "It's kind of funny, at least to me, that now he's being worshipped as someone who helps women get pregnant and helps pokegirls find the Tamer that will be best for them."

"How did he stop being a god?"

"I have no idea. I've never been one and I have no idea of where he stood in the god rankings. I never got a subscription to the newsletter. I suspect he was a minor god, most death gods are since death isn't popular in Japan."

"Why hasn't he been killing a lot more here? I would appreciate speculation if you don't know."

"He doesn't like killing. He never has, he's just very, very good at it."

"How can I keep him from becoming a danger to everyone?"

Faelan shrugged. "He's going to kill those who get in his way. As for keeping him from becoming a general danger to the populace, you might want to stop acting like he already is one. If you don't you could very well create that which you claim to want to prevent."

"All right, ladies, it's Sadie Pokens day and if you want, this is your opportunity to look for a Tamer that you think you will do better with than me." Shikarou looked around at the nine pokegirls who were watching him speak. Everyone looked nervous and excited, except for Elizabeth, who was hidden within the cloak he'd enchanted to protect her from the sun.

They were just outside the sign proclaiming the city limits of Falmouth and the place was garish with ribbons and bunting strewn on anything that wasn't moving. The air was rich with the scents of cooking food and already a huge crowd was starting to gather.

"Each one of you has been given your pokeball and I believe Branwyn has explained the rules to you." There was a murmured assent. "Then be careful out there, you would all make wonderful additions to anyone's harem and I know that you will be courted for the rest of the day. Have fun and I hope you find the Tamer you want, even if it's not me."

The group broke up quickly. Ruiling lifted off and flew over the crowd to a chorus of ahs from the new Tamers and Lorelei headed off with her pokeball clutched in one hand. Yushiko caught Shikarou before he could disappear. "Here, my lord." She handed him her pokeball. "I am where I want to be."

"Thank you." He accepted it solemnly.

Behind Yushiko was Fumiko. The Titto smiled. "I am in my kami's harem, what more would I dare to dream of?" He smiled and quietly took the offered pokeball. The two pokegirls disappeared into the crowd.

Gwyneth looked at Circe and plucked the pokeball from the Alaka-Wham's hand. She put it with her own before turning and offering both of them to Shikarou with a smile. "Why did you even bother to give these to us?"

"You have to decide what you want to do for yourselves." He tucked the pokeballs into his belt. "Have fun."

Gwyneth looked at Branwyn and jerked her head at their Tamer. "Who's keeping him out of trouble?"

The Unicorn gave Shikarou a sly look. "Pythia and I are. We both have investments to protect. She wants to make sure he's available to defeat this threat and I want to make sure he stays available. You two go have fun. We'll take care of him."

"I'm not leaving him either," Elizabeth commented as she slipped her arm through his. "Not only is he my Tamer and my lover, but he's also lunch and dinner." Her eyes appeared in the hood. "Also any snacks that I want and dessert too, right? I get to drink my fill?"

"Yes, today you can." He shook his head gently and gave Branwyn an amused look. "It's a good thing I'm going to have chaperones, apparently I'm going to need to stay hydrated."

Pythia took his other arm. "We will make sure you are pampered." She smiled. "We've already taken care of your pokeball collection station and Branwyn has verified that you now have a Total Taming Rank. I understand that it isn't all that impressive, but you have been underestimated before." A toothy grin. "Louis underestimated you in Edo and I'm sure he wouldn't think you quite so common, if he were alive."

Shikarou smothered a smile and then rethought and let it appear. "Very well. Ladies, what shall we try first?"

"Would you like something to eat?"

Svetlana nodded. "That would be nice." They both had that brittle politeness that follows a fight between lovers. She glanced at him. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I was exasperated, not mad and no, I'm not anymore." He got into a line for some Italian food. Svetlana loved lasagna. "What now? If you don't want to stay I can pick up the sensor heads and recordings later."

"I have to stay."

"Why?"

Svetlana started to speak and then stopped. She gave him a speculative look and nodded to herself before answering. "There is something that is supposed to happen tonight and it will take the combined power of several Megami and Megami-sama to make it happen."

"This involves Saotome, doesn't it?"

"Do you have to be so damned perceptive?" Svetlana flared.

"Yes, I do." The line finally made it to where he could pick up a couple of biodegradable plates and fill them with lasagna, after sticking two sets of cutlery in his pocket. He grabbed some garlic bread and balanced everything on a two glasses of iced lemonade as he made his way back.

A quick juggling act and both of them had one of everything. Faelan calmly booted a couple of young Tamers off of a nearby bench and they settled down to eat.

Svetlana made a halfhearted protest. "You didn't have to do that."

"They know how the world works. The young Tamers move or they get stomped." He smiled. "If I was nice that would send conflicting messages to them and they are confused enough."

Svetlana tried not to laugh, but didn't have much success. "Are you going to ask why I'm so interested in Ranma?"

"Didn't think it was any of my business."

"Why is this now not your business?"

"Earlier you asked me to do work for you. I deserve an explanation or the next time I might just tell you no. I've done it before. So, would you like to tell me why you are so interested in Saotome? He doesn't seem to be your type."

"What is wrong with him?"

"He's not hero material. If he becomes a hero it'll be by accident. You like your heroes deliberate." He frowned. "I'll bet that is one of the things about Shikarou that sets your teeth on edge; he's hero material but doesn't care at all about your vaunted battle between good and evil."

"I never considered it that way, but you may be right." She took another forkful of food and chewed thoughtfully. "My sisters would be upset if they knew I talked to you about this."

Faelan nodded. "If that is overridingly important, then you shouldn't."

"Oh, now you become understanding?"

"No, now you have to decide where what is important to you. I've already said that Saotome isn't important to me, if he were to drop dead right now it wouldn't affect me one whit. However, apparently you may want to tell me why he's so important to you. The question is, will you?"

Svetlana was quiet for a moment. "Have you heard of parity?"

"You mean the 'we're all going to someday realize just how cruel we've been and hold hands and sing songs and everyone will be the same' silliness parity? I suppose I have."

"Why are you mocking parity?" Her voice was flat and it was obvious another fight loomed on the horizon.

"I'm sorry. That was my knee jerk response to anything that is supposed to 'just happen'. Parity is a great ideal, but the only way we're going to get there is by hard work and blood." He frowned. "Caomh Sith is a step in the right direction, with pokegirls doing jobs normally restricted to the noble humans. However, we'll never be completely the same, humans like to discriminate and frankly that 'humans' includes pokegirls. While absolute equality would be a very nice thing, it's not just going to happen."

"Tonight, Ranma Saotome will help others to see the steps that can be taken," Svetlana replied. "It will take the help of several of the Celestial pokegirls, including me, maybe because you are right, he's an accidental hero."

"So why the hi-def recording setup?"

"Getting his actions for posterity wouldn't hurt."

"Actions? What, is he going to do some improvised dance or something like that?"

"No one is really sure what is going to happen."

"All right. So how do you want to spend the rest of the day? I don't want to spend it fighting."

Svetlana smiled softly. "Me either."

It was suddenly raining pokegirls. Ok, it was one pokegirl and she was dropped from a handful of meters up rather than falling from the clouds, but when she landed right in front of Shikarou the effect was just as startling.

He rushed forward and checked her over as she curled up and sobbed. She'd been beaten pretty badly, she sported bruises and contusions in profusion and it looked like her arm was broken.

Shikarou shrugged off his pack and quickly pulled out some potions and began spraying. The girl's injuries quickly mended, except for the bruises. The damage actually did heal, however only time would allow her body to reabsorb the blood the broken vessels had deposited in the muscle tissue.

She was a Milktit. Apparently she was about halfway between the extremes of the species, she had a cow-like face and strong curving horns, but her muzzle was shorter and more rounded than that of a true bovine. She had a light coat of fur that was a dappled chocolate and the tuft on her tail was black. The ragged remnants of a blue skirt were still belted around her waist.

She was still sobbing and Shikarou pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe her face of tears and mucus. The Milktit curled up in his arms as he gave Branwyn a helpless look. She shrugged in reply.

A voice yelled from above. "Now we are even and I don't owe you shit!"

Shikarou looked up. It was Ruiling, hovering with her arms folded. He turned back to the Milktit. "Are you better?"

Her sobs were starting to trail off and she nodded in response to his question as she burrowed deeper into his arms.

"I'm talking to you, Shikarou. You'd better answer me, you bastard!"

Branwyn blinked as for an instant Shikarou's face was ugly with fury and then it blanked and a small smile appeared. He raised his voice, still cradling the Milktit. "I suppose I must thank you, Ruiling. I was planning on trading up from you, but was unsure if I could find anyone stupid enough to take you off my hands. This Milktit is a definite improvement."

The crowd, which had started assembling when the Milktit fell to the ground, scattered quickly as Ruiling growled in rage and drifted forward.

Shikarou continued paying attention to the Milktit and didn't look up. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I would at least think very carefully before proceeding."

Ruiling stopped drifting. "Why should I listen to you?" Her voice was thick with anger.

"You are not in the harem right now and don't enjoy its protections."

"You can't beat me!" The Neo Iczel was almost frothing with rage. "No one beats me!"

Shikarou murmured to the Milktit. "I have to let you go, but only for a minute." She clung to him for an instant before relaxing and letting herself be slowly released. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch him as he turned to face Ruiling for the first time.

"Today, Ruiling, I will not fight you." His voice was even and calm. "If you come any closer, I will enslave you." The Neo Iczel flinched backwards, her face paling with fear, as he continued. "You have chosen to abuse another pokegirl in the hopes that somehow it will prove your superiority to me. All it proves is that Fang was a good choice for you as a Tamer and my kindness to you was a waste of time. Baka wa shinanakya naoranai. Apparently only death will cure your stupidity. Now go. If you show yourself to me again this day I will make you mine forever."

He turned back to the Milktit and took her into his arms as Ruiling fled. He glanced up at Branwyn and Circe. "You know that someday soon it is very likely that she will be back. She doesn't fight fair and we'll need to be ready."

Circe nodded. "We will."

Elizabeth peeked out of her hood. "Are you going to keep her?" She glanced at the bright sun and retreated again.

"Today of all days I think she gets to make that decision." Branwyn kneeled and looked at the Milktit. "I'm Branwyn and this is Shikarou. I'm his alpha."

The Milktit looked her up and down. "I'm Helen. Can I stay?"

"Of course you can." Branwyn smiled. "Where is your pokeball?"

Helen blew her nose loudly on Shikarou's shirt. "Todd broke it. He did it as a dramatic gesture to show that we were finished." Her mouth thinned. "He's always doing things like that." She glanced at Shikarou. "This is a nice shirt. I'm sorry I ruined it."

"I seem to remember giving it to you." Shikarou smiled. "And it's not as important as you are."

Helen gave him an appraising look. "That was very nice. I think I'm going to like this harem."

Circe frowned. "Why are you still traveling? Pokewomen don't usually travel with Tamers." A slight smile appeared when Helen looked surprised. "I read it in your mind."

"Oh. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of experience with psychic pokegirls." Helen's mouth twisted. "Todd had to have a Milktit and I was the only one around. My owner traded me to Todd for a pokegirl." Her face smoothed. "That's just the way life is sometimes."

"Do you have any children?"

The Milktit smiled. "No. Neither my owner nor Todd were interested in kids."

"Do you want them?"

"I do." She gave Branwyn a calculating look. "I understand that a Tamer's life has no room for them, however."

"Well, you may be able to have them before too long." Branwyn looked amused at the surprised look on Helen's face. "Shikarou isn't your typical Tamer. He already has a home and when he's ready, you'll go to live there." She turned to look at him. "How long?"

"I gave Faelan a deadline of two years, and I guess it's only fair if I do the same thing for myself. So in two years I'll become fertile."

Helen clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful!"

"However, for now," Shikarou pulled out an empty pokeball, "we need to get you full healing. Are you ready?"

"Yes." Helen went quietly into the pokeball and Shikarou handed it to Circe, who'd already set up the PPHU.

"When she's healed I'll go ahead and put her into your collection station." The Alaka-Wham smiled. "That way at the end of the day you'll have at least one new pokegirl." Her smile widened. "And speaking for the members of your harem that aren't Unicorns, we are happy to see Ruiling gone. We are more than willing to train harder to make up for Helen being in the harem. Your Unicorn, on the other hand, is probably mourning the loss of her punching bag." Everyone shared a laugh.

In the swirling of the crowd, no one noticed the Seraph watching them intently. She quietly followed Circe as the Alaka-Wham headed for Shikarou's collection station.

"That was a nice speech." Faelan leaned back against Svetlana, who wrapped her arms around him.

"Nice, that was wonderful," his Megami-sama disagreed.

"Whatever." Faelan watched the crowd mobbing Saotome. "Poor guy. He's got a Megami and an Angel. That man is doomed."

"You have the same thing."  
"I have a Fallen Angel," he replied loftily. "All the difference in the world."

"That's right. You have a winged psychopath while he has a champion of good." Svetlana nuzzled his neck. "Shall we go see what you collected in your pack?"

Faelan grinned. "I suspect it's the same as every year, nothing." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "I don't know how you do it, but I suspect you are responsible for that little mystery. I don't think you want to share me." He went back to watching the crowd. "As soon as that breaks up a bit, I'll collect the sensor heads. I checked while he was speaking and the image is everything you asked for."

"Excellent. We'll get them and head back to Caomh Sith."

Branwyn watched as Shikarou returned Fumiko and Yushiko to their pokeballs. He glanced at her. "Except for Lorelei, that's the last of them."

A shadow swept overhead and the Sphinx almost crash landed on him. "Sorry I'm late," Lorelei gasped as she tossed him her pokeball. "I had a run-in with some idiot Tamer who had his Cheshire steal my pokeball from me."

"Actually that sounds kind of crafty. Is everything all right?"

She nodded as she sucked air. "Yeah. I know I can't just run around attacking humans, so I grabbed him and started yelling for the police. When they showed up I explained what had happened and they hauled him and his Cheshire off to jail."

Shikarou nodded and activated the capture field. He tucked the pokeball away and looked at Branwyn. "You're it."

She sighed. "While it would be amusing as hell to stand here and watch Tamers trying to catch me, I suppose it wouldn't be fair to you."

"You're right. Besides, I already have plenty of empty pokeballs."

She nodded. "You are going to have to start filling them again or the annual review of your Breeder accreditation might be tricky." She dissolved into red light.

Shikarou hopped up onto a nearby rooftop and made himself comfortable so he could watch the sundown capture frenzy. It was mildly impressive, but in his opinion the Tamers were silly. If he'd been planning to involve himself in this, he'd have been spending the last fifteen minutes stalking his prey instead of standing around babbling, which was what he'd seen a lot of the Tamers doing.

He'd also have a better idea of what to do. Apparently many Tamers had bad target discrimination capabilities; he saw several humans, both male and female, get hit with pokeballs and even had to pluck one out of the air that some idiot had thrown at him. He glared at the Tamer and crushed the pokeball before bouncing it off the guy's head. Apparently he'd thrown it a bit harder than he'd intended, he reflected as he watched the guy get knocked sprawling and blood ran down into the dirt. "Oops."

He waited a solid hour to make sure that the Tamers were done catching pokegirls and the local gendarme was finished explaining to the last Tamer that it was way past sundown before dropping back down to the ground.

He released Branwyn, Circe and Elizabeth, the Vampire sighing with relief and shedding the cloak. He turned to his alpha as Elizabeth carefully folded it up and slipped it into her own backpack. "It looks like everything is over."

Their surroundings came into view as Branwyn created a hovering globe of light that took up a slow orbit around her. "Let's get to the collection station and see what you've got. They shut them down at midnight and while any pokegirls get loaded into storage for you it looks bad if you don't pick them up yourself."

The pokeball collection stations were metal boxes that were welded together in groups of eight. The groups were then scattered around the fairground. Each station had its own closed padlock that had been sealed with wax and marked with the stamp of Falmouth to ensure that it hadn't been opened during the day's festivities. Different groups of boxes were of different sizes, Tamers with higher TTRs being give bigger boxes to accommodate the presumably larger number of pokegirls who would want to join their harems. Compared to theirs, his was definitely on the small size, but that was only appropriate, considering his low total taming rank.

Each box was labeled with the Tamer's name and had a transparent window on it. In each window as a printout that held a picture of the Tamer and his TTR, broken down into three categories, his psych eval, his Megami score, and his Tamer rank. Each category had both his numerical score and a graphic representation for pokegirls who couldn't read; one happy face for each ten percent in his score.

Shikarou pulled the key he'd been issued out of his pocket and broke the seal before unlocking the box and opening it. Since he'd been forced to buy the lock, he dropped it and the key into his pocket as Branwyn peered inside the box.

"There are three pokeballs in here," she announced as she fished them out. "Not a bad haul for your first Sadie Pokens."

He scanned the pokeballs and handed the pokedex to his Unicorn as he slipped his backpack off his shoulders. She chuckled. "Well, you've got a Milktit, no surprises there. You've also picked up a Ria and a Seraph." She blinked. "A Seraph? I'm not so sure that's a good thing."

Shikarou shrugged. "I would tend to agree with you, but I don't think we can leave her here, can we?"

The Unicorn smiled. "There are a couple of boxes that haven't been opened yet and I could pop her into one of them." She gave him a hopeful look.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "She decided that she wanted to be with me. Are we going to treat that decision like she's property or like she's a person?"

Branwyn grimaced and handed him the pokeballs. "All right, when you put it that way, I guess she stays."

"I'm not sure I'm happy about this either, but if she doesn't mesh then she goes." Shikarou touched his alpha's cheek. "We have to give her a chance, even if she's a Celestial. Perhaps especially since she's a Celestial and I'm prejudiced against them." He straightened up. "However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to be cautious around her. Circe, I want her to get as deep a scan as you can stand doing. Branwyn, you get to check Circe after she gets done to make sure she's ok, and I don't want the Seraph to be alone for a while. Also under no circumstances is she to be alone with Elizabeth." He glanced at all three of his pokegirls. "I'm going to give her the same trust I give everyone who first joins my harem, but we can still keep a close eye on her."

Circe chuckled. "I've heard rumors about a conspiracy among the Celestials, and you just gave me permission to find out for myself. Thank you."

"Don't burn out her mind in your search for the truth, ok."

"Spoilsport."

Faelan listened to the night birds calling as he sat on a large rock a kilometer from town. The moon occasionally peeked out from behind the scudding clouds, bathing the area in silver.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Shikarou appeared silently from the darkness.

Faelan jumped. "How do you do that? I never heard a thing."

"Lots of practice. What did you want?"

Faelan looked behind his brother. "You're alone, right. No bodyguards following you on your walk?"

"Them you would have heard. No, I'm alone."

"So how was your first Sadie Pokens day?"

"I'll presume that this is leading up to something." Shikarou gave Faelan a hard look. "It was acceptable. I lost Ruiling and picked up three pokegirls, a Milktit, a Ria and a Seraph. I'm not too sure about having a Celestial pokegirl in my harem, but she did choose me. Besides, I sometimes wonder if Yushiko isn't part Celestial herself."

"You're being set up."

Shikarou closed his eyes as he sighed. "Explain."

"No, it's not your harem, it's Svetlana. She steered the Seraph to you. Apparently she wants a spy in your harem."

Shikarou turned puzzled eyes on his brother. "Why in hell am I that important to her?" He hopped onto a rock and settled down.

"She thinks you are some kind of major threat. She's hinted that she's going to question you about it, but as far as I know she hasn't."

"You're right; she hasn't come to talk to me." Shikarou leaned back and watched the sky. "Do you have any idea why she might think that?"

"I don't. We did talk about your past, but her concern predates that."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her about your career as a monster slayer and we talked briefly about how one stops being a god."

"I was a tiny god. Miniscule. Barely rated on the god meter." He frowned. "How did you know anything about that? That all happened centuries before you were born."

"Father's journals mentioned your progress."

"I never knew that. Damn."

"So how did you quit being a god?"

"Gods stop gaining power when they no longer have worshippers and Her Majesty didn't like the idea that I cared for my worshipper's wellbeing and was concerned that I might be off taking care of them while off duty. She sent some members of the Imperial Guard and they massacred my worshipers and leveled my shrine." He sighed. "They were quite thorough; so far as I know nothing grows on that ground today."

"Why didn't you do something about it?"

"I'd already taken my vows when it happened and so I had no recourse but to follow her dictates."

"I thought she ordered you not to take revenge on Pallaius's killer, but you did that. You're inconsistent."

"No, I'm not. I was told to 'not take any actions in regards to the destruction of my shrine and my worshippers' and I didn't. I was later told 'you will not take revenge on Taidaria for killing Pallaius'. I didn't. I got her to insult me and killed her for that."

"Cute."

"Not really. It didn't bring my wife back or make me hurt any less." He sighed. "I'd have given my soul for the ability to bring the dead back to life just one time."

Faelan grimaced. "Sorry. Are you going to get all morose on me?"

Shikarou snorted. "No. I'm not."

"What are you going to do about the Seraph?"

"While your news isn't good, I'd already taken precautions. I guess I'll see if she can be useful to me. If she can't then she's gone."

"What if she insists on staying? Seraphs can have that kind of personality."

"I can be pretty insistent myself."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 55

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 59

Unicorn Branwyn 50

ElfQueen Gwyneth 44

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 34

G-Spliced Pythia 31

Titto Fumiko 17

Active Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 37

Vampire Elizabeth 27

Seraph ? 42

Ria ? 39

Milktit Helen 53

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

_**MILKTIT, the Dairy Cow Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Varies from Animorph (bovine) to Very Near Human

**Element**: Normal

**Frequency**: Uncommon

**Diet**: herbivore, can digest almost any plant material

**Role**: milk producer, emergency food provider

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Ghost

**Weak Vs**: Fighting

**Attacks**: Tackle, Wrestle, Warm Milk, Busting Out, Milk Drink, Cream, Butter Up, Mountain Hold

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Durability (x5), Enhanced Intelligence (x3), Semi-elastic skin, fast recovery, slight animalistic features, breasts can produce up to 45 gallons per day of milk; internal glands can alter the milk to various states

**Evolves**: Minotaura (battle stress), Mooncalf (Moon Stone)

**Evolves From**: None

Milktits don't seem like much at first. Relatively easy-to-find, with appearances ranging from white-with-black-spotted fur and vaguely animalistic features to normal-looking girls with small, slightly curved horns and soft, leather-like skin. They also have some capacity for higher intelligence and tactics, although they rarely make good Alphas, the majority preferring subservient roles in the Harem. It's in their breasts that their real advantage comes from, and not just because they're spectacularly large.

A Milktit's breasts are constantly lactating, producing delicious milk to drink. When milked completely, they are never smaller than a D-Cup, but it's rare to see them at such a comparatively small size. A Milktit produces up to 45 gallons of milk per day. Inside their breasts is a series of glands which they can use to alter their milk's effects, creating a healing potion, a sedative, a hormonally affecting drug, or a hypnotic. The skin of their breasts is surprisingly elastic, capable of easily supporting all 45 gallons of milk, however for a Milktit, their breasts being that full is an unpleasant feeling, becoming more painful the larger their breasts get. Letting their breasts go unmilked for more than a day is considered abuse and you will be fined or punished accordingly. If a Milktit remains unmilked for up to a week, they will be immobilized by the sheer size of their own breasts.

Surprisingly, Milktits were actually made use of frequently during the Revenge War by Sukebe's forces. They were easy to feed in the field, their dietary needs easy to fulfill by simply letting them graze on nearby grass and trees, and the milk their breasts produced provided much needed health boosts for several units of Sukebe's forces. Because they were not the best fighters, however, they were also among the first breeds of Pokegirl to be officially `tamed.' The breed has remained fairly popular to this day, especially among starting Tamers and Tamers who have trouble finding food in the wild.

One thing to take note of, is that any Pokegirl who drinks Milktit milk will herself lactate for roughly a week afterwards, their breasts swelling to accommodate the milk they're producing. The milk of those Pokegirls will not cause other Pokegirls to lactate, and they cannot make their milk anything other than healthy and delicious.

Milktit is among the more common Thresholds for young girls to go through. It's also one of the more well-accepted changes, as the girl in question gain larger, more attractive breasts.

_**SERAPH, the Heavenly Defender Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Flying/Magic/Fighting (Celestial)

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare

**Diet**: vegetarian

**Role**: defender of love and justice

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Fighting, Ground, Normal, Plant, Steel, infernal Pokegirls  
**Weak Vs**: Electric, Flying, Psychic, sex attacks

**Attacks**: Dive, Typhoon, Evade, Punch, Kick, Bear Hug, Focus, Focus Energy, Resist, Double Kick, Dynamic Punch, Reflect, Heal, Magic Fist, Magic Kick, Mana Bolt

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x15), Enhanced Speed (x3), Enhanced Reflexes (x4), Toughness, Endurance

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Armsmistress (Valkyrie-based winged Armsmistress only; Angel Stone)

Seraphs are the most militant of celestial Pokegirls. They are ever-vigilant to defend good and innocent people from the depredations of those whom they consider evil, which especially includes infernal Pokegirls.

Seraphs don't look much different from their previous form, having long, flowing hair, which may now be of any color, not just red, eyes that can likewise be any color now, and large, feathery white wings. These wings are not part of her arms, allowing her to fly and attack simultaneously. However, doing so is more difficult for her than it would be for a true bird Pokegirl, making the Seraph weak versus Flying-types. Most Seraphs are quite busty, and have breasts that are a generous C cup at least. They are obviously muscled, but their toned form hides an incredible, disproportionate strength. They aren't as strong as their previous form, but what they lose in strength they gain in the way of combat prowess and magic.

Seraphs take themselves and their duties very seriously. They see themselves as having a sacred responsibility to defend people from evil forces. They prefer to look to more preternatural evils than mundane ones though, and are prone to ignore things like robberies and thefts in favor of mystic evils, such as hauntings and dark cults. They regard infernal Pokegirls as the worst sort of evil, and though they don't attack them on sight, any minor provocation is enough to set them off. Seraphs get along well with other celestial Pokegirls, considering Angels and Pokegirls who are Blessed to be like younger sisters. Megami and such tend to regard Seraphs with a sort of exasperated affection, like how one would treat a slightly crazed younger sibling, since they feel that Seraphs are both too militant and are wrong to ignore the "lesser" evils of the world.

When in a fight, a Seraph's first concern is to get any innocent people out of the way, and will willingly and unhesitatingly place themselves in front of someone to protect them trusting their defensive moves, such as Resist and Reflect, to help them get withstand the assault, along with their Toughness enhancement. Should an innocent be injured, they will immediately use Heal on them. Once any innocents are safe, a Seraph quickly wades into battle, using her various Punch and Kick attacks to pummel her opponents into the ground. Seraphs always use their weakest attacks first and gradually increase their attacking power as the fight goes on, since even on evil creatures Seraphs are loathe to cause unnecessary damage, being defenders and not sadists. This can cause the Seraph to take some otherwise avoidable damage early in a fight, but they tend not to mind this. Seraphs can last a long time in battle, thanks to their Toughness and Endurance enhancements, their defensive moves, and their ability to Heal themselves. Should a Seraph get desperate to win a battle, she will use Focus or Focus Energy to power up a move and then unleash it to devastating effect. Should a Seraph not be able to close the distance between herself and her foe, she relies on Magic Fist, Magic Kick, and Mana Bolt to win the day for her.

While serious, even stern, when fighting or looking for some evil to combat, Seraphs are just the opposite when it comes to Taming. Sex talk makes them blush and lose their composure easily. When about to be Tamed, they tend to blush, giggle, and avert their eyes, acting almost ditzy. Despite their great strength, they never need to be restrained, since never once has a Seraph lost control so much that she injured her Tamer. A Seraph's embarrassment about sex works against them on the battlefield though. They have a hard time resisting sex attacks, and know none themselves. They tend to be very humiliated when defeated by being brought to orgasm, and will be even moodier than usual about it for a while afterwards. For the most part though, Seraphs do well in a Harem. They see themselves as having to guide their Harem-sisters and her master by persuading him to champion the causes of good, and she judges herself based on how well she can convince her Tamer to fight the same supernatural evils that she herself does. She usually doesn't try to be the Alpha, seeing herself more as a guide and mentor than a leader by necessity. However, Seraphs are totally opposed to having an infernal Pokegirl in the same Harem as her, and the two invariably bicker non-stop until one of them leaves, submits to the other (which virtually never happens), or dies.

Feral Seraphs are quite docile, and won't attack anyone unless it's to defend themselves. Even then, they tend to just use Punch, Kick, and Heal when the fight is over. Capturing a Feral Seraph is thus much easier than it would be to otherwise fight a non-Feral Seraph. They do need to be restrained when being Tamed out of Feral though, since they aren't intelligent enough to restrain themselves. There has never been a known case of a Threshold girl becoming a Seraph.


	11. Chapter 11

Yea im getting lazy so im just going to post it as I got it from now on

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 11: Sadie Pokens Fallout

"Did you learn anything about magical volumes while you were at Vale?" Shikarou slammed a heavy tome down on the table and dropped into a chair with an exasperated scowl. "I've removed all of the traps on this damned thing but I can't get it open."

Faelan looked at the book and up at his brother, but didn't touch either. "What is it?"

"The Grimoire of Danu. This is the book that we recovered from the asteroid base." Shikarou snarled silently at the inoffensive tome. "Considering the trouble people are going to in order to take it from me, it's got to have some importance, but I have no known idea as to what. I'm just about ready to find some gasoline and have a book burning party."

Faelan looked thoughtful. "Have you thought that perhaps the means to open the book is in the name?"

"I've tried the name in various ways, but I'm not sure what you are getting at?"

"Maybe you need Danu or one of her children to open the book."

"Could you explain that in a way that wasn't completely vague?" Shikarou transferred his scowl from the book to Faelan.

Faelan ignored the look. "What do you know about Danu?"

"I know she's a Celtic goddess. I couldn't find much more about her."

"That would make sense, she hasn't been worshipped by humans for a very long time and she isn't really a part of the modern religions." Faelan prodded the book with a finger carefully, and when nothing happened, pulled it across the table to himself. "First of all Danu is Irish or Celtic. The Welsh called her Don and depending on who you believe, Danu was either the goddess who created the Sidhe or the first of the Sidhe herself." He shrugged. "Nobody is sure which the truth is. The archivists I had access to don't agree amongst themselves and they are currently involved in a centuries-long dispute over who is correct."

"I don't know much about the Sidhe." Shikarou frowned. "Even though it's in our family line, I never had much reason to be concerned about it."

"The Sidhe are the fey or fairies of the Blue Continent, before it ever was the Blue Continent. Back before the Romans came they existed. Supposedly living in fairy mounds they were the people of Faerie. They were more varied than the pokegirls, but there were two basic types: the Seelie or light elves and the Unseelie or dark elves. Our blood carries the Unseelie lines."

Shikarou shook his head. "Yours maybe. Not mine."

Faelan disagreed. "Father is half Sidhe, which makes you a quarter Sidhe, just as I am one fourth kami and three fourths Sidhe. The fact that you have never tried to access your gifts from our side of the family doesn't change the fact that our blood flows through your veins." He turned the book over and ran his hands along the spine. "This book is filled with the power of the Sidhe, I can feel it. Often the first safeguard to preventing others from using our magic is to make our magic only work for those of our blood and since you've never accepted your mixed heritage, perhaps it doesn't recognize you." He shrugged. "It could also be that only the creator of the book can open it. It really depends on just how paranoid the person who made the Grimoire was at the time."

Shikarou glared sourly at the book and then smiled suddenly. "I'll need to remember if there is a next time to consult with you sooner. I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that you are a formally trained mage as well."

Faelan nodded proudly. "Thank you. However I must confess that I'm unsure if I can open it either. If you'd like, I'll take a look at it."

"I would. Just don't let others know you have it. The idiots in the cloaks have been chasing me, and if they want to keep doing that while you study the Grimoire, I'll be happy to oblige them."

"Do you have a minute?"

Shikarou looked up and smiled. "Good morning Svetlana, and yes, I've got time for you. What do you want?"

The Megami-sama looked around the common room. "Can we go outside or do this somewhere else?"

He looked thoughtfully at her for a few seconds. "Is my tent too private?"

A look of surprise crossed her face. "Too private?"

"I don't know what you want or if you want to be somewhere where you can't yell for help."

The surprise was replaced by confusion. "Shikarou, I'm not afraid to be alone with you."

"Then my tent would be best." He rose gracefully. "Shall we?"

Once in his tent, Svetlana headed for his room, but Shikarou stopped her. "Not there. Let's go to the arena."

"I'm not afraid of your room Shikarou; you aren't going to rape me." She pulled the door open and stepped inside, only to freeze in the doorway. "Oh."

Helen was sprawled across the bed asleep and the room was heavy with the odors of sex. The Milktit opened her eyes and stretched languorously. "Hi, I'm Helen. I don't think we've met." She smiled slowly. "If you're looking for our master, he's already left. If you're not, he did manage to drink me dry, but I've made more since then." She pinched a nipple and a drop of milk appeared. "Would you like some?" She lifted the breast slightly.

Svetlana swallowed convulsively. Finally she managed to tear her eyes away from the sight and turned, only to see Shikarou watching with a raised eyebrow. She flushed crimson and slammed the door shut. The Megami-sama leaned her head against the door for a moment before turning to face him again.

A slight smile appeared on his face. "So, the arena?"

"That would be great," she whispered.

A small frown appeared. "Why don't you go find Faelan before we have this talk? I think you need some time with him."

Svetlana shivered at the word "need". "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Can I call you when I'm ready to talk to you again?"

"Sure," Shikarou replied. The Megami-sama vanished as she teleported.

The door to his bedroom cracked open and an eye peered through the opening. "Did I do something wrong?" Helen asked in a worried voice.

Shikarou grinned and laughter bubbled in his voice. "Not in the slightest. That was absolutely perfect."

Shikarou was waiting outside his tent when Svetlana appeared. She frowned, but before she could speak he nodded. "Nobody can. I've set up a teleport ward to keep anyone out who doesn't have the key and only my harem members have that key. Well and Ruiling, but I'm changing the key this afternoon. Everyone else gets shunted to the front of the tent." He opened the door. "I think we were going to the arena."

"Oh, is Helen still in your room?" she asked snidely.

He smiled softly. "Do you want to check for yourself?" Svetlana turned pink and swept past him.

She opened the door to the arena, which was currently set up as a forest, and stepped inside. Svetlana stepped around the first set of trees and confronted a wolf. It stood a good meter at the shoulder and was covered with heavy black fur. It turned its head to look at her with bright blue eyes and its ears went back. Its muzzle wrinkled in a snarl and a heavy growl filled the air.

Shikarou stepped through the trees. "So what did you want to talk about?" He broke off at the sight of the wolf.

To Svetlana's surprise he just blinked. "There you are." The growl died away. "Branwyn is looking for you." The wolf shook its head and whined. "Stop that. You sound childish and it's not polite."

The wolf rippled and flesh flowed like water until Fumiko stood in front of them. She frowned at her Tamer. "It's my free time and I don't owe her anything."

He shook his head and motioned towards Svetlana. "We have a guest. Clothes?"

The Titto's skin rippled and formed a bikini. "I left them in the stands."

"Well go get them and see what Branwyn wants. Not only is she your alpha, but keeping her waiting is unwise."

Fumiko nodded. "If you think so then I'll go find out what she wants." Wings sprouted from her back and she launched herself heavily into the air.

Shikarou smiled. "You can follow her if you'd like. I was planning on us sitting in the stands for our little talk."

"What about you?"

"I won't be far behind. Maybe you can give her some pointers. She's still new at flying."

The Megami-sama nodded and summoned her wings before setting off after Fumiko. Shikarou watched with a wistful look for a moment before trotting quickly after them.

The arena stands were of rock carved into stadium seating and extended around one side of the arena. When he came out of the woods, Fumiko was already shrugging into her shirt while Svetlana talked quietly to her. When they were through, the Titto gave him a quick kiss and disappeared into the underbrush. Shikarou watched until she vanished from sight before turning to his guest.

Svetlana spoke first. "It's nice to see that you do a lot of touching with your harem."

"Physical contact appears to be very important to all of them." He settled down on a bench. "I like it too. Would you care for something to drink?"

"No. Are you evil?"

Shikarou's ears flicked in surprise at her query. "That is a subjective question, and usually defined by those around a person. I can only answer for myself, but no, I am not evil. You might want to ask my enemies that question."

"Why your enemies?"

"My friends would be prejudiced in my favor."

She decided to abandon this line of questioning. "What exactly did you do to Jiang Fang and the others?"

Shikarou thought for a moment. "If you consider the body to be hardware then the mind and soul comprise the software, with the mind being the normal programs and the soul being the operating system. I rewrite a portion of the soul, which changes the behavior of my subject to reflect what I want."

The pokegirl blanched. "How can you do such a thing?"

"I have to ask, are you asking how can I stomach the act or are you looking for the technical aspects involved in the process?"

"Why would I ever want to know how to do such a horrible thing?" she yelled.

Shikarou wasn't impressed. "You are a Megami-sama, a magical creature. It is possible, although unlikely, that you could learn the technique or perhaps a member of your Celestial Alliance could master it."

"Whatever for?"

"The act itself, although you may find it repulsive, isn't evil. Used properly on high ranking government officials and other people in places of power, it could advance Parity by great bounds."

Svetlana blinked as something he'd said registered. "What makes you think there is some kind of alliance among the Celestials?"

"Now you attempt to waste my time. I'm disappointed. I figured that whatever precipitated this discussion might have occurred while you and Faelan were in Dogpatch and when I discovered that he hadn't encrypted the records of what happened there, I reviewed them." He smiled. "I know all about the conversations you had with him there and I even know that you are the reason I have a Seraph in my harem now."

"Am I in danger from you?" Svetlana appeared calm, but Shikarou could smell the sudden surge of adrenaline.

"No, you are not, and neither is the Seraph. No matter what you may believe, I do not kill casually. Easily perhaps, but not casually. Your convincing the Seraph to join my harem is annoying, but you are just doing what you think is best. As for her, she decided to join my harem of her free will and I will treat her with respect until she shows that she doesn't deserve it." His mouth firmed. "If she proves that she is unworthy to be in my harem, I will remove her, and if she insists on staying, well at that point things could get difficult."

Svetlana relaxed. "You are very protective of your harem."

"Yes, I am. After all, we live in an 'us versus them' society."

"What will you do about Ruiling?"

"I'm not going to seek her out, if that's what you are worried about. Should we meet again, I will deal with the situation as it unfolds."

"So if you are going to treat the Seraph with respect, where is she?"

"I decided to meet the new additions to my harem one at a time and actually spend some time getting to know them as individuals as opposed to a group taming. Today is Helen's day, tomorrow will be the Ria's and the next day is the Seraph's."

"Why is she last?"

"I said I was going to treat her with the respect that she deserves and give her the chance to earn a place in my harem. I never said I wasn't apprehensive about the whole thing. She is a Seraph after all and in all honesty I'm putting her off until the end in order to give me more time to think about how to do this." He sighed and stood up. "However, I'm not going to keep her in long term storage any longer than that, it wouldn't be fair to her. Now if you would excuse me, I'm supposed to rescue Helen from Branwyn about now."

"I don't understand?"

"Branwyn wanted to spend some time with Helen, explaining how things work, but she knows she has a tendency to go on forever, so we arranged for me to 'rescue' Helen from her lectures after an hour and a half." He smiled. "Branwyn is going to insist that she get more time with Helen while I'll tell her no and take Helen with me. It will help to reinforce to Helen that I am the true leader of this family as well as show her that I will not take umbrage at open displays of disagreement by my pokegirls, especially when they disagree with me." The smile became a grin. "Even though she disagreed with me, later I'll reward Branwyn by letting her help me tame Helen this evening, thus showing that I don't hold grudges, in spite of what I suspect Branwyn will call me."

Svetlana suddenly looked envious.

Branwyn sighed as he released her nipple and leaned back. "That was nice, but what about later?"

"We'll work something out."

You know that this is your fault, right?"

Shikarou snorted. "I invited you to help tame Helen. I also warned you what would happen if you drank her milk and yet you did so anyways. How is that my fault?"

She smiled and started buttoning up her blouse. "You were enjoying it too much."

He just laughed. "I think you did it so you spend more time with me."

"Would I do that?" Branwyn gave him an innocent look, which was spoiled as her eyes sparkled with humor.

"Go on, it's time for me to start with the Ria."

"Would you like me to stay and help with her?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, I think I'd rather meet her alone." He raised an eyebrow. "Any complaints?"

"Not about that." His Unicorn gave him a sweet smile. "Other things can wait."

He sighed. "Woman, you are sometimes extraordinarily aggravating."

"And you love me."

That brought a smile. "More each day. I'll see you later."

After a quick bath Shikarou pulled the Ria's pokeball out of his backpack and released her. She was easily the smallest of his pokegirls, a good 50 cm shorter than his 185 cm. Although she was obviously muscular there was an undeniable softness to her voluptuous figure. All Ria were a golden brown, but instead of being a solid color, this one's fur was dappled in all of the colors of honey. From a distance it would make remarkable camouflage. She watched him warily and her nose twitched as she sampled the air.

Shikarou smiled. "Hello, I'm Shikarou."

The Ria smiled back. "Ria." With incredible speed she dashed up to him and wrapped him up in her arms, rubbing her nose against his. She reached up and squeezed one of his ears, giggling. "Ria."

The smile stayed plastered on Shikarou's face and one eyebrow went up. _Circe._

He received an image of her nibbling fruit. _Yes, oh great and wise master?_

_Would you check out this Ria. I think there may be something wrong here._

The Ria was busy burrowing her hand into his pants, all the while muttering to herself. Shikarou grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She grinned and started twisting, trying to shove her hand deeper.

_I'm on the way. I'm not sure how you did it, but you have a feral Ria. Be careful._

"So you are feral." She blinked and looked up at him as he spoke. He kissed her. _Stay outside the room. This may be under control, but I've been wrong before._

The Ria blinked and pulled her hand out of his pants before jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She kissed him back hungrily as she ground her groin against his.

Shikarou ran his hands down her back and she arched beneath his touch. He squeezed her ass and she hissed and slid off of him. Watching him over her shoulder, she sauntered to the bed, ass swaying provocatively. She bent over, presenting herself to him and grinned. "Ria?"

Shikarou started shedding clothes. "Damned right I want to." She smirked at him and twitched her tail out of the way as he ran his hands over her rump.

The Ria sank her claws and teeth into the mattress when he slid inside her. Fabric ripped as he thrust into her and she cried out into the mattress.

Her tail whipped wildly and finally half-curled around his neck as he pounded into her. Her pussy clamped down on his cock when she came, and there were more ripping sounds as the Ria tore long gashes in the bed.

Shikarou kept a firm grip on her hips as he thrust into her again and again. His orgasm seemed to start in his toes and surge up and out of him into her in a blast of pulsing heat. The Ria screamed into the mattress as he buried himself inside her and held her still.

Afterwards he lifted her onto the bed and curled up with her. She snuggled against him and quickly her breathing slowed and evened out.

Circe opened the door a fraction and whispered. "Is it safe to come in?"

Shikarou spoke quietly. "She's in taming shock, so yes."

The Alaka-Wham slipped into the room and perched on the edge of the bed. She touched his leg gently. "How is this possible?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Can you find out while her mind is reformatting, or would it be better to wait?"

Circe's antenna twitched slightly. "I can find out." She leaned back against him and winked before slowly closing her eyes. "Speaking of telepathy, I have a sister who would like to meet you. Would that be a problem?"

"Is she important to you?"

One of her eyes opened. "Yes, she's one of my favorites."

"Does she want to join my harem?"

"No, she just wants some company. Branwyn said that it would be all right with her if you agreed with it."

"That doesn't sound like her."

"It does if you know that Stardust is a spy for my family and Branwyn doesn't think her owing us a favor or three is a bad thing."

Shikarou nodded. "That sounds like her. Ok, I'm willing to meet her, but after that we'll just have to see."

"That's all I was asking for." Her other eye opened. "I think I have the information you want." A smile ghosted across her face. "It's actually quite interesting."

He gave her an annoyed look. "Share, please."

Circe's smile grew to a grin. "All right. She's feralborne and you are her first Tamer."

"So how did she end up in my box at the Sadie Pokens festival?"

"It turns out that she has lived on the fringes of society since she was a kit. She learned early on that if she looked tamed and acted like she was going somewhere with a purpose, people would leave her alone, so she lived right on the outskirts of town and ate out of rubbish bins. One of her favorite tricks was to walk nearby and slightly behind someone who was going the same way she was, so that others would think she belonged to them." Circe shook her head. "Quite crafty, actually. She also learned how to use her enhanced speed to be a pickpocket. She never hit anyone with pokegirls out and if found out, her speed allowed her to escape."

"Cute." Shikarou frowned. "I thought you needed a thunderstone to evolve a Peekabu to Ria."

"You do. She swiped one from someone's backpack when they left it in a park and evolved." Circe gave him a serious look. "She's not young. I think she's probably on the verge of becoming a pokewoman. She realized that someone had been following her and since she'd evolved there had been a couple of attempts to catch her." Circe winked. "She also recently decided that she wanted a Tamer. Apparently when she evolved her libido jumped and she knows that she'll be protected with a Tamer. She'll eat better too." She shrugged. "So when she was wandering around the Sadie Pokens event she saw you with Helen and thought you would make a good choice for a Tamer. So she followed me to your collection station. Every collection station has a small collection of empty pokeballs on hand just in case, and she deduced how they worked by watching me when I released Helen to make sure she was all right before I put her into your box."

Circe touched the Ria's tail and the sleeping pokegirl burrowed into Shikarou's side. "You've got a very smart pokegirl here. It will be interesting to see if she stays that way after she's domesticated." Her gaze returned to his. "Do you want me to get the speech T2?"

"It'll wait until later. It's never been tested on a feral and I want to wait until her mind is done changing." He squeezed Circe's hand gently. "Thank you."

She smiled and lifted his hand to rub her cheek against it. "I live but to serve. So, have you decided on a name for your thief?"

"Kebi."

"Shikarou, my Mother would like to talk to you."

He looked up from pokedex and eyed Lorelei suspiciously. "What about?"

"She didn't say. She just said that it was important and we could be in danger."

His eyes met the Sphinx's for a moment and he noted the worry in them. "All right." He put away his pokedex and pulled out his com as he rose to his feet. "Branwyn, I have to take a little trip with Lorelei. If you don't hear from me in eight hours, come find me and bring the others." He listened briefly. "I'll be as careful as I can." He hung up.

"Take me to her."

Lorelei grinned and grabbed his hand to pull him into a big hug. "Thank you." He wheezed and she loosened her grip. "Sorry." An amused smile flickered on her lips.

"I don't think you are." Laughter filled his voice. "Naughty girl."

She laughed with him for a moment and then teleported.

It was hot and the humidity was like a slap in the face as they came out. Shikarou looked around. They were standing in a small clearing in the middle of a stand of palm trees. He could smell the ocean and birds. "Where are we?"

"Home."

Shikarou froze for an instant. "I thought no one was allowed here? And once they came they could never leave."

"Those decisions are up to Mother, but I don't think she'd ask me to bring you here to trap you. You might want to stay close to me though; the others don't know you and will attack you if they find you alone."

"Good safety tip."

He realized that they were being watched and turned to see another Sphinx, her wings and arms folded. Two armed Cheetit stood nearby. One had a spear and the other an assault rifle hanging from a sling. It was pointed in his general direction. The Sphinx nodded once. "Mother is expecting you. This way." The two tramped after her and the Cheetits took up rear guard and followed along behind them.

They went along a winding path up a rocky slope to a large cave mouth and inside. Shikarou blinked. The cave continued on, but just inside there was a French café table, complete with awning and two chairs, and Sexmet sitting in one of them. She smiled. "Shikarou."

"Lady Sexmet." He bowed deeply enough to acknowledge her rank.

The legendary waved at the other chair. "Please, sit. Wine?"

Shikarou settled carefully into the empty chair as Lorelei moved to stand behind him. He accepted the offered glass with a smile. "Thank you." He sipped at it and looked briefly surprised. "Date wine? Not bad."

Sexmet winked. "There's a place not too far away that makes it. I've just never gotten used to wine from grapes."

"I have to ask, am I going to be allowed to leave?"

"Bringing you here would be a waste of my time otherwise." She settled back in her chair. "You have a problem. Sanctuary knows that you were involved in the death of the Goth at the time you acquired Lorelei."

Shikarou kept his expression even. "I see," he said slowly. "Do you know how they found out?"

Sexmet smirked. "No matter what you are thinking, I didn't tell them." The smirk vanished. "I wouldn't tell them if they were on fire, although I might throw more fuel on the blaze." She shook her head. "No, apparently you told them, or at least you told the Blue League and someone there told Sanctuary."

"Well I didn't tell them."

**Your pokedex did an automatic uplink during the battle and your name was in the report.**

"Motherfucking son of a bitch." Lorelei jumped at the fury in his voice.

Sexmet look shocked. "What did you call me?" Her ears folded partially backwards as her temper flared.

He looked apologetic. "Sorry, I wasn't talking to you. I just realized how they knew it was me and was voicing my displeasure. Please accept my apology."

Sexmet nodded. "I'll accept your apology if you'll tell me how they knew."

"I've found out that pokedexes have supplementary software that almost everyone doesn't know about. Among other things it allows a pokedex to make reports without the Tamer knowing about them, reporting pokegirls that he's run across as well as the location. Mine reported the presence of a Sanctuary Goth in the Blue Continent." _I should have stopped it._

**I'll take care of it.**

Sexmet dropped her wineglass in shock. "There are pokedexes here. My children's Tamers have them." Her eyes were wide with fear and anger.

**I am not detecting any terrestrial satellites above this location. That doesn't mean there aren't any, but any pokedexes wouldn't know if one was there to report to.**

"There may not be anything that a pokedex could report to here." Shikarou kept his voice soothing. "I can take a look at them and disable any hidden software they might have, if you would like." He sent a querying thought at Aggie as he spoke.

**The software is actually purpose built ROM in hidden chips, but I can install a patch that will disable it whenever it loads into active memory. In addition it would be just as easy to put in software that reports to you.**

_That would be interesting, but no, I won't do that to her. She might have someone who could find it. When I have an actual surveillance net, I'll consider planting some bugs._

Sexmet slowly relaxed. "I would be very appreciative if you could do that for me."

**Can I download the contents of the pokdexes? They will never know that it has happened.**

_Yes._

The legendary looked at the broken wineglass, shrugged and picked up the bottle. After a long drink she laid it back down. "Now that Sanctuary is your enemy too, why can't we work together against them?"

Shikarou drained his glass and reached for the bottle. "Are you asking me to work with you or for you?" He drank. "Last time you wanted me to work for you and I said no. The circumstances haven't changed a great deal since then."

"Is there really a difference?" Sexmet plucked the bottle from his grip.

"If I'm working with you, then you can ask me to go somewhere, but don't go all pissy on me if I tell you no."

Sexmet looked at him evenly. "You know, I'm not used to being spoken to like this."

"If the way I am is going to be a problem, then you should let me see the pokedexes and go back to my home." He snagged the bottle from her. She tightened her grip for a moment and then let it go.

"You are not my equal." Her nose wrinkled in amusement. "And you will never be."

"Of course not." Shikarou handed the bottle back to her. "You have human blood."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you implying that you are my superior?" Shikarou gave her an innocent look, eyes wide and ears up. Sexmet started chuckling. "I'm beginning to understand why Bastit finds you annoying."

Shikarou snorted. "She finds me annoying because, deep down, she's a domestic cat. Wolves eat cats. The fact that she's more powerful than me doesn't register with that part that only listens to millions of years of evolution. It knows to be afraid of me."

Sexmet looked curious. "How do you feel about her?"

"She's ok. I suspect that if we spent some time working together, we would find out that we could stand each other, if only for short periods of time."

"Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"I served in the Imperial Guard of the goddess Amaterasu, ruler of the Japanese pantheon. During my service I met a lot of greater and lesser gods. I guess I'm a little blasé about powerful people and just treat them as they are." His eyes went distant with memory. "I also learned many lessons there." His eyes refocused. "Because of those lessons, I have no urge to serve another mistress, not even you."

Sexmet's eyes filled with understanding. "How would we work together?"

"What is it you are looking for?"

"I need information on Sanctuary and its allies. I also want someone to find out if these allies can be either wooed away or warned away. Sometimes I may need some information passed along. I'll also want any information on the presence of any Sphinxes that you might run across."

"I see." Shikarou took the bottle back and refilled it with his wand. "Do you realize that I know almost nothing about Sanctuary?"

Sexmet nodded. "Most people don't. Sanctuary and its allies work very hard to keep it that way. I'll arrange to have you briefed on what I know."

"What do I get?"

Sexmet smiled. "What do you want?"

Shikarou frowned. "I'm not sure. This whole meeting was just a tad bit sudden."

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Sadie Pokens day just took place and I've still got to deal with my last acquisition, a Seraph."

Sexmet shook her head quietly. "A Seraph. You could pitch her pokeball out into the ocean."

"Does anyone like Seraphs?"

"I'm not even sure that other Seraphs like Seraphs." Sexmet took a long drink of the wine. "You don't strike me as the type to volunteer to rescue people from some great danger unless it suits you."

Shikarou looked surprised. "You might be right." He frowned. "I was a hero type, once upon a time. Maybe she'll be a good influence for me, once I grind off some of that nice-nice goodness."

"Is that even possible?"

"I won't know until I try."

Sexmet nodded. "I'll wait to find out what happens." She pushed the bottle at him. "Lorelei has told me about your problems with the green cloaked men. I know someone who may be able to give you some information."

Shikarou looked interested. "That would be useful. Who?"

"Macavity. She knows almost everything there is to know about the Blue Continent. I don't know where she is right now, but I'll put out the word for her to get in touch with me."

Shikarou was staring. "You want me to talk to Macavity? I do not want her within a thousand kilometers of my island."

"Why not?"

"She's got Monty Python's disease."

Sexmet cocked her head. "What is that?"

"Things around her have a tendency to burn down, fall over and sink into the swamp. Often there wasn't a swamp there before all this happened, either."

"That's just a little bit of an exaggeration."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed. "So how about we meet here?"

Sexmet blinked. "That really wouldn't be wise," she said hastily.

"I'll bet not. A swamp appearing in the middle of the ocean would be hard to miss."

"Look, I'll set up a meeting someplace neutral," Sexmet's eyes were still a little wild at the thought of Macavity on her island.

"All right." Shikarou sighed. "If she can help, I'll talk to her."

"Good. Can I come by Caomh Sith to visit?"

"Uh, sure. Why would you want to go there?"

"This island isn't all that big and has no freshwater, except for some cisterns. We also have to import most of our food, except of course for fish. Sometimes we get a little tired of fish for every meal."

Shikarou nodded. "We've set up a rabbitry and a henhouse and later this year we'll be putting in lots of gardens, so we can probably work something out to help keep your meals varied."

"You're making me salivate." Her eyes flared with hunger. He met her gaze with his own predatory look. She shivered slightly and suddenly looked surprised. "That's interesting. Apparently I've got the part that you mentioned, the one that remembers millions of years of evolution. What do you think of that?"

"I think that wolves are smart enough to know when the cat is too big to tangle with." He smiled. "I wouldn't think of crossing blades with you."

Sexmet gave him an odd look. "I don't know, under the right circumstances you might be able to take me."

Shikarou blinked at her words and shot Lorelei a glance. She was busy watching some seabirds skimming by the entrance to the cave and didn't notice the exchange. "Well, if those circumstances come to be, please make that sure I understand that fact."

"Oh, I will." Sexmet looked amused. "You probably need to be getting back to your home. I would prefer it if only you and Lorelei knew how to get here, and if your Unicorn uses her delta bond to come here to rescue you, I won't get what I want."

He nodded. "Well we can't have that. If I find anything out, I'll send Lorelei with the information as soon as practical." Rising to his feet, he paused. "What about the pokedexes?"

She nodded and motioned to the Cheetit with the assault rifle. "I'll have them collected. Can you come back in a couple of hours?"

"I suppose so. I'll put off dealing with the Seraph for one more day." He reached for Lorelei's hand. "Until later, Lady Sexmet."

She gave him a lazy wave as they teleported.

"You have news, Sir Randolph?"

Sir Randolph bowed. "Sir Derrick, I believe I have found Urufu. It turns out that he's a landlord under the auspices of the Blue League."

Sir Derrick leaned forward and interest sharpened his features. "Where are his holdings?"

"He owns the island of Caomh Sith, sir. Up until recently it was called South Uist and is part of the Hebrides, an island chain northwest of Scotland."

"The home of peace? Interesting name. Why did it take so long to locate his holdings?"

"Sir, up until very recently his records listed his home as Wick, which is on the easternmost coast of Scotland. Yesterday I went back to review all of his records and his Tamer entry had been changed to Caomh Sith. I've uploaded you a complete file on what we know."

"Keep up the good work, Sir Randolph." Derrick turned to his computer and skimmed through the file, unmindful of Randolph hurrying out. He sat back and thought for several minutes and finally entered another string of commands.

A few minutes later there was a knock at his door and his guard cracked it open. "Dame Mary, sir"

"I'm expecting her." The door opened and a statuesque brunette entered and bowed. "Sir Derrick, you sent for me?"

"I want you to travel to Caomh Sith and find out everything you can about the place and its lord, Shikarou Urufu." Derrick eyed her as he spoke. It was a shame that they had to rely on women, but there simply weren't enough men in the world, at least for the moment. That would change soon enough.

"As you command, my lord, so shall it be done." Mary kept her anger from showing. A spying mission was normally the province of the common soldiers and the fact that it had been handed to her, a full knight, was yet another backhanded slap at the fact that she was a woman.

"This Urufu has had encounters with us in the past, so you will proceed cautiously and use a disguise."

Mary nodded. "I understand. How is it that he survived the encounters?" Her anger spiked at this treatment. As if she'd march into someplace where she was to be gathering information with a parade and banners announcing what she was doing. _Although I know a few who just might._

Derrick made a dismissive motion. "Everything you need to know is in your information packet." He frowned. "And don't go off your mission parameters like you did in that debacle in Wales."

_I didn't cause that cock-up, I saved it, you sanctimonious bastard. _"Yes, Sir Derrick. I will leave today." She bowed again and left quickly.

The red light coalesced into a beautiful platinum haired, violet eyed woman wearing a linen shift. Soft white wings rustled slightly behind her. The Seraph cocked her head. "Good morrow, my lord, art thou my new master?"

"I am Shikarou." He nodded to her. "And, for the moment, yes. What is your name?"

Sadness passed through her expression. "I have none. When my master passed from this world he took my name with him. Thou must give me a new one."

"How many Tamers have you had?"

"Two previous masters have fallen in battle at my side," she said sadly. "But in truth there hath been four other masters, all who had proven unworthy to fight with me and sought to sunder the bonds that destiny had wrought between us. As soon as each of them found opportunity, to another was I given."

"Why did you choose me to be your Tamer?"

"Destiny has brought me to thee, my lord."

"I thought her name was Svetlana." The Seraph gaped at him. "Yes, I know you went to some Megami and they sent you to her and she brought you to me, in the hopes that you would be a spy for her." He smiled. "That tells me that several other people wanted you here, but doesn't explain why you agreed with them. Even a cursory look at my records would indicate that I'm not exactly what you are looking for."

"Thou must be in error, for I am sure, my lord, the noble Megami would have taken that into their consideration of my plight."

"The noble Megami, like almost everyone else, are human and therefore subject to human vagaries."

She frowned. "I do not understand what thou are saying, my lord."

"It doesn't matter." Shikarou sighed. "The real question is what am I to do with you?"

"Thou will join me on my quest, my lord."

An ear twitched. "What quest is that?"

"I must journey to the Indigo continent where I must resume my search for a band of evildoers who have been cruelly murdering and devouring innocent passersby." Her eyes hooded. "It was they who killed my last master a few months ago."

Shikarou looked startled. "Were they by chance Mantises?"

"Indeed, my lord, they were." Excitement quickened in her voice. "Does thou know something of where they might be found?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes, I do. They recently captured my brother and his harem and in return I exterminated them."

The Seraph's mouth dropped, but to her credit she quickly recovered. "My lord, this is wondrous news. Was it a valiant battle?"

His voice was flat. "It was an extermination. There is nothing valiant about war."

"But my lord, of course there is."

Shikarou sighed and settled down on the bed. "Come sit with me." The Seraph turned pink. "No, not that, not yet." She blinked in surprise at the acid in his tone. "We need to have a talk. Actually, I need to talk and you need to be quiet and listen." He cocked his head. "Do you think you can do that?"

She sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, as far away from him as she could get. A frown crossed her face. "I will try, my lord, but I have been told that it is my nature to be impetuous and interruptive."

"At least you are honest about your limitations. Please try." He took a deep breath. "I have a full harem. With you I have eleven pokegirls in my active harem, with several more in an inactive status. I was very hesitant about keeping you when I discovered you had placed yourself into my box, and after a fashion I'm still that way. I'm not sure that this is the right place for you to be."

The Seraph stirred but stayed silent and he smiled. "Thank you. I am not a hero, not anymore, and perhaps not even then. I did what had to be done, but I took no glory from it."  
"I've read the documentation on Seraphs as a group, and while I suspect that the pokedex entry isn't entirely accurate and I also know that individuals can vary widely, the truth of the matter is that I'm not sure that you would be happy here."

"I am a firm believer in the precise application of the minimum necessary force to any problem that requires force. I understand that Seraphs in general start out with minimum force and work their way up to whatever it takes to remove a problem. Not me. I want to apply the needed force right away, and if I'm not sure what that is, then a little excess force, as long as it gets the job done with minimal collateral damage, is perfectly acceptable to me."

"I'm training my harem to use teamwork, to follow my orders when I give them and to exercise individual initiative in completing the desired goal. However, I expect them to achieve that goal as soon as practicable and I don't want them wandering off on little side jobs when they are supposed to be doing something else. Everyone dies eventually and while I'm willing to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible, we are not going to be able to save everyone and I'm not going to try to."

The Seraph blinked but otherwise remained silent.

"I am also unaccustomed to arguing with my harem in the middle of a battle and I'm not going to start getting used to it at this point in time."

"You are looking for a hero; someone that would accompany you on your quests to fight major evils across the world. In my harem you would accompany me. If you found something that you believed needed doing and I disagreed and refused to be convinced otherwise, then it would not get done by us."

"For a time, while I was considering how to deal with you, I thought about trying to force you into a mold of my design. I have since realized that I wouldn't be willing to do that to anyone else in my harem and that it wouldn't be right of me to do it to you."

"Please understand that it's not that I don't like you, it's that I don't know you and therefore I cannot either like or dislike you at this point. However, I don't think that I would be a good fit for what you are looking for, and you are unlikely to be able to change me." He smiled slightly. "You are what, eighteen?"

Her voice was quiet. "No, my lord, not for several months yet."

"I am well past my second century. It is unlikely that you will be able to make me into what you want in a Tamer, and I'm concerned that I might corrupt you."

"My lord, I am incorruptible."

"Perhaps corruption is the wrong word." He smiled. "English isn't my first or even second language. Perhaps idealism and conviction would be better. And before you try to tell me that your idealism couldn't be harmed, I'm sure that's what each and every Fallen Angel thought as well before she evolved."

"If, after my rambling little speech, you would like me to find someone who could fill your needs better than I could, I will. I'm not going to dump you on someone who also isn't what you want a Tamer to be, so I'm not very sure how long the search would take." He leaned back and tugged on an eartuft. "I guess that's it."

The Seraph played with her long platinum braid while she thought. "What if I still want to stay with thee, my lord?"

Shikarou looked surprised. "Although privately I might wonder at your sanity, in that case I would have to help you find a place in my harem."

"Then, my lord, it would be mine own desire to stay with thee and thine harem."

"And my rules?"

"There is no doubt, my lord, that upon occasion I shall indeed chafe under them. However, thou has been most gracious in articulating them before conflict has arisen and I shall endeavor to follow them. Am I to understand that your alpha will also aid mine understanding and obedience to these rules?"

"You are."

"Her help will be greatly appreciated," she smiled, "if, upon occasion, I suspect, exceedingly unwelcome." They shared a chuckle.

"Very well. If you wish to stay, I will name you Dorothea." He smiled gently. "It means gift of god and seems apt enough in your case."

"My lord, that is a wondrous choice for a name, and it pleases me greatly."

"I am glad to hear that. Of course, now that you are staying, a new difficulty has arisen."

Dorothea cocked her head curiously. "What would that be, my lord?"

"What is the source of the issue with sex among the Seraph?" Dorothea reddened. "I know you find the question embarrassing, but it needs to be addressed. We are going to have sex." His eyes met hers. "We are going to have it soon, and I happen to be looking forward to sharing with you." Her flush deepened.

"Sharing, my lord?"

"Semantics. Where I come from the proper term for consenting, pleasurable sex between adults is called sharing, because you share yourself with your partner or partners and they with you."

"My lord, sex is a means to an end and that end is children. Otherwise it should only happen often enough to keep me from going feral, nothing more." She nodded. "Like swordfighting, sex has a proper time and place, and should no be done just because."

"I see. Tell me, do you practice with your weapons and abilities off of the battlefield?"

"Of course, my lord, proficiency must be attained before battle."

"Do you enjoy your weapon practices?"

She smiled. "My lord, often they are the highlight of my day and I enjoy them a great deal."

"Do you appreciate being unable to meet your opponent on the battlefield?"

She looked confused. "My lord, I am one of the premier warriors anywhere. There is no field of battle where I cannot meet any opponent and emerge triumphant."

"Yet sexbattles are a legitimate form of combat and you are completely unskilled in those techniques. You would lose any encounter."

Dorothea looked like she'd been hit in the head with a club. Valiantly she tried to regain her composure. "My lord, sex battles are not battles at all," she began, only to be cut off by Shikarou.

"They are recognized by the leagues as a legitimate form of combat and sex techniques are legal in non sex combat," he said firmly. "So what you are telling me is that there is a whole series of combat techniques that not only do you not know, you are completely unprepared to defend against them."

The Seraph was speechless as she stared at him in absolute disbelief.

He smiled softly. "Do you see what I mean about making you question your convictions and beliefs?"

"My lord, if I may be so bold, thou asks some very disturbing questions." She waited briefly before continuing. "I am going to have to give serious consideration to what thou has said this day before I would be willing to continue this conversation."

He nodded. "I understand, but know this: I ask questions that make my pokegirls think. I believe that if they are mentally flexible outside the arena, they will be better prepared inside the arena when the wheels come off, and eventually they will. I also have a habit of being unconventional, and if I can surprise my opponents, then I'll do what I can to make it possible. It makes battles easier to win and I enjoy winning."

He leaned back and cocked his head. "Now I'd put aside the whole day to get to know you better, so how about we get some breakfast and then go for a walk. It'll give us time to talk about each other, if we are so inclined. While I am going to tame you today in order to bring you into my harem, there is no reason we can't spend some time out and about first." He smiled. "A date, if you would."

"A date? Pokegirls don't go on dates."

"Well I think it's time for something new. We will go on a date today." His smile widened. "Now I've never been on a date with a pokegirl before, so please be gentle."

Dorothea smiled shyly. "What is your alpha likely to say? I watched thee for a time before going to thy collection station and she seems the possessive type."

"She is, and she's likely to insist on dates of her own, if she finds out we're dating. Are you going to tell her? One of the peculiarities of my people is I cannot lie, however I don't have to tell everything and I have no intention of telling Branwyn that we are dating."

"So this would be something special for the two of us?" She brightened at the thought. "I will not tell her either." The Seraph looked down at herself. "I'll need to put on more clothes if we are going out."

"I haven't set up a room for you yet, so I'll wait outside. Join me when you are ready." A motion towards a door. "The bath is in there."

"Thank thee, my lord. I will be with thee presently."

He smiled. "Please make 'presently' as soon as possible."

She returned the smile. "I will, my lord. It would be unseemly to make thee wait and since I suspect that thee are popular, unwise as well."

Branwyn buttoned up her blouse and leaned against him to nuzzle his cheek. "So now that we have you back, what next?" She grabbed some toast and a jar of orange marmalade.

"Back to Belfast?" Shikarou glanced at the Unicorn. "Karen has been asking when we are coming back to battle her."

Branwyn snorted. "If she was a pokegirl, she'd have found you on Sadie Pokens day. Did you know that she asked if we were going to spend it in Belfast? She wasn't happy when I told her no."

Circe looked over her teacup at her. "Maybe she doesn't find that many interesting men."

"Devon has been back for a while," came the curt response. "Let her chase him for a while." Branwyn began licking the marmalade off her toast. "Yum."

"Why don't you use a spoon and just eat it out of the jar?"

"Circe, are you the alpha? Then shut your trap."

The Alaka-Wham shook her head. "Give her a little power and it goes straight to her head." She sounded amused.

"They go on like this every morning." Elizabeth settled down on Shikarou's right side. "Good morning." She took his arm and kissed his wrist. "Oh, I see Shikarou's on the menu for breakfast." A sideways glance in his direction. "You are just too good to me." Teeth sank into his wrist and she drank.

"It's how friends show affection." Shikarou kissed the Vampire on top of the head. "Good morning to you." She mumbled something against his wrist and he chuckled. "I'm ok."

"You'd better be careful." Branwyn nibbled her toast. "Fumiko is starting to wonder if she couldn't drink your blood as well. I heard them talking about it."

Shikarou blinked. "Could she? I know she requires a liquid diet, but can her metabolism process blood?"

Elizabeth licked his wrist clean and looked up. "We don't know. I offered to help her find someone to try with, but she wants you." Daintily she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I like the fact that you heal so quick, it keeps me from drinking too much."

Dorothea shuddered. "I get chills whenever I watch thee feed on my lord." She pushed her plate away. "My lord, how can thou do that? Doesn't it hurt?"

"First of all, I do it because Elizabeth needs to be fed and it's my responsibility to make sure she does. I suppose I could ask my harem to feed her, but I don't really mind. As for it hurting, she's gotten a lot better and it doesn't hurt much at all."

Elizabeth smirked. She'd read the pokedex entry and had been waiting for a chance to needle the Seraph. "If you want, you could feed me." Her voice dropped. "Just understand that I find the act of feeding to be very, um, intimate." She gave Shikarou a hot look. "That's why I want to feed on him, since he's my lover."

Dorothea flushed, but to her credit she didn't look away. Her eyes met Shikarou's and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm flattered for the offer, but in truth I'm not ready to be that intimate with thee, Elizabeth." A slight smile appeared when everyone else at the table turned to stare at her, but she kept her eyes on Shikarou and brightened when he nodded his approval.

Branwyn looked back and forth between the two of them and her eyes narrowed slightly.

They appeared a kilometer outside of Belfast and Branwyn smiled as she reached around and took his other hand. "Do you want to explain that little exchange at breakfast between you and Dorothea?"

"She's trying to grow beyond her limitations and I think it's a good idea."

The Unicorn gave him a helpless look and let his hands go. "Are you going to have one normal pokegirl in your harem?"

"Aren't you normal?"

"No, I obsess remember?" She smiled.

Shikarou returned the smile. "Then I suspect that the answer will be no." He plucked at an ear. "Of course, I don't exactly fit any definition of normal either."

"Are you normal for a kami?"

"I willfully found a way around the Empress's orders to kill my wife's murderer. That isn't the action of the sane, much less the normal." He shrugged. "Oh, well, that's that. I believe we have a gym badge to collect."

As they headed for town, Branwyn glanced at him. "You know, Devon picked up a laurel badge here. Are you going to try to duplicate his feat?"

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I've got a harem of eleven, there are several other pokegirls I'm taming on a regular basis back on Caomh Sith, I'm sleeping with Poppet and I suspect that Sexmet wants a trial run. A battle badge will be just fine."

Branwyn frowned. "Sexmet?"

"Something she hinted at when I visited her a couple of days ago. I'm hoping I'm just being paranoid."

"And if you are not?"

"I would just have to uphold the honor of the kami." He bestowed her with a beatific smile. "That would be the polite thing to do."

"So you're hoping you are wrong, but you'll do it if she asks." Branwyn gave him a mildly aggravated look. "Let me guess, you'll have to pretend to be enthusiastic and you'll have to do your best, for the kami of course."

"No, the enthusiasm won't be feigned. She's an attractive cat." He sighed. "It's just that there are only so many hours in the day and I'm not sure she'll understand that since she doesn't belong to my harem, she doesn't get top priority."

Branwyn grimaced. "I can understand your worry. I doubt she's used to playing second to anyone or anything."

Shikarou nodded. "That's my concern too." He squared his shoulders. "I can only deal with it when it becomes an issue. Until then, I'm not going to trouble myself about it." He smiled. "Too much, at least."

He released Kebi. The Ria looked around. "Where?" Her ears and her muzzle quivered as she sniffed the air and she tugged at the gold skirt he'd made her put on.

"We're in Belfast and we're going to challenge a gym." Kebi gave him a curious look. "Fight."

She nodded. "Ah, fight. Good."

Branwyn gave her a suspicious look. "Please tell me that you are going to shift pokegirls around before we talk to the receptionist."

He nodded. "Aye, we are. I don't want to lose any more than you do and I'm going to use our established team." An eyebrow lifted. "Of course, if I lose the first day, Karen might not find me so interesting."

Branwyn sighed. "That's it, give me conflicting desires. Do I want to win or make Karen lose interest in you? Damn, decisions, decisions." She glanced at Kebi, who was playing with the waistband of her skirt. "How did you get her to keep that on? I tried for over an hour yesterday to do the same thing, with no success."

"I showed her that is has pockets. She likes pockets."

Kebi looked up. "Pockets good." She grinned and plunged her hands into the aforementioned pockets.

They stopped off at a pokegirl equipment shop on the way to the gym and Branwyn kept an eye on Kebi as Shikarou made a couple of purchases. Once back outside he turned to Kebi. "I have a present for you." He held out a necklace that held a pretty silver ball on the end.

Kebi's eyes lit up. "For Kebi?" She snatched it from him and peered closely at it, eagerly examining it before handing it back. "Pretty." She turned and lifted her hair out of the way of her neck. "Kebi want."

Shikarou clipped it around her neck and Kebi lifted the ball to examine it. "What is?"

"It's a light ball." Branwyn raised an eyebrow. "It'll make you stronger, Kebi."

She grinned and hugged him tightly. "Kebi like."

Branwyn glanced at him as they headed down the street. "You got her a present?" There was an unmistakable note of warning in her voice.

"The necklace is engraved with my information on it and the offer of a reward for her safe return. The engraving is what took so long." He smiled and pulled a box from his pocket. "Here's your gift."

The Unicorn smiled. "Why thank you. You should have." Shikarou chuckled as she opened it to reveal a fancier necklace with a small rod hanging from it. "It's pretty, but what is it?"

"It's a focusing wand." He sighed. "I wish the shop had more of them."

"I don't." Branwyn handed it to him and turned around, pulling her hair to the side. "Would you?"

He kissed the back of her neck gently and fastened the necklace around her throat. She examined herself in the reflection of a store window. "It's lovely." Turning, she slipped her arm through his before kissing him. "Thank you very much." She smiled. "Don't worry, I'll see about finding more of them for your other magic pokegirls."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." She lifted her necklace slightly. "This is the only one that will be a gift from you. The rest of them will be tools to make your harem stronger. You'll just have to find other gifts for them."

"Good. That's what I wanted." Branwyn looked surprised and then very pleased at his words.

When they approached the gym Shikarou guided his pokegirls into an alley and turned to Kebi. He held out his hand. "The necklace I gave you is yours no matter what. However, as far as everything else is concerned, give."

The Ria's eyes narrowed and her ears flattened. "Mine," she snapped.

"No, it's not. If I think you deserve any of it, I'll consider giving it to you, but first I need to see it." Branwyn watched the exchange with confusion.

She brightened. "Trade?"

"No trade. Give."

"Want berry."

Shikarou sighed. "Fine." Sticking out his tongue, he blew a loud raspberry at the Ria.

Kebi giggled and touched his tongue. "Funny." She stuck her hands in her pockets and started disgorging a flood of small items to drop into his hands. More came from inside her hair, and the last one from somewhere in her mouth.

Branwyn stared at the pile of items in Shikarou's hands. "What is all of this?"

"My Ria is a thief and a pickpocket." He smiled slightly. "This is what she's collected on our trip through town."

Branwyn helped him catalog the items. There were some rings, a leather wallet with a credit card and someone's ID inside it, three tie-tacks, a jeweled bracelet, two mismatched earrings and a small statue the Unicorn remembered Kebi admiring in the shop where Shikarou had bought their gifts.

"My word, she's a busy little thing." She cocked her head and gave her Tamer a questioning look. "What do you want to do with her?"

Shikarou tossed the wallet on the ground. "If you will pick that up, I can honestly claim that we found it on the ground in this alley and we'll give it to the receptionist at the gym." He handed the statue back to Kebi and slipped the rest into his pocket. "We'll get rid of this stuff in some other town."

Kebi grinned at the statue and carefully tucked it into one of her pockets. "Pockets good."

Branwyn sighed. "You are going to put a halt to her thievery, aren't you?"

"I wasn't planning on it. It's cute, kind of like you and the marmalade. If she steals anything important, like the wallet, I'll make sure it gets returned."

"What if I told Svetlana about this?"

"I'll make you stay with me when she talks to me about it."

The Unicorn winced. "You would, too."

Shikarou returned Kebi and shuffled pokeballs around before he was satisfied. "Ok, I've got you, Circe, Yushiko, Pythia, Kebi and Lorelei. Karen got to scan my listing before, so the only surprise is Kebi, but with the light ball to double her strength, she has the potential to be very promising against flying types."

"Sounds like a solid group, unless Kebi has to work with someone else."

"If that happens I'll supervise her and her partner will be on independent ops."

Branwyn nodded slowly. "That sounds like it should work. So let's go kick some butt."

There was a line at the gym entrance and a crowd of unhappy looking people, mostly Tamers, standing nearby and glaring at the line. Shikarou frowned. "Any idea what's going on?"

"No." She considered briefly. "However, you have a personal invitation from Karen and I'm sure she'd want you to report as soon as you got here." She shrugged. "It justifies jumping the line."

Shikarou had been watching the line with an irritated look. "Sounds better than what I was thinking." His ears were half folded back.

They were almost at the door when one of the Tamers decided he was offended. "Hey, you with the ears!"

Shikarou turned to face him. "Yes?" His voice was deceptively quiet.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" He gestured behind him. "The line is there. Join it."

Shikarou smiled. Branwyn touched his hand gently. "He's not worth it."

He glanced at her. "Relax." He turned back to the Tamer. "Sir, you do not know who I am or if I have the right to ignore you, which, by the by, I do. Now if the gym personnel decide for some reason that I should go to the end of the line, I'm sure that they can do that for themselves."

The Tamer was staring at Branwyn. "That's a Unicorn. I challenge you for her."

Shikarou sighed. "I refuse your challenge." His hands twitched and claw tips appeared.

"I figured you were a coward."

Branwyn grabbed Shikarou's arm as he started to step forward. "Please don't," she whispered. "He's a jackass and not worth it."

Shikarou looked at her for a long moment before slowly relaxing. "You are right. Let's go inside."

Rows of benches had been placed in the entranceway and all of them were filled with Tamers of varying ages and varying degrees of experience.

As they walked past the first series of benches, the receptionist looked up and over the benches. "Tamer McWilliams? Tamer Jennifer McWilliams?"

A pudgy blonde popped to her feet. "That's me."

The receptionist motioned to the doorway that led to the arenas, where a Belle Awesome waited. "Please follow Belle and she'll take you to arena four. You'll be facing GA Hernandez." She smiled. "Good luck." A glance at Shikarou. "I'll be with you in just a moment, sir." She pushed a button on her desk and a soft chime sounded. The door opened and the Tamer who'd been at the head of the line outside hurried in and over to the desk. "Pokedex, please."

**The receptionist is an Ingenue.**

_Thank you for the update, Aggie, _Shikarou replied mentally.

The Ingenue took the offered pokedex and scanned it with the computer. "Ah, Tamer Reynolds, I've got your information. When your turn comes up I'll let you know. If you are not present by the time I've called your name for the third time you forfeit your place in the line. Please have a seat." Her professional smile never wavered as she turned to Shikarou. "If you are here to challenge the gym, I'm going to have to ask you join the line outside, otherwise, how may I help you?"

Shikarou read her nametag. "Well, Cammie, the last time I was here I got arrested before Karen and I could have a bout, and she told me to come back for a match as soon as I could."

Cammie's smile never changed, but her eyes widened. "You would be Shikarou, then? May I see your pokedex, just for verification sir?" She scanned it and her smile changed from professional to friendly. "I'll inform Karen that you are here just as soon as I can. Unfortunately she's in a battle right now but should be done in the next fifteen minutes. Would you mind waiting for her?"

Shikarou smiled back. "Not at all." He glanced around. "May I inquire as to what is going on?"

"It's what we like to call the spring flood." Cammie winked. "The Blue League county finals are next month and these are all Tamers who realized that they don't have enough badges to compete. It'll be like this from open to close until March 10th."

"What happens then?"

"Karen closes the gym. It gives our gym assistants time to rest in case they want to compete on the fifteenth."

"Is anyone planning?"

"Oh, this year all six of our GAs are going to enter the finals and Karen's going to be a judge." She smiled. "I'm entering too. The pie competition, not the pokebattling."

"I hope you do well."

"Thank you, sir." The Ingenue practically beamed. "I think my mincemeat pie will give me a good go at the ribbon." Her smile faded and changed back to professional as the front door opened and she looked past him. "Excuse me, back to work."

Shikarou moved away and settled against a wall. Branwyn leaned against him. "You do realize that she may not be able to battle you today, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do." He frowned slightly. "Should we be planning to enter the county finals?"

Branwyn shrugged. "If you don't no one will be representing Caomh Sith, and it would be a good way to get the island some publicity. However, you are two badges short of the five needed. You've already met your requirement for three from Scotland, so the others can come from anywhere in the Blue League, but you've got less than a month in which to get them. If all of the gyms close on the tenth, you've only got nineteen days."

"Do you think we could take the championship?"

She frowned. "I doubt it. Your harem just isn't strong enough, but we might make it to the regionals, if we get lucky. I'd be shocked if we didn't advance to the semi-regionals at the least."

"So where would be a good place to try for a fifth badge, presuming I'm successful here?"

Branwyn pulled out her handheld computer. "Most Tamers will be flocking to the closest gyms so the more populated areas won't be all that good. The best choice might be the Magikunt Village gym in Wales."

"Where is that?"

**It was rebuilt on the site of the town of Fishguard after it was destroyed in 112 AS by two Widows acting in concert. **

Branwyn was unaware of Aggie's report. "It's in southwestern Wales, on the coast and is just about the most remote place you can go and still be in Wales. It's usually fairly quiet."

He nodded. "Let's keep it in mind."

"Mr. Urufu?" asked someone quietly.  
Shikarou turned with a smile. "I was wondering if you'd try that again."

Karen grinned. "Just checking." She frowned slightly. "Took you long enough to get back to me."

"Long story. Got time?" He looked pointedly around the entranceway.

"Not really, but I need a break. Come on." She led them down the hall to a small break room and waved them to chairs. "Drink?" She opened a refrigerator and pulled out a soda.

"Soda, please." Branwyn nodded.

"I'd like a water."

Karen dropped heavily into a chair and handed out the drinks. "So, what happened when you got arrested?"

"It turns out that I was arrested because some Planetary League Council flunky wanted to talk to me." Shikarou shrugged. "He wanted to let me know that they managed to lose my brother."

Karen blinked. "You have a brother? And they lost him? Just how do you lose someone?"

"I'm not sure, but I had to go find him and afterwards he needed some time to recuperate. As soon as things calmed down, I came back."

Branwyn leaned forward and stared at him. "You can't tell a story, can you?"

Karen chuckled as Shikarou raised his eyebrows. "Can you tell a better one?"

"Kebi could tell it better, and she only talks in two word sentences." She turned to Karen. "I'm presuming that you would like a little more detail then that."

"Of course I would." Karen smiled over her soda. "But are you sure you want to tell me all about how wonderful he is?"

Branwyn shook her head. "You need to know the whole story." She glanced at Shikarou. "I'm not sure it'll paint him in a better light."

"Do tell." Karen leaned back in her chair, balancing it on two legs.

"First understand that I am beginning to think he has something like the Interesting Times bloodcurse. Anyway…" Over the next half hour Branwyn told the whole story of Faelan's rescue, changing only a little. In her version, Hunger and Rage were enspelled.

Karen seemed suitably impressed. "So you took on a nest of ten Mantises and won? I'm surprised I haven't heard about it."

"It happened near the Ice Preserve, and they try to keep a low profile," Branwyn replied. "They work very hard to make sure that nothing interesting happens up there, and even when it does they don't make a big deal about it."

"I see." Karen "What did you say his brother's name is?"

"Faelan. Faelan Wolf."

"Oh. The Blue League is looking for him." She smiled at Shikarou. "Your brother impressed the Blue League with his work for the PLC and they want to offer him a job doing similar work for them."

Shikarou snorted quietly. "I'm sure they do. However, his Megami-sama has other plans, ones involving children and no life-threatening danger more serious than a stinky diaper. He seems to be accepting the idea, but if you catch him at just the right time, who knows what he may decide."

Karen nodded. "Is it ok if I let the officials know where he is?"

"Sure. They'll find out eventually no matter what I try to do."

"So, are you here for a battle? Or was it the offer of dinner?"

Shikarou smiled. "Both sound nice, but it looks like it would be better if we rescheduled dinner for sometime in April, considering you are going to be busy here until the tenth of March and then you'll be judging the county finals."

Karen nodded. "That's the truth. Well, I'm booked up for the rest of the day and the line outside is for tomorrow." She cocked her head. "However, if you can promise you'll try to give me the best battle you can, holding nothing back, how about tomorrow morning, say 0500? Afterwards we should have time for breakfast. I'll buy."

Shikarou looked thoughtful while Branwyn whispered into his mind. _It's the best offer we're going to get, unless you want to wait several days._

"I'll be here." Shikarou smiled. "Please be gentle."

Karen tossed her soda can across the room and into a bin. "Not a chance. I haven't had a good fight in quite some time and I'm tired of going easy on Tamers so someone has a badge from here." She smiled wolfishly. "So bring your best game, because I'm going to kick your arse if you give me the slightest opening."

Shikarou nodded. "So be it. I'll see you in the morning."

"I'm looking forward to it. Belle will see you out." Karen vanished down the hall as the Belle Awesome smiled and gestured.

Shikarou stopped in the entranceway to talk briefly to the receptionist. "I'm supposed to be back tomorrow at 0500 and I wanted to check to see if I needed a special pass or something."

"No, just ring the bell at the back entrance. Nobody will be up here, except for the Tamers outside." She smiled. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure to be where I can hear the bell."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 55

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 59

Unicorn Branwyn 50

ElfQueen Gwyneth 44

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 34

G-Spliced Pythia 31

Titto Fumiko 17

Active Harem – Storage

Sphinx Lorelei 37

Vampire Elizabeth 27

Seraph Dorothea 42

Ria Kebi 39

Milktit Helen 53

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

_**BELLE AWESOME, the Blooming Flower Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Plant

**Frequency**: Uncommon in Sunshine League, Rare elsewhere

**Diet**: sunshine and soil

**Role**: Pokesex fighter, cheerleader, sometimes used as spokes models and pop-idols

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Electric, Ground, Rock, Plant, Water

**Weak Vs**: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison

**Attacks**: Attraction, Sing, Dodge, Solar Beam, often learn Song, Dance, and Sex techniques

**Enhancements**: Solar Rejuvenation

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Gloomy (Leaf Stone)

This beautiful Pokegirl has long slender leaves, similar to palm fronds, that grow from her waist in the form a skirt. She also has two large flowers growing from her head. Their green skin is nearly flawless, and their figures, unlike that of their pre-evolved form, are completely balanced (and sometimes even a little "top-heavy").

This causes a significant burst of self-confidence, with the Belle Awesome finally considering herself attractive, and a significant change in demeanor. They become very outgoing, and often refuse to wear tops, since they're so proud of their new busts. Belle Awesomes love receiving the attention their previous forms avoided, and develop a love of singing and dancing. They are also VERY affectionate, with their normally suppressed libidos shifting into overdrive. Also of note is their shift from moonlight to sunlight, which most researchers believe is a side-effect of the Leaf Stone used in their evolution.

Others believe that the switch to sunlight stems from their new disposition, and their lack of desire to "hide in the shadows", though serious researchers scoff at this notion.

Belle Awesomes avoid combat, only using the Solar Beam technique in absolute emergencies, when a life is on the line, be it theirs, their Tamer's, or their Harem-sister's. Many, however, eagerly take to learning a variety of Sex and support techniques, with Belle Awesomes being a popular choice in Pokesex battles across the Sunshine League.

_**RIA, the High Voltage Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Anamorphic (mouse)

**Element**: Electric

**Frequency**: Uncommon (Crimson League)

**Diet**: pokechow, fruits and nuts

**Role**: Storm Generation squad

**Libido**: Low to High, depending on previous training

**Strong Vs**: Electric, Flying, Steel, Water

**Weak Vs**: Dragon, Ground, Plant, Rock

**Attacks**: Thunderbolt, ThunderWave, ThunderShock, Static Barrier (also Agility, when trained as a Peekabu)

**Enhancements**: Electricity, Enhanced Speed (x10), Enhanced Strength (x3)

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Peekabu (Thunder Stone)

The Ria changed significantly upon evolving, gaining between 6 inches and one foot in height, a full cup size (sometimes, albeit rarely, she gains two), and a distinct and visible increase in muscle mass. The extent of this increase depends heavily on their training as a Peekabu. Those who received little training, and were evolved quickly tend to bulk up more, sacrificing more of their speed and agility for their considerable strength. However, those Rias who were well trained as a Peekabu tend to be sleeker, gaining power while making no sacrifice in speed. Rias also darken in color to a golden brown, while their cheek electrodes turn to the bright yellow of her fur before, and their tails lengthen, straighten and gain a crescent-shaped tip.

They lose, however, the cheek electrodes on their rear, gaining the ability to direct attacks through their much more flexible tail instead.

Rias are the some of the most powerful Electric Pokegirls, able to get more power behind a single blast than many of their peers. However, overcharging attacks like that tends to drain them rapidly, so they have a preference for either relying on their strength to soften up their opponents, or defeating their foe as quickly as possible. This all-out strategy has gained the Ria favor with particularly militant Tamers, who are the most likely to evolve them straightaway and train them for strength. This tends to make for strong, disciplined fighters, but stifles the libido considerably, especially when compared to Rias who were trained by high-Empathy Tamers as Peekabus.

Threshold directly into a Ria is possible, but nearly unheard of.


	12. Chapter 12

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

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Chapter 12: The Road to the Blue League Competition

Cammie yawned she opened the back door. "Good morning, Shikarou. Come on in, Karen is waiting for you."

"Long night?" Shikarou waved Branwyn in and helped Cammie to lock up.

"Oh yes. We didn't close our doors until seven and the battling went on until eleven. I had cleanup after that and didn't get to bed until almost two."

"Why don't you just put yourself through a healing cycle?"

Cammie stared at him in shock. "You knew? But you treated me like…" she trailed off.

"You are a person and I will treat you with the respect you deserve." Shikarou smiled gently. "Pokegirl, human or other, we are all people."

Cammie stared at him for a moment. "Where were you ten years ago?"

Shikarou grimaced. "Being stupid, I think."

She blinked and abruptly laughed. "I'm beginning to understand what Karen sees in you. Come on, she's waiting."

Branwyn glared at Cammie's back. "Karen had better not see anything that needs a bed," she muttered, "or I'll see her in traction." She jumped in surprise and relaxed when Shikarou gave her a hard nudge. "Oh, sorry."

"Sorry I heard you?"

She had the grace to smile apologetically.

Karen was waiting for them in the same break room that they'd been in the day before. "I'm glad to see you're on time. I've got the main battle arena all ready to go." She grinned. "You'd better be as good as your reputation."

Shikarou shook his head. "With the kind of build up you're giving me, I'll do the best I can, but I doubt that I can live up to your fantasies."

Karen chuckled. "The story of my life." She led them into what was obviously the main arena, Cammie following along. The terrain was grassy, with piles of boulders scattered here and there and a couple of small pools of water. The stands were mostly empty, but a half dozen sleepy looking people were huddled around a cart and the smell of coffee filled the air. Cammie eagerly joined the group, forcing her way in to quickly fill a cup.

One of them, a slender redhead with a series of elaborate tattoos that ran down his arms left the group. "Karen, I got the short straw, so I get to officiate."

"Thanks, Tim. Shikarou, this is Timothy. He's one of my gym assistants and as you heard, he'll be officiating."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Shikarou was looking over the battleground. He looked at the young Tamer. "So what funny rules has Karen set up for this?"

Tim chuckled. "This battle will be a gym leader level battle with six pokegirls on each side, single combat, single elimination and no substitutions. Because this is a gym leader level battle, any disabled pokegirls will be taken immediately for healing for their own safety." He smiled. "Apparently Karen wants to draw out your agony for her own pleasure."

Karen smacked him on the shoulder. "I want a decent battle for a change."

Tim shook his head. "I could be asleep right now, so let's get this over with so I can go back to bed." He smiled at Shikarou. "No offense intended."

"None taken." Shikarou turned to Branwyn as they made their way to their battle box. "Devon's records indicate that Karen uses a radio for commo with her pokegirls, so I have no qualms about the com spell. Besides, the rule is to use any advantage you can, right?" He slipped off his pack and dropped it nearby after fishing out a high potion and slipping it into a carry loop.

Branwyn nodded. "Yes. Will you be starting with me?"

"I doubt it. Tradition dictates that the gym leader reveals her first pokegirl before the challenger does and I'm going to use that. I'll respond to whomever she uses first and try for an early lead on points." He pulled out her pokeball. "I'm already recording this and I'll ask Karen for a copy of her record as well. Hopefully we'll do all right."

Branwyn kissed him gently. "Wipe the arena with her." She stepped back and vanished into the recovery beam.

Tim stepped up to the judge's box. "Tamer Shikarou, are you ready to battle?"

"I am."

"Gym Leader Karen Cooper, are you ready to battle?"

"I am ready," was her instant response.

Tim raised the traditional green flag and let it drop. "Begin."

Karen's first pokeball was in the air before Tim finished speaking. It released a Fireburst who soared into the air gracefully.

Shikarou released Elizabeth. "All right, let's do this like we talked about last night."

She nodded while keeping her attention on the circling Fireburst. "I've got an idea. Trust?"

"Hey, it's your pretty ass if it doesn't work. Trust."

Elizabeth shifted sideways until a pile of rocks protected her back and used dark mist and dark shield.

Karen looked surprised and activated an intercom between her station and Shikarou's. "You have a Vampire? That's an interesting first choice."

"I'm just trying to give you the good fight you wanted," he replied.

"Well, I don't want to disappoint you, either." She muttered to herself.

**I am picking up radio transmissions. Do you wish me to intercept them?**

_Go ahead, but don't bother me unless she starts winning or attempts something really sneaky._

**How will I know when she is being duplicitous? **

_Use your own judgment._

The Fireburst changed direction and lined up on Elizabeth. "Now, Karmen," Karen ordered. The Fireburst used mach breaker and streaked ahead with a sonic boom. She blasted through the shield and the Vampire, who wavered and vanished. The whole scene changed slightly and suddenly the pile of rocks was much closer as the illusion broke apart.

Karmen cried out in surprise and then pain as she slammed into the rocks at full speed. Rock exploded away from her as she came to an abrupt halt. She shook her head and climbed slowly to her feet and then screamed as Elizabeth dropped her invisibility and drove her blood blade through the center of the Fireburst's back.

The Vampire twisted the blade and used it as a conduit for a vicious mega drain attack. The Fireburst crumpled.

Tim looked shaken as he raised the flag. "Karmen is unable to battle. The round goes to Shikarou."

"Good job, Elizabeth, I'm proud of you."

Elizabeth lifted off and flew to land in her starting point. "Thanks. I feel _good_. She licked off her hands. "Tastes like chicken" She glanced up at him. "I feel really good. I don't suppose you could arrange a break so I could come up there and blow you?" She shifted to a little girl voice. "I'd like the treat and I guarantee you'll like it."

Shikarou's groin tightened in response to her words. "I don't think she'd be obliging."

The Vampire snickered. "She probably wants to do it herself."

Karen had recovered Karmen and sent the pokeball off to get healed and was pulling another pokeball from her belt.

"You know she's going to play to your weaknesses if she can."

Elizabeth snickered again. "I've been knocked out bunches of times in training and I know you won't let me be killed. Even if her next pokegirl takes me down, I'll take a piece of her with me." Her voice dropped to a growl. "As a snack."

A Murkunt appeared and stepped forward, immediately releasing a shadow ball at Elizabeth, catching her off guard. The blast slammed her sideways but she recovered in midair and hovered, giving the Murkunt an upraised middle finger in reply. She winced, rotating her shoulder. "I'll soften the bitch up, but someone else will probably have to finish her off."

Shikarou growled quietly. "You haven't lost yet."

The Vampire dodged another shadow ball. "You're right," she answered, her voice gaining strength as she activated cocoon of darkness around herself and the healing powers kicked in. "Ideas?"

"Option three. Go to ground. Use the rocks."

"On it, lover." Elizabeth sprinted for the nearest pile of rocks and squirmed into a gap in them as the Murkunt took to the air.

**Karen is concerned about you intercepting her transmissions and is using one word codes to command her pokegirls. I will continue to monitor in case she breaks code.**

_Understood._

The Murkunt began to hammer the rocks with feather shuriken, each burst of ki energy making the pile a little smaller. Shikarou knew she was focusing on the wrong area; Elizabeth should have already phased under the ground and should be soon coming up near one of the pools of water, invisible once more.

Suddenly the Murkunt whipped around as she saw the Vampire, the invisibility being useless on her, but not on Karen, who was acting as her pokegirl's spotter. The pokegirl turned in midair, but not fast enough to evade the mega-drain attack which sucked away her life energy.

Her answering feather shuriken knocked Elizabeth flying and the Vampire used the impetus to climb for the ceiling, where she skimmed along just below the roof of the arena.

"Mindy, plan four." Shikarou heard over the intercom. The Murkunt summoned two shadow balls at once and shot them at the Vampire, who phased into the roof and changed direction. The blast peeled back the roof supports, leaving stars visible through the hole.

Karen said some naughty words.

Elizabeth used mega-drain again, missing. She chuckled. "If this had been a real fight I could have hit her Tamer from where I am now."

"Remember that for our next real fight." Shikarou murmured. "She's coming back around."

"I'm going to use up my phasing power soon and then what? Most of my attacks won't touch a dark pokegirl."

"You're going to have close with her while you can still phase. See if you can get close and then use blood blade or mega-drain again."

"I'll try. I think I need to learn magic like Branwyn and Circe to make me more versatile." The Vampire phased into the roof again.

"I'll test you after the fight, if you want."

Karen's voice came over the intercom. "I'm going to put in a thinner roof."

Shikarou laughed. "I'll remember that for next time."

Elizabeth suddenly appeared as she flew out of the roof again, almost over the Murkunt. Energy glowed as mega-drain struck the Dark pokegirl squarely and she screeched and fell, recovering just before hitting the floor. She rolled and fired off another shadow ball as Elizabeth hit her with mega-drain again. She slid bonelessly to the ground.

The shadow ball took Elizabeth in the legs and she screamed and fell, recovering in time to turn a crash into a controlled crash. "I feel like shit," she grumbled as she slowly climbed to her feet. Her head swiveled as she took noticed the fallen Murkunt. "Hey, I took her out." She shook her head and winced. "I'm all out of steam, lover. I could really use a healing spell right now."

Shikarou sighed. "Do you want me to pull you out?" He watched as Tim raised the flag announcing he'd gotten another point. "You took out two pokegirls and woke up the audience."

Elizabeth chuckled slowly. "I'll soak up another attack before I drop, so leave me in."

Karen released a Skarmory, who stood and glared at the tired Vampire.

Elizabeth groaned. "Oh crap."

"Marion, go." The Skarmory used mach breaker to take off from the ground with a tremendous sonic boom, smashing Elizabeth across the arena floor to skid across the grass and slide to a halt, unmoving. Marion circled in a victory lap as Shikarou returned Elizabeth to her pokeball and handed her to the assistant for healing.

Shikarou released Kebi and spoke rapidly. "Skarmory is the target quick attack to get close thunder bolt to disable. Now!"

The Ria blurred along the ground and up a pile of rocks to launch herself into the air at the still circling Skarmory, her body already softly lit with an inner light as she charged for combat. At the apex of her leap, she released her attack.

Shikarou and Kebi had worked hard to function as a team during their brief time together, and only Kebi's willingness to trust him at a level that was slightly frightening made it work, but work it did. As an older pokegirl, she'd already learned not to overexert herself, because if she did, she couldn't run away, her preferred tactic while feral. So her electrical attacks weren't supercharged enough to knock herself out. But considering her level, they were powerful.

Shikarou had considered that when he ordered her attack on the Skarmory. He'd also considered the Skarmory's severe weakness to electricity and had deliberately not ordered a thunder attack for that very reason.

But they had spent the evening in a group format planning session with the other pokegirls that he was going to be using and hadn't done any one-on-one training. There simply wasn't time.

So Kebi had never used an electrical attack while wearing the light ball.

The light ball functioned perfectly, doubling the strength of Kebi's thunder bolt. The thunder bolt took Marion in the center of the chest and electricity surged throughout her body, arcing from point to point in a visual show that was stunning in its intensity and lit up the entire arena.

Marion nearly died. The damage was so severe that flames were actually visible on her body as she folded up and plummeted.

Kebi squawked and flailed frantically as she went through the harmless (to her) electrical display that emanated from the falling Skarmory. Once on the ground she raced up and out of the arena to hide behind Shikarou.

Shikarou pulled out his wand and summoned Marion to him, catching her in midair. He grabbed the high potion that he had hung off of the back of his pack and sprayed her down as Karen raced around the arena wall, so the Skarmory was looking much better when her Tamer arrived.

"Is she?" Karen broke off, unable to speak. She leaned over, sucking air.

"She's going to be fine, but I'd run her through a healing cycle right away." Shikarou was still holding Marion when Karen returned her, and the feeling as she dissolved in his arms was disconcerting. "I'm sorry." Tim grabbed the ball from her and ran off.

"KEBI SORRY!" Arms wrapped around Shikarou as Kebi pressed herself against him, her body quivering.

Karen blinked and some of the anger and fear drained from her eyes. "She didn't mean to do that did she?" she asked quietly.

"No and neither did I." Shikarou bowed formally. "I yield the match to you." He straightened. "If your Skarmory needs any healing that you cannot provide her, I'll do everything in my power to make this right."

"Do you know what happened?"

"Not really." He turned to Kebi. "It's all right, Kebi." The Ria crawled into his arms and tried to curl up into a ball. "You did what I told you to do, and that is good. Did you notice anything unusual when you attacked Marion?"

Kebi relaxed slightly and uncurled enough to look at him. "Kebi good?"

"Very good." He squeezed her tightly. "Very good indeed."

"Kebi feel cold. Here." She touched her chest, under the light ball. "When Kebi attack." Her face scrunched up. "When I attack." Her eyes lit up with pride.

Shikarou winced. "The light ball. Damn." He turned to Karen, still cradling his Ria. "Yesterday I bought Kebi a necklace with my ID on it so that if she got lost I might get her back and it has got a light ball on it." He sighed. "We haven't had the chance to train with it yet."

Karen nodded. "Light balls double the output of electrical attacks. You need to train a lot more before using her in a pokegirl battle again."

"I know and we will. I just wanted her as a surprise since you knew most of my lineup from when I got arrested."

Karen grimaced. "She was that, I'll grant you." She cocked her head, obviously listening to something he couldn't hear. That meant that the radio must use bone conduction for transmission since he'd hear an earbud.

**The Skarmory is completely recovered and very angry.**

Karen smiled. "Marion is fine, so no harm done." She hesitated. "Would you please put your Ria up before she gets here?"

"Of course. Kebi, I'm going to put you into your pokeball."

"Kebi ready." She licked his cheek before dematerializing.

"Do me a favor; don't let Branwyn out just yet." Karen shook her head. "I don't need her glaring at me right now."

"Ok." Shikarou frowned. "Is everything all right?"

"No." She sighed. "Your Unicorn is right, I'm looking for someone to settle down with, and except for one thing, and you're a perfect candidate." She stepped up and traced one of his ears. "My family has a long history of Cat type pokegirls on both sides, and I really want to give my children the chance to be normal, so you are completely unsuitable." She gave him a twisted smile. "Sorry."

Shikarou managed to look understanding when he really wanted to laugh in relief. "It's ok. You have to do what's right for you and so far as I know, the ears, teeth and claws breed true."

"Even knowing that you won't work out for the long haul, can we be friends?"

Shikarou started to say something snide but reconsidered. Being a human woman in some ways must be very lonely, what with men trying to breed with her just because she was human and pokegirls detesting her because she wasn't one of them. "I thought we already were."

Her face lit up. "Thanks."

Marion came stomping into the arena, followed by Tim, who handed Shikarou the pokeball containing Elizabeth as the Skarmory peered around angrily. "Where is she?"

Shikarou raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything Karen rounded on her pokegirl. "I asked Shikarou to put her up so you wouldn't get your butt kicked again."

The Skarmory lifted her head haughtily. "That would not happen," she announced.

"Get this straight, Marion, dear. She caught both of us off guard and almost killed you. If it wasn't for her Tamer, you would be squab. I've warned you about your pride before, but in this case you didn't do anything wrong. She cleaned your clock and you never had a chance."

The Skarmory ruffled her feathers defensively. "She got lucky."

"Shikarou?" Karen glanced at him.

"I deliberately didn't let Kebi use her strongest attack because I only wanted to incapacitate you. However, she had you right where she wanted you and you never had a chance. That's why I chose her in the first place." It wouldn't hurt to prop up the Skarmory's pride with a portion of the truth. "You are too dangerous to leave active on the battlefield, so I knew I had to take you down fast."

Marion looked less angry. "Really? Of course I am. I understand that you did what you had to do."

Karen shot him a grateful look. "Now do you think you are well enough to fight in some of my other battles today?"  
Marion's eyes narrowed. "I am and I will." She stood patiently as Karen put her into her pokeball.

Karen gave Shikarou a quirky grin. "Thanks for the assist. She's got the prickliest pride I've seen in a while and if she'd been allowed to start sulking, it could have lasted for days."

"That's what friends are for."

Karen gave him a smile. "Thanks for a good battle. Even with what happened to Marion, that was the best fight I've had in a while." She reached into a pocket. "Here's your badge."

"I don't get a badge, I yielded to you."

"Sorry, Shikarou, but it doesn't work that way in gym battles. Yes, the battle ended for medical reasons, but when it did, you were ahead on points, having taken out three pokegirls and lost one." She held out the badge. "Now you can refuse to take this, but your record has already been updated with your award and if you don't take it, when you check in at the county final, they'll assume you lost it and replace it for a nominal fee." She winked. "Your Tamer record is much more important than the physical badges, if we trusted Tamers to not lose a badge, the finals would be much, much smaller then they are now."

Karen grinned as he quietly took the badge. "Now, I'm ready for breakfast, how about you? I'm afraid it'll have to be quick, though, lots to do. You can buy me dinner the next time you are in town to make up for it."

Shikarou shook his head. "Sure, why not."

Karen put her hands on her hips. "Gee, just overwhelm a girl with enthusiasm."

"How would you rather I responded?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Could you tell me I'm sexy and you want to tame me until I can't walk?" She smiled. "Oh, and make it sound like you mean it."

"Didn't you just say you didn't want to sleep with me?"

"What does that have to do with what I want to hear?"

Shikarou blinked. "You have a point." He grinned and stepped up against her, dropping his voice to a husky rumble, and letting his eyes fill with desire. "You are a beautiful and desirable woman and I would like to fuck you until I can't do it any more."

Karen shivered. "Ooh, that was good." She delicately pressed a fingertip against his chest and pushed slightly. "Well, you can't. So there."

"You are a cruel and heartless woman."

"Great, isn't it?" She winked and grabbing his hand, dragged him off to breakfast.

Shikarou stood outside the back door of the Belfast gym and watched the morning sun creeping over the horizon. It was still fairly dark, so he released Elizabeth for some variety.

The Vampire stretched and pulled her cloak close around herself. "So did we win?"

"Yes, we did."

She smiled and took his arm. "Excellent. Who took out the most of her pokegirls?"

Shikarou smiled. "You did."

She squealed. "Wonderful!" She glanced around and started pulling him towards an alley. "Come on."

He let her lead him. "What are we doing?"

"Hush. Let me." She led him into the alley to where the shadows were deepest. "I took out the most pokegirls and I deserve a prize. Now just stand there and don't say anything unless I ask you to, ok?" Her eyes pled with him as she stripped the backpack off of him and dropped it to the side.

"All right."

"Good." Elizabeth did things beneath her cloak for a moment and then pulled it open, her now naked skin gleaming in the shadowy light. She stepped against him and kissed him hungrily as she undid his pants. "I know I promised to blow you," she murmured against his lips, "but I have needs too." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Lift me, please."

"As you wish." His hands slid under her ass and lifted as she kissed him again and wrapped her legs around his waist. She hissed into his mouth as he slid into her.

Her lips moved to his neck and she kissed his throat gently. "You hold still and let me do this." Her fangs slid into his neck as she began riding him, raising up and letting him slide back into her each time she drank. She began to speed up, kissing his throat as the holes healed shut, until she suddenly shuddered and screamed into his shoulder, her legs clamping tight around his waist and her body jerking on his cock as she came.

She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, her breath coming hard and fast and then looked up into his eyes. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure."

She smiled lazily. "Not yet." She unwrapped her legs and slid down his body to kneel in front of him and blew lightly on his erection. "Now, I remember what happened the last time I gave you a blowjob, so claws into the wall."

Shikarou slid the tips of his claws out and plunged them into the wooden wall he was leaning against. "Much better." She smiled and sucked him deep into her mouth.

When Shikarou orgasmed and she swallowed him down, he clenched his fingers and shattered the boards his claws were embedded in.

Elizabeth licked him clean and slid to her feet in a smooth motion, pulling her cloak tight. "Game's over, lover."

Shikarou quickly redressed. "Are you going to keep calling me lover?"

She dimpled. "In private. Branwyn would probably have a fit if I called you that in front of her and she has so many ways to make her displeasure known."

"Are you going to get dressed?" Shikarou finished retying everything and reached for his pack.

"No. I'll just keep my cloak tight and you and I will know I'm nude under here." Steamy eyes met his. "All ready for the taking." She laughed, low and sensually as she produced her clothes from somewhere inside her cloak. "Please put this in your pack. I'll get it back tonight."

Taking his hand, she led him out of the alley and pulled her hood up. "You'd better let Branwyn out."

Shikarou released the Unicorn. She looked around slowly. "So what happened? Why are we outside?"

"We won." Shikarou grinned. "And I did as you asked, if not intentionally. Elizabeth here took out two pokegirls and Kebi took out another."

"So what happened to end the fight?"

"Kebi was facing a Skarmory and when she used thunder bolt on it, things got a little out of control."

Branwyn had a lot longer time to get used to all things pokegirl. "The light ball." It wasn't a question. "You hadn't trained with the light ball. Did anyone die?"

"No, but it was a close thing."

Elizabeth grinned. "So that's what happened. Well, I still took out the most pokegirls and deserved my prize."

Branwyn looked from one to the other, returning her gaze to Shikarou. It was filled with suspicion. "What prize?" Behind her, Elizabeth let her cloak slip open slightly and laughed silently when his eyes flickered to the gap.

Branwyn's eyes narrowed. "If I had a Dark Kitsune's nose right now, what would it tell me?"

Shikarou smiled. "Probably nothing. Noses can't talk."

Branwyn sighed. "I see. I'm wasting my time. Now what about afterwards."

He reached out and gathered his alpha into his arms. She leaned stiffly against him for a moment before relaxing. "Look into my thoughts," he whispered as he pressed his lips against hers.

She was still for a moment before kissing him back gently. "She doesn't want you and you are happy about that." She broke the kiss and rested her horn against his forehead. "Thank you for letting me know." She cocked her head. "Is what you said about your traits breeding true?"

"Yes, our children will have horns and wolf ears, if we are lucky."

Branwyn melted against him. "I'm glad." She glanced up at him. "It will be a while before we can have children."

"Not really. Just for a while all of our kids may look like you. Or they may have wolf's ears too. We won't know for sure until we start having children."

"When is that likely?"

"We've still got a lot of work to do, so I'm not sure it's something that we can schedule. However, I won't be fertile until Yule of 301."

Branwyn stayed pressed against him. "So you can't get anyone pregnant until then and afterwards I'll be able to spot your children if they are by a pokewoman or human."

"That is very likely, but I won't know for sure until my base is operational and I can run some tests in the clinic." He smiled when she looked up at him with a questioning expression. "Not until May."

She pushed away. "All right." A glance at Elizabeth. "I suppose I can't even be upset that she's taking liberties with you." A ghost of a smile. "I would too, although not in an alley."

Elizabeth smiled. "It was dark when we got started, at least in the alley. And we were quiet." Her smile grew. "Although we might want to leave before they open that shop and find out what happened to their wall." She pointed with her chin at the broken boards.

Branwyn shook her head with a rueful smile. "Ah. You are going to have to show me how you give head."

The Vampire grinned, her teeth glinting in the light. "You need fangs to do it right."

Branwyn grinned back. "That may not be an insurmountable problem, depending on how much magic I learn." The Vampire looked startled and then glared at the complacent looking Unicorn.

"Ladies, please, not here and not now." Shikarou held out his arms. "One for each of you, and let's leave. We'll go back to camp and start working on the best route to Magicunt Village."

"All right, it's official. The universe is alive and it hates me." Shikarou glared at the symbol of the universe's detestation and his ears folded back.

"My lord, what does thou mean?" Dorothea gave him a confused look. After the sun had risen, Elizabeth had asked to be returned to her pokeball and Dorothea had taken her place.

Branwyn followed his gaze. "Isn't that the same ferry that we crossed over from Glasgow on?" She caught his expression and sighed. "Yes, it is."

Dorothea frowned. "In truth, that vessel does not look entirely seaworthy. Are they supposed to lean like that while tied up?"

"It's called listing and no, it's not supposed to do that." Shikarou turned to his alpha. "Not going to happen."

She nodded. "I could teleport us to somewhere on the highway to Glasgow. We'd still have to come back to the docks to see if there is a ferry to Magicunt Village, so that might take longer."

Shikarou nodded. "That sounds good. If we were in that much of a hurry, we wouldn't have stopped so you and Dorothea could shop for clothes." He looked thoughtful for a second and then pulled out his pokedex. He pulled up some maps and drew some lines on them with the touchpad. "How about instead we teleport to Plymouth and Pythia can then fly to Magicunt Village and then come get us. It's less than three hundred kilometers by air and if we're lucky she can have us setting up camp there before nightfall."

Branwyn looked over his display. "That would work better than my idea and should save us several days." She smiled at him. "Let's do it."

Dorothea looked over the map. "Reading must be a wonderful thing," she murmured wistfully.

Shikarou exchanged a glance with Branwyn and then smiled at the Seraph. "You will get the opportunity to find out just how wonderful it is. I've got a T2 that will give you a basic reading ability and you'll get it tonight." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think to check, I just assumed you could read."

Dorothea looked surprised. "Thou want me to learn to read?" Her eyes glowed with sudden joy. "Indeed, it is a wondrous thing to have thee as my lord and master."

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn. _I appear to be failing in my responsibilities to the harem. Would you check Helen to see if she's literate?_

She nodded. _I'll take care of it tonight,_ she replied telepathically. _I should have thought of it as well, so don't be too hard on yourself. We're just too used to everyone being literate. What about Kebi?_

_I want her to socialize with the harem a little more before she discovers books. She's very smart and I don't want her becoming a recluse if she turns out to be a bibliophile._

Shikarou put his pokedex back up. "Well, no time like the present." He pulled out a pokeball. "I have to put you up for a while, Dorothea."

"Of course, my lord."

Once she was tucked safely back into his belt, Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "To Plymouth we go."

She slipped an arm through his. "As thou commands, my lord."

"You know, what's cute on Dorothea isn't cute on everyone."

She gave him an arch look. "That's what I keep telling you, and yet you keep getting on them."

She teleported as he tried to frame a retort.

_Although Shikarou's breath pounded in his ears so loudly that he couldn't hear his pursuer as he ran, he knew it was still behind him and still gaining. He raced through the forest, looking ahead to pick out the best path, seeking a way to escape._

_ A blow knocked him skidding amongst the leaves and frantically he threw himself sideways, rolling to spring to his feet and begin the run again._

_ He was too slow and teeth closed on his leg, bone shattering as the creature bit down with unholy strength. It released him and stepped away, growling softly. _

_ It looked like a wolf, a solid black bundle of muscle and fur with black, empty eyes that reflected his image as he shoved himself out of the spreading pool of blood, but no wolf stood over two meters tall at the shoulder. Its muzzle wrinkled in a snarl and it lunged forward to bury its snout in his belly, biting deep and swallowing noisily as it fed._

Shikarou opened his eyes. He took a deep, steadying breath.

While he didn't sleep, he still needed to meditate for a couple of hours a night, and his mind was allowed to wander while this was occurring. Often images flickered while this was going on, short lengths of action as his unconscious mind wrestled with a problem.

He couldn't remember anything like this happening before, though.

Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position and checked the clock. 0530. Time to be up and around. That explained why his bed was empty, Lorelei was already up, although it was unusual that he hadn't noticed her getting around.

He dressed slowly, considering the vision and what it might mean. It wasn't one of his former foes; he'd never faced a wolf spirit of that color, although he'd fought one that was much larger. Taking a deep breath, he put it out of his mind and focused on the present.

They were outside Magicunt Village and in an hour or so he would be at the gym to challenge its leader, Brian Benoit. According to the pokedex entry, he was young for a gym leader, barely nineteen, and specialized in water and dragon pokegirls.

His stomach growled and he smiled. He opened the door to his room and the black monster wolf lunged forward, taking him by the leg, once again bone shattering in its jaws and he screamed as pain exploded through his body. It lifted him by the leg and trotted forward, passing through the wall of his room as if it wasn't there.

It entered a large natural stone chamber and dropped him before moving away. He pressed a fist against the femoral artery in his shattered leg, slowing the blood flow as his body began to heal and extended the claws on his free hand as he watched the wolf.

It growled and the flesh began to ripple and shift as it changed form. When done, it stood on two legs and towered a good five meters or more above him. Its eyes narrowed and its ears were flat. "You should not be here." Its voice was low and gravelly. "Why are you here?"

Shikarou glanced at his leg. Mending, but he still needed more time if he was going to fight this creature. "You are oni."

The monster grinned, fangs gleaming in reflected light from the torches that lined the walls. "Oni, kami, is there truly any difference? We are the same." It, no, he, for the nude creature was massively and obviously male, lowered its head to meet his gaze. "How did you come here?"

Shikarou propped himself up. "You brought me here."

The monster's eyes narrowed and it stepped forward and ground a clawed foot into his leg. Shikarou groaned and used a mantra to reduce pain. "Do not toy with me for I will not tolerate it. How did you come here?"

"If you didn't bring me," Shikarou gasped, "I do not know." He lunged and drove his claws into the oni's leg.

It snarled and kicked him in the head, the blow spinning him across the chamber. Shikarou awkwardly climbed to his feet.

The oni watched with narrowed eyes. "You have enough power to hurt me. Interesting." It shook its head. "Nonetheless, you cannot stay here and there is only one way you can leave." It charged him and slashed him with its talons before he could respond.

Hooking him with its other hand, it pulled him forward and clamped its mouth around his head. His head rang with noise as his skull was crushed in its jaws.

Shikarou opened his eyes and carefully looked around the room without moving his head. He was in his room again, and his heart slowed as he heard Lorelei's slow, even breathing next to him and her heartbeat thundered in his ears.

He let out a slow breath and slid out of bed, quietly dressing. "That was bizarre." He grabbed his pack and headed out of the room.

The oni snarled and grabbed him around the chest, pinning his arms to his sides. "You are like a cockroach." It leaned down and bellowed in his face. "YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE!" Spittle ran down Shikarou's face.

The creature paused and straightened up, a thoughtful look on its face. "Perhaps you are where you belong. Perhaps I am in the wrong place." It looked at him. "Does this mean anything to you?"

"No, but if you don't belong here, please leave."

It sneered. "Your father has been very negligent with your education. Excellent." The massive head cocked in a familiar gesture, but Shikarou couldn't place it. "That doesn't make sense, but there is only one way to find out."

It slammed Shikarou back against the wall and pinned him in place with a knee as it lifted its own right arm in its mouth and bit down, grunting as it severed the arm in a welter of blood.

The creature grinned and grabbed Shikarou's head in its remaining hand, wrenching it back, and shoved the severed arm into his mouth, slowly forcing it past Shikarou's teeth and down his throat. His stomach bulged as the arm was driven in.

Shikarou opened his eyes and surged to his feet, summoning his sword and putting his back against the wall. His breath rasped in his throat and his heart pounded in his chest.

Lorelei stirred and opened her eyes. "What is it?" She glanced at the clock. "Oh, time to get up." She stretched and pushed the covers down to sit up.

Shikarou leapt over the bed and threw the door to the hall open. Nothing. He sniffed the air as he strained his ears for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing.

A familiar form appeared. "Is something wrong?"

Shikarou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Circe, I'm not sure, but we need to find out."

Circe opened withdrew from Shikarou's mind and opened her eyes. Branwyn leaned up against her Tamer and offered him some tea as Helen brought in a platter of breakfast foods. Pythia watched him intently from across the table.

The Unicorn frowned. "Well?"

Shikarou touched her arm. "Let her be. If she's not ready to talk it's because she isn't ready to report anything."

Lorelei came out of the hallway with Yushiko and Dorothea close behind. "We can't find anything and Dorothea can't find any sort of evil residue." She shook her head. "No scents, nothing out of place, and I can't see any auras that don't belong here. The arena's set up for desert combat, but we checked it out thoroughly. Nothing."

She gave Branwyn a questioning look and jerked her head in Shikarou's direction. The Unicorn shrugged.

"I'm all right," Shikarou announced in a cross tone. "Stop acting like I'm not here."

Branwyn frowned. "Dorothea, is there any sort of residue on Shikarou?"

Shikarou looked surprised. "Good question. There are all sorts of creatures that could have tried to possess me."

Circe reached for her cup. "Shikarou, I'm unsure how to say this. Whatever happened to you, it appears to be both real and unreal. I know that doesn't help, but that's the truth."

Dorothea settled down on Shikarou's free side and looked him in the eyes. "Thou needs sleep." She glanced at Branwyn as the Seraph cradled his head in her hands, but her words were for him. "Perhaps thou should put off challenging the gym for a day or so. It will do thee good."

"I'm all right," Shikarou repeated.

Branwyn's eyes narrowed. "One day isn't going to change anything. We are going to stay here and you are going to rest. No fighting, no taming, nothing but rest. You won't even feed Elizabeth. Vampire's don't need to feed everyday and she's not going to starve to death."

"Don't I have any say in the matter?"

The Unicorn folded her arms. "You can either hear this from me, or you can hear it from me and Candace and anyone else I need to get. In any case, you are not going anywhere." She glanced at Lorelei. "Go talk to Faelan and see if he's heard of anything like this." The Sphinx vanished as she turned to Circe. "You were being vague?"

"Don't snap at me," Circe growled. "I'm worried about him too."

"Sorry."

"First of all, Shikarou, do you realize that there are parts of your mind that not even you can access? I've looked around the edges of them, and there isn't any sign of foreign influences, whatever happened, you did it and there isn't anything in there except you." Her eyes darkened as she considered her words. "It could be traumatic memories, sometimes we block those away. You know, Stardust is much better at this than I am."

"Out of the question." Branwyn's eyes were angry. "No one, and I mean no one that we can't trust completely is going to be wandering about in my Tamer's mind and that includes your sister."

Circe nodded. "I don't disagree with you, I just wanted it known that there is someone who is better at this then I am." She glanced at Pythia. "You were in there with me, did you see anything else?"

The G-Spliced shook her head. "No, and I'm trained as a basic therapist. Sukebe didn't want his generals cracking, at least not without his permission." Her tongue lolled in a laugh.

Dorothea released him. "I can detect no taint of evil in thee." A slight smile ghosted around her lips. "Perhaps thou are not the paragon of goodness that I would desire in mine owner, but evil thou are not."

"So this doesn't make sense and is probably a figment of my imagination." Shikarou sighed. "Fine. It just scared me more than anything has in a long time."

Branwyn rested her head on his shoulder. "You are going back to bed and we are going to take care of you."

"And if I say otherwise?"

"Unless you are going to get rid of me for disobeying you, nothing." She raised her head and gave him an unhappy look. "Damn it, Shikarou, not even you know what happened, but exhaustion could explain most of it and taking a day off won't hurt us. I'll make sure that training takes place if it bothers you that much."

Lorelei appeared, and the Sphinx wasn't alone. Candace stepped away from her and stood behind Shikarou. The Sphinx looked apologetic. "She was eating breakfast with Faelan and Svetlana and insisted on coming back. I told her no, but Faelan ordered me to bring her." Her ears flicked. "Can he do that? If not, I want to go back and kick his butt, he was very rude."

Shikarou sighed as the NurseJoy pulled him to his feet. "Lorelei let it go. This time."

Branwyn filled Candace in as they marched Shikarou to his room, where they paused while Lorelei and Circe explored it again. They were putting his bed back where it belonged when the NurseJoy hustled him into it.

Candace frowned. "Alice woke me up a little after 0600 because she was having nightmares." She glanced at the Unicorn and Alaka-Wham. "They involved some kind of Vixxen-like quadrupedal creature that was black." She saw the look that Pythia exchanged with Circe and Shikarou. "It wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

Shikarou shook his head. "At this point it is more data." He frowned. "But why Alice and not Lorelei as well, if it isn't a coincidence?" He sighed and let Candace start getting him comfortable. "None of this makes any sense."

Faelan cracked the door to his brother's room and peeked in. Shikarou was watching him with a sour smile and waved him in, sending him a hand signal for silence with his other hand.

Candace was curled up against Shikarou, snoring softly as she slept and Dorothea dozed in a chair.

Faelan smiled and said in a quiet singsong. "Women, women everywhere and none who want to share."

Shikarou grinned at the first stanza of an ancient Tirsuli nursery rhyme. In an equally low voice he answered. "All they want/is good sires and not/just a male who dares."

The brothers shared an evil grin for a moment. Faelan glanced around. "So, how are you?"

"Sane, I think. The vision I went through was incredibly detailed and," he rubbed his right leg absently, "vivid."

"Svetlana's concerned that this somehow presages the end of the world."

Shikarou snickered. "Good. She needs something useless to worry about."

"So, have you had many visitors?"

"Blood and darkness, it would be easier to list who hasn't visited," Shikarou grumbled. "Poppet, Lynn, Alice, Molly, you name it, they've managed to just drop by. For blood's sake someone brought Karen here."

"It could be worse."

"Oh, do tell."

"No one might have come."

Shikarou gave him an unhappy look and then shrugged. "I suppose it's better to be loved than hated and hated than unnoticed."

"Now that is a proverb that I have always understood."

"So what brings you here?" Shikarou tried to shift away from Candace, but the NurseJoy wrapped her arms around him and snuggled close. With an amused look he gave up the attempt.

"I wanted to check up on my only living sibling." He grinned. "The only other person who can help me populate the world with Sidhe." The grin widened. "And I opened the book."

"Wonderful."

"Not really. You can't open it, not until you accept your Sidhe heritage and I'm not going to follow you around just to turn the pages for you."

"After I pick up my last badge, I'll have some time before the county finals begin, so we'll have to see if I can do it."

"Sounds like a deal."

"Question. Lorelei ran across Candace eating breakfast with you and Svetlana. Are you taming my NurseJoy?" His ears flicked.

Faelan gave him a wary look. "Possessive all of a sudden, aren't we." He shrugged. "We were trying to talk her into it. Svetlana likes the occasional group thing, and while she likes Amy, the whiskers tickle too much for certain things to take place." He grimaced. "She told us, in no uncertain terms I might add, what we could do with the idea."

"Good. Get your own. Candace could use the time off."

"She doesn't have enough work now for one NurseJoy." Faelan's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

"Right now, nothing. However, a fellow has to look towards the future."

"Uh huh." Faelan smiled. "Don't worry; she seems to be quite attached to you."

Shikarou sighed. "Sorry. My temper seems to be oscillating pretty severely right now, and I'm not sure why."

Faelan nodded. "You're a wolf and a pack leader and I was sniffing around one of your bitches. I was in the wrong."

"We're not animals," Shikarou replied with a wry look. "We don't have to behave like we are."

"Perhaps not, but a part of us is and it wants to behave that way." Faelan gave his brother a serious look. "We salivate at the smell of blood, even if it's coming from one of our harem, and if someone is running or acting like prey, we want to chase them." His ears flicked. "And don't get me started about Bunnygirls. The first time I smelled one and realized just how unsuited they are to living in the wild, I wanted to chase her down and do bloody things to her." He glanced at the slumbering Seraph. "She's asleep, right? I really don't need this sort of thing getting out. I mean, how do we discuss this with them? With our prospective prey?" He shivered. "How do you live with it?"

"Look at me." Faelan met his brother's gaze. "We live with it one day at a time, just like anyone else does with their issues. We are not monsters and we are not going to murder and eat anyone that is important to us." Shikarou shrugged. "Impulses are just that, impulses. Everyone has them, we show our strength by rising above them. Those that fail become oni and eventually someone like me gets sent for to deal with them." He cocked his head. "I've seen lots of oni and even more kami on the edge of becoming oni. You have nothing to worry about, but the fact that you do worry is the strongest indicator that your worry is unfounded."

"Oh, and Faelan? You do need to discuss this with your harem. After all, someday they will be bearing your children and a lot of the traits you are worried about often breed true."

Faelan blinked. "I hadn't thought about that."

Shikarou smiled. "I wouldn't go overboard describing all of the things that could go wrong, just mention it so they can't claim they weren't warned." His smile died. "You are actually quite fortunate that you will be breeding with pokegirls and that our genetic line is exceptionally stable. Pure human women often don't survive the pregnancy, our children often accidentally kill their mothers before they are born." He sighed and stroked Candace's hair gently. "Pokegirls are much less likely to have problems, but I still suggest that you find a NurseJoy to bring into your life, if not your harem, she will be a great deal of help, even if everything goes smoothly."

"And should I also get a Milktit, like you did?"

"I didn't go looking for Helen, but I'm grateful that she's here." He grinned. "I'm actually full at the end of each day, thanks to her." He cocked his head. "She's also willing to experiment, so since she produces so much milk each day, I'm setting up a new room to make cheese. Oh, and a word of warning. Milktit ice-cream makes pokegirls lactate." He looked amused. "I don't know about the cheese yet, but I'll let you know."

"Could I get some milk? I think I want to surprise Svetlana with it."

"We've got a refrigerator full of it, take all you want." He snickered. "For some reason most of my pokegirls are leery about drinking it, so there's plenty."

Faelan stood quietly. "I know I came here to cheer you up, but thanks for listening to me."

Shikarou held out his hand. "You are my brother, blood of my blood and all that. If you need to talk, then I will always be here." He grinned. "After all it's a damned sight safer than rescuing you from Mantises again."

Faelan squeezed his brother's hand. "Thanks." He smirked. "I know where the kitchen is, so don't bother trying to get up. Oh, and your NurseJoy is drooling on your chest."

Shikarou stuck out his tongue.

Shikarou waited outside in the line with every other Tamer who wanted to challenge the gym today. The number was far smaller than what he'd observed in Belfast, which was good.

The gym was also smaller, which left him with mixed feelings.

At least he was out of that blasted bed, he reflected to himself. He didn't take being mothered very well, and Candace sleeping in his bed next to him had given him a mild case of blue balls during the night.

He smothered a smile. After Dorothea had left to find them some breakfast, he'd mentioned his condition to Candace and the NurseJoy had been a true credit to her noble calling and helped him correct the situation. She hadn't even broken stride when Dorothea dropped the tray of food and fled the room.

Shikarou felt a tiny pang of conscience about that now, but at the time he hadn't cared. He made a mental note to do something nice for Dorothea. He'd get her a present of some kind or something like that.

He checked his internal clock and was pleased to see that it was nearly seven, the time the Magicunt gym opened.

The doors opened and the crowd of Tamers stirred excitedly as a young man walked out. "I am Brian Benoit and I am the leader of the Magicunt Gym. I'm glad to see that you read the instructions on the door and formed a line."

He spoke again, this time in a language that Shikarou didn't know. **He is speaking Welsh and saying that anyone who understands him needs to come with him.**

Shikarou moved up with a handful of others. Benoit eyed him sourly. "You, sir, are not Welsh. Go back to the line."

Shikarou smiled. "You, sir, did not ask for Welsh to come up. You asked for anyone who understood you to do so."

Benoit's eyes narrowed and he spoke quickly in Welsh.

**Look you stupid foreign pansy, I doubt you have the skill to speak any decent language.** Aggie translated.

Shikarou's eyes narrowed and his ears went flat. "You call me a stupid pansy again and this gym's going to have a vacancy. If you are lucky, I'll only put you in the hospital."

Brian blinked and took a step backwards. He smiled thinly. "You sound like a Welshman. Very well then, inside with the others."

Shikarou went inside and stood with the Welsh Tamers. Benoit stayed outside for a minute to talk to the other Tamers and then came back in. He grinned. "Well, lads, it looks like rain today, hopefully the Englishmen will melt and wash away and just leave us their money and pokegirls." There was laughter at this. He caught Shikarou watching him and scowled. "You got something to say, boyo?"

"I was only wondering how much good melted Englishmen would be for the land."

Benoit stared at him and then grinned. "You have a point, boyo. Maybe we should just hope they go home."

"Without their money or pokegirls," someone else added.

"Right," Benoit looked them over. "Well, boys, I'll have my GAs get to you as quickly as possible and then you can be on with your day. We Welsh have brought home the Blue League championship eleven times up to now and I expect there to be a twelfth time this go round. Maybe it'll be one of you."

"Give your names to the receptionist and she'll call you when your bout is ready. Good luck to you all and I expect you to make me proud when we slam the bloody English next year." He grinned. "And don't expect me to go easy on you because you're Welsh. Expect the opposite, in fact." He stalked out as the first Tamer began speaking to the receptionist, a calico Catgirl.

Shikarou waited for an hour, watching the Welsh Tamers being called before him. He was the last of the first group and Tamers from the line outside were inside waiting their turn when the receptionist looked up and called his name. She indicated a plain, stocky blonde who stood waiting. "Shikarou, this is Tamara Gonzales and you will be battling her for your badge."

Tamara might have a name that wasn't exactly local, but her accent was pure Welsh. "This way, Tamer Urufu."

As she led him to their arena she explained the battle procedures. "We are going to have a three on three pokegirl battle, no time limit and no substitutions." She glanced at him. "Substitutions are usually the norm for Tamers challenging a gym, but here in Wales we make do with what we have at hand and that attitude extends to pokegirl battling. It makes us strong." She stopped at the entrance to the arena. "Do you have any questions?"

"Is this going to be a grand melee?"

She smiled for the first time, and it gave her face a surprising loveliness. "No, I'm recovering from a knee injury; otherwise I'd be glad to oblige you."

Shikarou nodded. "Some of my pokegirls have access to healing magics and if you'd like, after the bout I can have one of them look at your knee. She should be able to put it right in very short order."

She looked surprised. "I'll consider it." A slender smile appeared. "We'll see if you still want to help me after the battle."

"My offer is not contingent on my winning the battle," Shikarou commented stiffly.

Tamara raised an eyebrow. "Hit a nerve, did I?" She nodded. "We'll see." She opened the door and led them into an arena that was decked out as a shoreline, water leading to a sandy beach which covered half the room. The dividing line extended across the arena, from battle box to battle box, giving each Tamer a battle area that was half water and half sand. Shikarou's battle box had water on the left and sand on the right.

A young man was leaning against the judge's station, sipping a soda. He nodded to Tamara and took his place as she entered one of the battle boxes. After verifying that Shikarou was in the other one, he raised the green flag. "Tamer Shikarou, are you ready to battle?"

"I am."

"Gym Assistant Tamara, are you ready to battle?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"This is a three on three pokegirl battle with no substitutions and not time limit." The flag dropped. "Begin."

Six pokeballs flew through the air as one and the arena glowed a sullen red from the multitude of capture beams activating.

Tamara released a Gynadose, and Hottie and a Slowsis while Shikarou had decided to use Pythia, Kebi and Yushiko.

Tamara expertly assessed the situation. "Ginnie, water. Ignea and Cynthia take the Ria." The Gynadose slid smoothly into the water section of the arena as the Hottie and Slowsis jogged towards the Ria.

A heartbeat later, Shikarou issued his own orders. "Pythia, Yushiko team one, take the Slowsis, recommend option three. Kebi thunder the water."

Shikarou and Kebi had a talk after the debacle at Belfast and Kebi knew that it was his responsibility to make sure she didn't hurt anyone that badly again, if only by accident. Trying not to confuse her, Shikarou had instructed her to do exactly what she had done before he gave her the light ball and to let him worry about the aftermath and any repercussions from her actions.

So plasma glowed around her briefly and a double strength thunder attack flashed steam when it blasted into the salt water that made up the "sea." The Gynadose came out of the water almost faster then she went in, screaming her rage as she charged.

"Kebi dodge." The Ria jumped sideways, avoiding the flamethrower attack the Hottie blasted at her, but the psychic attack the Slowsis used staggered Kebi and Shikarou could see she wasn't doing well.

Pythia grabbed Yushiko as the Armsmistress' wings shimmered into view and the two of them vanished as she teleported. They appeared behind the Slowsis and Yushiko and Pythia hit her with a combined thunder bolt attack as she attacked Kebi. Caught completely off guard, Cynthia was blasted forwards and skidded along the sand, unconscious before she stopped moving.

Kebi leaped high into the air to avoid another flamethrower attack and the Gynadose's hyper beam took her at the apex of her jump, smashing her across the arena.

Shikarou returned the unconscious Ria to her pokeball in midair. "Pythia the Gynadose, Yushiko, weapons free."

Yushiko slashed a feather shuriken attack at Ignea, who, having been focused on the Ria, was knocked flying by the unexpected attack. Pythia teleported again, coming out behind the recovering Gynadose and drove her forming energy blade into the center of the water pokegirl's body. Ginnie screamed again, this time in pain and lurched forward to pull herself free.

Ignea used flamethrower at Yushiko and missed as the Armsmistress launched herself into the air in preparation for a dive attack.

Ginnie spun in place with a grace surprising in her large bulk, her tail out for balance as she whirled to unleash a hydropump attack directly at the place Pythia had struck from, however the G-Spliced had flown a handful of meters to the right and the attack missed.

Pythia's eyes narrowed and her ears went flat against her skull as she unleashed a psychic attack that drove the Gynadose to her knees, following it up almost instantly with thunder bolt that spun Ginnie across the sand to lie unmoving.

Ignea's flamethrower attack took the incoming Yushiko squarely, and she spiraled in to crash in a smoking heap. The Armsmistress threw herself upwards and wobbled back into the air just in time to avoid another flamethrower as Pythia's tectonic slam blasted Ignea high into the air where Yushiko rolled and hit her with thunder bolt.

The Armsmistress spun and caught the Hottie as she plummeted, energy glowing around her fist as she readied a meteor punch. The collected energy radiated away in a burst of light as she released it and cradled Ignea to her before landing gracefully. "She's already out," Yushiko announced as she carefully laid her opponent on the sand.

The judge, who had been staring during the bout, recovered and dropped the red flag. "Ignea is unable to battle; the point and match go to Shikarou Urufu."

Tamara recovered her remaining pokegirl and stood silently for a moment before walking heavily around the arena wall to Shikarou. She held out her hand. "That was an excellent match." Her brow furrowed. "I don't suppose you will be representing Wales in the Blue League competition, will you?"

He smiled and Pythia chuckled. "No, I'll be representing Scotland, if I make it."

She nodded. "Pity. You're not the strongest Tamer I've seen, but you've taught your pokegirls to react quickly and to work together as a strong team. If you did represent Wales, we might have hired you as a trainer for the Cup team even if you didn't make it through the regionals. God knows they need to learn to work together."

"Well, I'm afraid they are going to have to learn it on their own."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "Give me your com code before you leave. If you don't make into the finals, perhaps we might hire you to train our team anyway. There's no rule against that."

Shikarou smiled. "As long as you won't look down on me for being some kind of traitor, I will."

She nodded. "No, you'd be a traitor if you were on the team from Scotland and helped us. If we can hire you before they do, that's just good business."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 58

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 59

Milktit Helen 53

Unicorn Branwyn 50

ElfQueen Gwyneth 44

Seraph Dorothea 42

Ria Kebi 40

Sphinx Lorelei 37

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 35

G-Spliced Pythia 35

Vampire Elizabeth 29

Titto Fumiko 17

**Special Pokegirl Entry – Pythia**

_**G-SPLICED, the Mad Scientist's Experiment**_  
**Type**: animorph (vulpine)

**Element**: Magic/Psychic/Dark/Ghost (Celestial)

**Diet**: mostly human style, more meat heavy than a human  
**Role**: Battle Commander personal bodyguard  
**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Magic, Water, Ghost, Dark, other

**Weak Vs**: Psychic, Magic, Dark, other  
**Attacks**: Energy Blade, Power Bolt, Magic Fist, Shield, Teleport, Tectonic Slam, Fissure, Bestow Luck, Thunderbolt, Energy Drain, Phase, Lure, Invis 3, Imitate, Absorb, Agility, Telekinesis, Dream Time, Hypnotize, Spell use currently unavailable until level 40  
**Enhancements**: Defense, Enhanced Endurance (x8), Enhanced Strength (x19), Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Senses (x10), Flight, Extremely high psychic and magical abilities, Eidetic memory, precognitive abilities, telepathy,  
Age: 17 Pythia is 1.85 meters tall and weighs 75 kg. She has pale skin, red eyes and blue fur and short blue hair. Measurements are:(38/34/37) 96cm/86cm/94cm and she is a C cup.

Sometime towards the latter part of 2001, Sukebe finally accepted the fact that pokegirls led by a Tamer would almost always outfight those that weren't. In a last ditch attempt to win the war that he knew was failing, he decided to embrace the concept and started trying to design new pokegirls that would be quickly bonded to Tamers that were fighting on his side. These new pokegirls would function both to aid his generals and to control them.

This particular G-Spliced is a chimera of Neo Iczel, Megami-sama and Esper and was to be the personal companion and bodyguard of one of the human males that he was grooming to be the commanding generals of the armies of the western hemisphere. She was placed in stasis on the asteroid station where Sukebe kept his unique oddities while awaiting the arrival of her Tamer.

The next month, while her Tamer was finishing up his training, a surprise assault by the humans destroyed one of Sukebe's hidden redoubts and more importantly, the only controller that allowed safe personnel transfer via the dimensional portal to the asteroid base where she was.

She has slept in stasis since 2001 before being awakened in AS 298 by Shikarou Urufu, an otherdimensional traveler, when he was inadvertently brought to the asteroid station.

Being created by Sukebe himself, she is unusually stable; although the fact that she claims to have a close connection with the cosmic awareness does make one wonder. She also claims to have brought Shikarou to this world to combat a mystical threat.

_**GYNADOSE, the Violent Dragon-esque Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Humanoid

**Element**: Water/Flying

**Frequency**: Rare to Very Rare (never seen in groups unless in harems)

**Diet**: Fish, kelp, fruit

**Role**: Battleship-esque Pokegirls

**Libido**: Average to VERY High (seasonal/victory)

**Strong Vs**: Fire, Rock, Bug, Fighting

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Plant, Magic, Ice

**Attacks**: Water Tower, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam, Dragon Rage

**Enhancements**: Hard scaly skin, bad tempers, Enhanced Strength (x12)

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Magicunt (orgasm + level)

**Bounty (for confirmed kill)**: 600,000 SLC (applies to ferals only)

**Bounty (for successful capture &amp; taming)**: 650,000 SLC &amp; free medical care until

you can tame your Gynadose without injury (applies to ferals only)

**Bounty (for reporting sighting &amp; getting out alive)**: 90,000 SLC (applies to ferals only)

**Recommendation if you see one**: Run. Or if you have a powerful electric-type, have her cut loose with everything. (applies to ferals only)

A Gynadose looks like a tall woman, generally between eight to ten feet in height. Though their skin appears normal, it's actually hard scales with a flesh-like color. The only places this isn't true is around the joints, her lips, eyes, breasts and vagina. In these areas, the scales are much softer. The Gynadose has fin-like protrusions from where her ears should be, and has a long tail.

Some tamers often comment that taming a Gynadose is "like fucking a horny foul-tempered tank."

When a Magicunt reaches a certain level of experience, she can evolve into a Gynadose once she experiences orgasm. Because the Gynadose is so much more powerful than the Magicunt and, in many ways, more attractive, most ranchers who bother to deal with Magicunts often seek to evolve them into Gynadoses as quickly as possible.

The main problem with the standard method, which is to have vibrators running on high to trigger as many orgasms as possible, is that the Gynadose often expects to receive the same treatment it did as a Magicunt. And if it doesn't, the Gynadose often goes into a rampage for hours, days even, until either defeated or challenged by a Dragon-type Pokegirl.

The only thing a Gynadose likes to do above all other things is win fights. Even though it isn't a fighting Pokegirl, it loves to blast opponents into submission and/or unconsciousness. If a Gynadose wins a battle, she often loses her bad temper for a while, and if a tamer tames her soon afterwards, she may actually become loyal. If she loses a battle against a non-Gynadose or a non-Dragon-type Pokegirl, she often falls to the ground, wailing, an odd reaction, considering their foul tempers are so bad, that one tamer once commented, "She got pissed at the drop of a hat. ANY hat. ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET!"

Gynadoses' tempers worsen as they grow feral, and they have some of the fastest feral states of any Pokegirl. A Gynadose can go feral in three days during mating season (which is in October), which is why most tamers often tame or have their Gynadose tamed at least once every day during that month. And most Tamers, if they have more than one Gynadose, will generally have the Gynadoses tame each other to save themselves from utter exhaustion.

Feral Gynadoses are some of the most violent Pokegirls listed. Most won't kill, though, keeping them off the bounty list, but feral Gynadoses love humiliating any Pokegirl they defeat by forcing them into having sex with her. They often ignore any human they beat, unless said human has shown a combative bloodgift or sufficient skill to impress the Gynadose (this varies greatly from Gynadose to Gynadose, and generally depends on how much damage the human inflicted on her).

Gynadoses respect few things, and power is one of them.

Because they themselves aren't actually dragon-types, a Gynadose respects any Dragon Pokegirl and ferals will often seek to become a lover of any dragon-type Pokegirl (domesticates will also seek this, but may not understand why). Gynadoses react similarly towards any Pokegirl who shows immense power and/or the ability to defeat them easily.

Gynadoses break any bonding when they go feral, but may regain that bonding if tamed sufficiently.

It is possible, but VERY rare, for a human girl to threshold directly into a Gynadose.


	13. Chapter 13

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 13: The Best Laid Plans

Mary watched as Faelan and a strange man entered the dining room at the Caomh Sith Inn. She wasn't sure who he was, with his long black hair and catlike ears. She decided that they didn't really look like a cat's ears, but couldn't really describe them better, so she decided to stop worrying about it.

Faelan nodded in her direction and she smiled back as the other man glanced at her and then resumed his conversation with Wolf.

She suppressed a spurt of irritation, one that her pokegirl noticed and was, as usual, quick to comment on. "Ah, it's hard to be a pretty girl and be ignored, isn't it?"

She frowned and gave the violet haired pokegirl a hard look. "Gwen, did I ask you for an opinion?"

The Neo Iczel snorted. "Of course not, but I knew you needed it." She picked up another forkful of eggs. "These are incredible. I wonder what they do to them."

Mary's look became amused, almost mischievous. "Maybe they cook them with cream."

"I dunno, they don't have any cows, where would they get it from?" Gwen replied. "I'd have seen them when we got here."

Mary gestured with her chin. "Maybe from her."

Gwen looked up to see a Milktit coming out of the kitchen with a tray of food which she set down in front of the stranger. She blanched and pulled her blouse away from her body to peer inside at her breasts. "Oh, god, am I going to start lactating?" A glare at Mary. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"Relax, the enzymes are destroyed by intense heat," said a new voice. Both of them looked up to see that the stranger had stopped at their table.

In her work for her masters, Mary had traveled all over the globe, but she'd never heard an accent quite like his. She nodded. "Thanks for the information."

"You're welcome." He left their table and headed towards the bar, where a large pitcher of tomato juice was being held by the Elf bartending.

Gwen watched Mary watch the stranger. "He's cute. Are you going to do him?" She stretched. "It's been a while but I still vaguely remember what dick felt like and I wouldn't mind a refresher."

"We are here on business, remember?"

"So? You can pump him for information while he's pumping you."

"You're hopeless, you know that don't you?"

"Once you give up hope, all that's left is fun."

Shikarou thought about stopping at their table on the way back and introducing himself, but the Neo Iczel had looked at him like he was a side of beef and he didn't feel like getting involved with that right now. Besides, he had a full dance card.

He poured Faelan some tomato juice and settled down with the rest of the pitcher.

Faelan watched him with an amused look. "Thirsty, are we?"

"I have an active harem of eleven pokegirls, several of which have high libidos and one who happens to be a Vampire. I am always slightly dehydrated."

Faelan snickered quietly and glanced at Helen. "Don't you give him enough fluid?"

She smiled. "Yes, master Faelan, I do, but then I take my share back as well."

Faelan shook his head and mimed drawing a point on imaginary scoreboard. "That's one for you." He leaned back and toyed with his napkin. "So what's the plan for today, oh great contender for the Blue League Cup? Are you content to rest on your laurels?"

"Don't have anyone named Laurel to rest on."

"Ha. Ha." Faelan flicked his ears in amusement. "No, really, what are you doing today?"

"Visiting everyone and listening to their complaints and comments, like a good landlord. I'll also be going over some of the new plans Lynn has for the island, why?"

"I was wondering when you wanted to try to access your Sidhe side."

"Not for a day or two. While everyone else thinks I'm ignoring them, I did pay attention when Candace told me to take it easy for a few days and I'm going to."

"Ok. Just let me know when you are ready." Faelan gave his brother a direct look. "Don't take too long though; I think you want to be able to read what's in the book."

"What is it?"

Faelan shook his head. "We are not going to discuss it until you can either open the book or we know you can't." He smiled. "Think of it as an incentive to embrace your Sidhe blood."

Shikarou gave him a sour look. "All right, be a pain in the ass."

It was the same man, talking to a young Edo girl, Mary noted as she came out of the woods. Gwen noticed too. "Hey, there's your boyfriend. Aww, looks like he's taken."

Mary knew it was useless to argue with the Neo Iczel and in fact might just give her encouragement, so she ignored the jibe. "He seems to know the right people, maybe talking to him wouldn't be a complete waste of time."

"Sure, 'talk'. That's what you want to do with him."

Once again May ignored her as she trudged across the grassy slope towards him. "Hi."

He gave her a smile. "Hello. Mary, isn't it? Mary Forsythe."

"Someone's been telling tales." It was Gwen again.

The man shrugged. "You're a new face, of course I asked about you."

"Oh, and who died and put you in charge of keeping track of people?" Gwen snapped back.

"You must be Gwen." He smiled slightly. "You remind me of another Neo Iczel I used to know."

"I'm better than she is."

The man nodded. "I'm sure you think you are. So, Mary, can I help you with something?"

The young woman grabbed the man's wrist and looked at his watch. "Uh, I need to go; I've got training with Lorelei. Can I arrange things with Elizabeth to try out our little experiment later?"

"I don't see where you are going to stop asking until I say yes, so tell Elizabeth that we'll schedule for the next time it's your turn. Have fun." The man watched her run off with a look of amusement before turning back to Mary and Gwen. "So, can I help you with something?"

Gwen smiled. "Mary here has some questions."

Mary sighed. "What Gwen is trying to say is that we're new in town and I was wondering if you could help fill some of the blank spots I've got. Gwen snickered.

Eyes flicked to the Neo Iczel and back to Mary. "Ask away. If I can, I'll be glad to help."

"I understand that the master here is Shikarou Urufu. What's he like?"

The man smiled slowly. "I think he's trying to get things in order here, although sometimes it seems that the universe is arrayed against him." The smile grew. "I think he's ok, just a little overworked."

"Is he a good landlord?"

"I haven't heard any complaints. However I understand he has an open door policy, why don't you ask him these questions?"

"I thought he was away?"

"No, he returned last night."

Mary's eyes brightened. "Do you know where he is right now?"

"He's around here somewhere." The man looked thoughtful. "If you try at his office at 1830, I think he'll be there, unless an emergency comes up." A shrug. "He's got a lot of paperwork to catch up on, so he'll be there for an hour or so."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"A great deal, but I'm not going to. You are new around here, and there have been some strange goings on recently, so I'm not going to be talking about Shikarou to just anyone."

"But you do know him?"

"Yes, I do."

"And your relationship with him is?"

"Now you are starting to sound like a cop." Mary blinked. "The answer to your question is 'personal'."

Gwen bristled and took a step forward. The man smiled pleasantly. "I don't mean any offense, but you are going to have to talk to Shikarou and ask him. However I suspect that he's not going to be very forthcoming. After all, he doesn't even know you yet."

Gwen grinned. "He'll like us when he gets to know us. Everyone does."

Gwen gave the door a disgusted look. "This is the office of the lord of Caomh Sith? Good god, it's a bloody broom cupboard."

Mary felt the same way, so she didn't say anything. They'd finally had to stop an OfficerJenny named Alice and asked her for directions to Shikarou's office. It turned out that his "office" was in the ruins of a shop of some kind, in the only room that had a whole roof. She wondered why a lord would be here, she'd have expected him to have taken a room at the inn if nothing better was available.

There was a light shining from under the door, so she knocked and a voice bid her to enter.

The room was small, and to her surprise, comfortably decorated in an eclectic combination of gleanings from the ruins and new stuff obviously purchased sometime recently, somehow working together to make a warm, inviting room that had the faint scent of incense.

Across from the single desk was a door, and the man she'd talked to twice was seated at the desk, working at a handheld computer. A trolley with a tea service on it sat nearby.

Mary gave him an unhappy look. "So, you're his secretary or what?"

"Good evening Mary, Gwen. Please have a seat." The man gestured at a couple of overstuffed chairs.

Mary remained standing. "Is your boss able to see us or not?"

"My who?"

"Your boss." She gestured at the door on the far side of the room. "You know, the guy who supposed to be in there?"

The man smiled slightly. "That's a loo." He motioned at the chairs again. "Have a seat." A note of command crept into his voice. "I'm Shikarou. If you want to talk, sit."

Gwen made an angry noise in the back of her throat and stepped forward. Shikarou raised his head and gave her an even look and she stopped in mid step. Mary blinked in surprise. She'd always thought Gwen would charge a volcano without blinking if it made her lose her temper.

"I'm in the middle of something right now, so if you could wait just a handful of minutes I'll be able to give you my full attention." Shikarou nodded towards the trolley. "Have some tea if you'd like while you wait."

Gwen recovered her normal belligerence. "And if we don't feel like waiting?"

His ears flicked. "Then you can leave." His voice was cool.

Gwen's back was up. "And if we don't feel like leaving?"

Pythia teleported into the room in response to his mental summons and Yushiko stepped away from her, hand on her katana. She grinned as Pythia moved to be near Shikarou. "Then we can go outside and discuss this like pokegirls. When we're done, you'll be a lot more polite to my lord."

Gwen opened her mouth and dissolved in a red capture beam as Mary decided to try to salvage a situation that was rapidly spinning out of control. She smiled. "Tea, did you say? Sounds wonderful."

Yushiko and Pythia took up station in the room as Shikarou smiled back. "It should only be a couple of minutes."

Soon he put the computer away and folded his hands on the desk. "So, Mary, you had some questions?"

"I have a bunch of them, but the first question I have is why is your office here?"

He nodded. "Good question. I have some enemies that are trying to locate me. They don't appear to be too stupid, so I figure they'll succeed eventually and when they attack me they will likely target my office, since they know I will be there sooner or later. Putting it here means that there won't be civilian casualties when they do so." He shrugged. "I can work anywhere, and in fact I've only set up an office to give them an obvious target. I'm hoping to keep my people from being caught in the crossfire when they try to take me down."

Mary's blood chilled as she realized that he was talking about the knights. About her. "Aren't you concerned that you will be too far from help when that happens?"

"I am never far from help." Mary blinked when she realized that he meant what he said and began to wonder what she hadn't seen in this bucolic setting. She also realized that his two pokegirls hadn't been worried about taking down a Neo Iczel, something that veteran Tamers would normally blink at, and wondered briefly what that might mean. Somehow she didn't think it meant they were overconfident.

"So, Mary, why are you here? My brother says you are showing signs of settling in for a longer stay then might be expected, there isn't really all that much here to entice visitors yet, even if Faelan has started work on his golf course."

Mary fell smoothly into her story. "There was a small write-up in the news about the island coming under new ownership (true enough), and I wanted to see what I could find out. I'm looking for someplace to settle down and while it won't be for a couple of years, this place sounded nice."

"I see. Anything else?"

"No." She smiled depreciatingly. "I'm just looking for a place I can call home."

He nodded. "Well, this is a nice place and you could do far worse." He cocked his head. "You may want to explain to Gwen that while we give pokegirls the same respect that we give everyone else, in turn I expect them to act responsibly. If she picks a fight with someone, I won't punish you; I'll take it out of her hide."

Mary noted once again that he seemed quietly certain that taking down one of the most powerful pokegirls in the world wouldn't be a problem and made a mental note to have a long talk with Gwen. "I'll make sure she understands."

"Thank you." He glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short, I've got to check up on a sick Moonflower. If you have any other questions, just catch me when I'm around or if you need to," he passed her a card, "here is my com code."

Mary smiled as she took the card. "Thanks for taking the time to see me."

"It's my pleasure." He smiled briefly. "If you decide to settle here, then you will be seeing a whole lot of me, so it was to my benefit to take the time to talk with you. I'm only sorry I don't have more time to spend with you right now."

"Well, perhaps later." Mary rose and offered her hand.

Shikarou smiled as he took it. "Later." He watched her as she left and then turned to Pythia. "Get Branwyn and Circe." She nodded and vanished.

Yushiko was watching the door. "Problem, my lord?"

"I don't know yet."

Within a couple of minutes Pythia returned with the Unicorn and Alaka-Wham. Branwyn grabbed a chair and a cup of tea while Circe massaged Shikarou's neck; he leaned into her hands with a happy sigh.

The Unicorn smiled. "You wanted to see us?"

"I just had a visit from Mary Forsythe. She told me that she was looking to evaluate the island as a possible place to settle down. That was a lie." He smiled mirthlessly. "I don't like lies, so we're going to seek the truth. Aggie got her transmitter ID from her pokedex and she's going to search down any information on Miss Forsythe and I want you three to be alert for any stray scraps of thought she puts out. Don't go probing, we don't know what kind of defenses she might have, but be aware if her mind opens up at all."

Circe nodded. "Can do. Do you have anything else to support your suspicions?"

"Molly told me that her Neo Iczel, Gwen, was observed doing a series of overflights of the entire island, and I checked the satellite data which confirmed what she said. Faelan said Mary has spent most of her time in and around the inn, chatting up everyone she could find, with the exception of him and some of the other people in charge, like Lynn. I wonder if it's because she knows who they are and has an idea of who I am. However, other than the overflights, she hasn't left the village and that strikes me as odd in someone who is evaluating us with an eye to making a home here."

"She might avoid the two of you if you are who or what she's interested in," Pythia noted. "And the others might give her actions away if she asks the wrong question or behaves in a way to catch someone's attention. After all it's an open secret that Molly is suspicious of everyone. If she's not experienced in intelligence operations, then she wouldn't be aware that her actions could be a dead giveaway as to what she's actually focused on."

Branwyn frowned. "Do you think she's involved with the green cloaks?"

"I have no idea. However, a pretty woman would be a perfect agent for anyone, be it the green cloaks or one of the teams. We've got a lot of powerful and rare pokegirls here, so we need to not focus on the green cloaked people to the exclusion of more mundane threats."

Branwyn laughed quietly. "I wonder how Team Viper would feel about being classified as a mundane threat."

"I don't care; an organized group of magic using individuals has the potential to be far more dangerous than a bunch of pokegirl thieves with delusions of grandeur." He sighed. "Tomorrow I'll get with Faelan and see if I can learn to open the Grimoire. Thank you, ladies. That will be all." He smiled at Branwyn. "Could I ask you to take me to the clinic? I want to check on that Moonflower."

"It would be my pleasure."

Faelan pointed. "That's where Svetlana wanted to put the house, at least until I got involved. Can you see why I wanted to move it to where it's going to be?"

Shikarou looked at the spot. "No, it looks like any other piece of moor. That is what they call a damp swamp, right?"

His brother gave him an exasperated look. "No, its open land, often the soil has a lot of peat."

"So it's not quite a swamp. It's an old swamp?"

"Don't you have any poetry in your soul, Shikarou?"

It was time to get back to the discussion. "What is it that I'm supposed to be looking for?"

"Ley lines. There's an intersection of ley lines where I'm building my home."

Ears flicked. "A ley line is a line of concentrated magic, isn't it?"

"Ah, a little knowledge surfaces after all. Yes, it is. And no, it's not commonly seen in the East, the reason being that ley lines are constructs and you barbarians never learned to make them."

"Oh, the Sidhe did this?"

"Them and the druids. Humans knew some of the magics for a time and they constructed their own series of ley lines." He smiled. "Svetlana can't see them either, but she can feel the increased power when she casts spells while on one. I'm building my house at an intersection because I'm going to use the power to create wards to keep intruders out."

"So why can't I see them?"

"You haven't accessed your Sidhe blood, and your nasty eastern blood doesn't know how to see them. More importantly, you can't access them until you know how to use them."

Shikarou sighed. "All right. How do I do this?"

"I'm not sure." Faelan grinned at the look he got in return. "Well, I'm not. However, I do have a couple of ideas. I'm going to open myself up to the land and its power and I want you to pay close attention to me and when I'm done, we'll let you have a go."

"While several sick images come to mind of you opening yourself up, I'll refrain from commenting." He settled back against a rock. "I'm paying attention."

"I thought we'd try it inside one of the ley lines, hopefully all of that concentrated power would make it a little easier for you."

"You're the only expert I've got."

A couple of minutes later they stood on a small rise, which Faelan assured him was in the heart of a ley line. Shikarou stood and watched as his brother faced the moon with open arms and closed his eyes.

His skin prickled suddenly as coldness swept through it and then he felt sudden warmth. There was no wind, and yet Faelan's hair started to move slowly and Shikarou noted with surprise that it was unbraiding itself and starting to glow with a silvery light. He felt a pressure build around him, pushing on him from all directions until it seemed almost unbearable and then it seemed to flow towards his brother and disappear.

Faelan turned to face his brother and opened his eyes. They glittered with the same silver glow that infused his hair. "This is what it's like to be Sidhe, brother. Join me."

"I'll stick to girls, thanks."

Faelan smiled. "I can see your anxiety and the only way to vanquish it is to face your fears."

Shikarou glared. "Stop seeing things." He sighed. "All right. How do I do this?"

"For your first time you need to face the moon. Later you will learn to be able to summon your powers at will, but first the moon will guide you."

"You know, if I didn't understand that magic worked in strange ways, I'd think this was a pretty screwball idea."

Faelan gave him an annoyed look. "You are kibitzing.

He was right, Shikarou realized. "All right." He turned to face the moon, closed his eyes and opened his arms.

"Good. Now what you need to do is relax and let the magic flow through you. Don't fight it; let it go where it will."

Shikarou relaxed the protections that he normally kept up and felt the pressure begin to build again, but this time it was focused on him. It grew slowly, pressing upon him from all sides, squeezing him, trying to crush him. That which made him kami tried to fight it and he spent long moments wrestling it to a standstill.

Still the pressure built until he felt like screaming. And then he realized that it wasn't trying to kill him, it was trying to enter him, only something was keeping it out. Easily fixed. Shikarou opened his mouth and it poured down inside him, filling him and swirling through his entire body, through the very fabric of his being.

Something inside him clicked, like a lock being turned and he saw. His awareness swept through the land and for a brief instant he knew everything that was occurring on Caomh Sith. He saw Molly asleep in her bed with her daughters curled up next to her. He saw Branwyn resting against Circe, spent from their joining. On the other side of Caomh Sith, one of the feral Moonflowers looked up as his awareness swept through her and laughed with joy.

And then the land swallowed him down. He saw the water as it flowed and felt the ocean gnawing at the shore. He felt the fish swimming in the lochs and the rabbits feeding the in moonlight.

And the dead. He felt the remains of everything that had ever died on Caomh Sith. All of the animals and all of the humans. And the Sidhe. They had lived here too and their dead dotted the land, brief flashes of power in his awareness.

Then it all swirled inside him and merged into one dark pool before filling him up until his skin felt tight and he thought he would burst.

Then it relaxed and slid through him like cold breath.

He opened his eyes to wonder. The ley line glowed with a soft golden glow that extended for meters to either side and climbed overhead to tower above the landscape.

Faelan spoke in a voice tight with anxiety and fear. "What are you?"

Shikarou looked at his brother and marveled again. Where before he'd seen Faelan's eyes and hair glowing with a silver light, now his entire person was suffused with it and it radiated out of his skin for centimeters in dim fog. "What do you mean?

"Look at yourself."

Shikarou looked at his arms. All along his body, where silver had suffused his brother, his was a black that somehow glowed in the darkness. "I am me. Shikarou." He smiled. "That hasn't changed."

Something at the edge of his gaze tugged at his attention and he turned his head to look more closely. "What the fuck happened to my hair?" It, too, glowed impossibly with black, but where it had been waist length, now it slapped gently against his ankles. He glanced up at his brother. "Did you do this?"

Faelan smiled. "No. You did. Now you know why my hair is so long. If you cut it, it will grow back overnight. It happens when you come into your power."

"This is woman's hair!"

"It is Sidhe hair and you are Sidhe now."

He glared. "I look like a woman."

Faelan stared pointedly at Shikarou's chest. "Ugly one, perhaps. Maybe you're a Dildo Queen. A flat chested one."

Shikarou sighed. "So why don't you glow like this all the time?"

"I'll teach you to hide it. People will stare otherwise and you'll never get any work done. That and they will follow you around wanting sex."

The next several hours were spent teaching Shikarou how to conceal his new attributes and the sun was well over the horizon by the time both of them were satisfied.

On the way back to town, Faelan chuckled. "I do believe that there is your welcoming committee." Branwyn, Gwyneth and Circe were standing on a rise a half kilometer ahead of the two, watching them. "You did tell them what we were doing, in suitably vague terms of course."

"All I had was vague terms," Shikarou pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. So what do you think they'll say about your hair?"

"Probably something similar to what I said when I first saw it."

Branwyn waited patiently until they made it up the rise. "I expected you back," she broke off. "What happened to your eyes?"

Shikarou glanced at Faelan in puzzlement. His brother peered at Shikarou's face. "Oh, they're black again." He sighed. "I don't think we are going to be able to hide them, they keep bleeding to black."

"Lovely." He turned to Branwyn. "It's part of what happened last night."

"Care to explain?"

"Not out here. I'll tell you what I can when we get back to the tent." He turned to Faelan and stopped when Gwyneth grabbed his hair and tugged. He glanced at her. "Yes?"

"This needs explaining as well." The ElfQueen gave it another tug. "I like it, it's sexy, but you need to explain it."

"Tent. Faelan, I'll see you later."

"Come by today and you can have a go at the book. I'll be at the inn, going over building materials with Svetlana."

Once they arrived at the tent Branwyn marched him into his bedroom and glanced at Circe. Suddenly he was lifted into the air and pinned to the bed with the Alaka-Wham's telekinesis. Branwyn nodded. "Keep him here, I'll get Pythia." She vanished.

About the only thing Shikarou could move were his eyes, so he rolled them at Circe with a questioning look. She gave him a grim smile but declined to answer.

Branwyn and Pythia appeared and the three pokegirls settled on the bed around Shikarou and stared at him for several long moments. Finally Branwyn sighed in relief. "It's him."

Shikarou found he could sit up and slowly did so. "You thought I might be someone else and decided to investigate. That was an excellent idea."

"Thank you." Circe took his hand. "With magical people out to get you, it might not be a bad idea to keep at least one of your pokegirls with you at all times." She smiled. "We'd been trying to do this without your knowledge, but you keep slipping away, so we're going to need your help too."

"You want to formalize Gwyneth's bodyguard program? And who will be my guards, since I have responsibilities with pokegirls outside my harem and it's not fair for you to have to be nearby, much less watch?"

Pythia cocked her head. "Sukebe told me that safety sometimes requires discomfort."

"Sukebe was a megalomaniac and I don't think he should be your reference for social engineering."

Branwyn snorted. "In this case she's right. All of us will have to be slightly uncomfortable until this situation is resolved."

He sighed. "All right, I presume you have some preliminary plans."

Branwyn nodded. "Yes I do. We'll go over them after I lecture you on wandering off and scaring me like that."

Pythia and Circe drifted out the door as Shikarou protested. "I didn't send you away."

The Unicorn's eyes narrowed. "So it's the letter of the agreement with you kami, is it? I'll come up with a better promise for you, one that's extremely detailed, just you wait." She curled up against him, wrapping her arms around his chest. "Don't leave me again, damnit." When he didn't respond, she glanced up at him. "Do I have to cry?"

"Now that's not fair." Shikarou gathered her up in his arms. "Branwyn, you know that I can't make that promise. Sometimes things will keep us apart for a time, but you know it'll only be temporary. You are my alpha and my love and I can't think of a thing that will change that. I love you while you live and will continue to love you after you leave me."

"I will never leave you, not even in death. This I swear on you, my kami." Shikarou stared at her in shock as time seemed to stand still for a moment and then a multicolored burst of energy exploded around them and faded away.

Shikarou squeezed her tightly. "Branwyn, what have you done?"

She smiled up at him. "Gotten my wish, I think." She snuggled against him. "Thank you, kami." She grimaced and untangled her arm from his hair. "Bloody hair." She gave him another smile. "I'll go get some scissors and we'll take care of this."

Shikarou refused to let her go. "I should warn you that it may not do any good, Faelan told me that it's likely that even if it's cut, it may grow back overnight."

Branwyn frowned. "You will not have prettier hair than me. I won't have it."

"Oh, that's all." He grinned. "That is an easy fix; I'll just grow your hair out."

She blinked. "You can do that?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why am I just finding out about this?"

"I didn't realize it was important." He shrugged. "I learned that particular spell as a practical joke; the one where you catch someone asleep and grow their hair out so much they are trapped in it. Now that I'm older I tend to use it to repair damage to my own hair, although if Faelan is right, that may no longer be necessary."

Branwyn sat up. "Unicorns find it hard to grow their hair below their waist, do you think that'll be a problem?"

"I doubt it, but we can find out right now, if you'd like."

She smiled. "It had better work or there are going to be a lot of bald men this year wearing black hairpieces after I trim you up every day."

"Again with the threats." He sat up and reached for his wand. "You may want to be standing up for this."

Branwyn slid out of bed and then laughed at him as he struggled free of his hair and stood. He glared at it for a second and then touched it with his wand. It wove itself into a thick braid that hung down his back.

She blinked. "Neat. Will it do curls too?"

"You'll just have to experiment, now won't you? Turn around." He cast the spell.

"Are you done, I don't feel any different." She gasped as Shikarou draped a long golden waterfall of hair over her shoulders. "Wow. Where's a mirror?" She dashed into his bathroom. He heard a squeal of joy. "Ooh, I look like a Godiva. This is incredible." She came out of the bath, stroking her hair with obvious pleasure. "Mother is going to be so jealous." She blinked. "Can I make this alpha's prerogative?"

"No. That wouldn't be fair to the others."

"How about exclusive to your harem?" She looked hopeful.

"You just don't want Poppet to have it."

"Oh, not just her, I can think of a whole bunch of women I don't want to have this." She smiled evilly. "So, can it be exclusive to the harem."

"I'll consider it, but in any case, you cannot force the other harem members to have long hair if they don't want it." His voice was firm. "I won't let you go behind my back and use your influence on them, either. They get free choice or you get a haircut."

She looked at him in horror. "Touch my hair and suffer the consequences, knave. All right, free choice it is, even if it isn't exclusive to the harem." She cradled her hair. "There, there, I won't let the bad wolf hurt you."

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I can see this is going to be a wild ride."

**Imagine what it will be like when she discovers that your hair glows?**

_You are an evil little AI, aren't you?_

Shikarou came over the rise at a lope as Lorelei made a lazy pass at him. He ducked and sped up, bounding effortlessly over some three meter tall rocks to almost land on the Catgirl on the other side. She yelped and jumped sideways as he clawed at the air, desperately trying to slow his descent or change direction.

He landed heavily and his feet skidded out from under him to slam him face first into the gravel. He backflipped to his feet and whirled as he summoned his sword.

Lorelei was hovering between the Catgirl and him, an angry snarl rippling from the Sphinx as she watched her target.

The Catgirl carefully checked herself over and glanced up at the Sphinx. "Oh, cut that out."

Lorelei's wings began to glow as she drew ki energy for a feather shuriken attack and the Catgirl vanished. The Sphinx twisted wildly in midair before folding her wings and dropping to the ground by her Tamer. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know." Shikarou frowned and walked over to where the Catgirl had been. "Odd, she was as tall as that rock and it's almost two and a half meters tall. That was one big Catgirl." He shrugged. "Well, she's gone now and I'm supposed to meet Branwyn and Circe so let's be off."

Lorelei nodded and vaulted into the air.

Shikarou waited until she'd flown over some trees before he turned back to the rock. "Care to explain yourself?"

The rock changed and became the Catgirl. She was what cat fanciers would have called a patchwork, her fur was a veritable explosion of differing shades of red, from rust to crimson, with just enough white to provide accent. Her tremendous bust was barely contained by the leather bodice she wore; it had seen better days and was almost nothing but rude repair on top of rude repair.

"If you want some clothes, I can't help you, but if you come by the village, we can get you something."

She sneered. "Ha ha. My sister said you wanted to talk to me?" The cat snorted at his look of bewilderment. "I'm Macavity." Her head cocked. "And you are cute. I can see why Sexmet is interested in you."

Shikarou nodded. "My name is Shikarou. Do we need to talk now, or can it wait for a few hours."

"Do I look like I give a shit about your schedule? We can talk now or you can just stay in the dark about the Order of Pendragon."

"I only wanted to know because in a few hours I could welcome you with a proper meal and refreshments." Shikarou kept his voice even.

"Would I get a feast?"

"If you want one," he answered in a wry tone.

"Why do I get the impression you are laughing at me." Her ears flicked.

"Because I am." He smiled slightly. "I'm familiar with your poem, but if you want to act instead like the Rum Tum Tugger when I offer you food, I'll just muddle through on my own, thank you very much."

She blinked and then grinned. "You are a delight." She leaned forward and sniffed him. "So how would you taste?"

"Bitter."

Her ears flicked back and then up right again. Then she nodded suddenly. "Ah, you don't want to tame me."

"Not particularly."

She smiled. "And if I insist?"

"I bite and scratch too."

She looked astounded. "I'm impressed. Most Tamers would be cowering in fear right now, hoping their little peckers would work when I ripped their clothes off. You would actually fight me."

"Only if you made me. I'd like to be friends, well as long as that doesn't doom the people I'm responsible for." Shikarou sighed. "So, would you like a proper reception or would you like to try some dried fish?" He opened a pouch on his pack. "It's really bad."

She sighed wistfully. "I'd really like some roast duck. I miss them."

"So you'll have roast duck."

"Uh, earth to pointy ears, ducks have been extinct for a while now. They didn't take to well to the diseases ravaging the planet way back when."

"I said you'll have duck and duck you'll have. It'll be the price for your information on the men in green cloaks."

"That decides that. If you can get me some good roast duck, I'm your loyal servant." She grinned.

"Right. I notice there wasn't a time interval specified for your servitude."

"Aw, there was going to be a rebellion right after dinner. You've spoiled the surprise." Her demeanor changed abruptly. "The Order of Pendragon has been chasing me for decades now, ever since Jones decided to out me to the world. I didn't even get a concession on the broadcast rights." She grimaced. "If you can help me spoke their wheels, I'll be very grateful." She shook her head. "Sexmet thinks you can be trusted, and for the moment I'll listen to her. The fact that your Sphinx is so loyal speaks well."

"Thank you. Lorelei and I care very much for each other."

"That's an interesting way to put it. So, when's dinner?"

"This evening. How can I get in touch with you when it's ready?"

Macavity grinned. "Do you have a spare pokeball?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'll let you catch me, for a little while at least and you can let me out when dinner is ready." Her ears flicked again. "Don't go getting any ideas, bub. I can break the pokeball and escape whenever I want."

"Trust me, I don't think you'd fit into what I want in my harem." He smiled suddenly. "You know, if you ever need money, you could make us very rich."

She looked surprised. "How?"

"I catch you and sell you and you escape. We split the money down the middle. If we travel around and change my name, we could do that for a while."

Macavity gave him a bland look. "I'll keep it in mind if I'm ever that bored. Now go ahead and catch me."

Shikarou pulled out a pokeball and held it up for her inspection before touching it to the back of her hand. She turned the hand and grabbed him as the ball touched her. "Cute, the most nonsexual way you could imagine." She dissolved into the capture beam and once more Shikarou felt that odd sucking feeling that he'd felt at Karen's gym.

_Aggie, I want you to compile everything you can find about Macavity, reports, rumor, anything of possible value for analysis. I want to know everything you can find and I want it sifted for hard information._

**I'll get right on it.**

He started to shove the pokeball into his backpack and stopped with a thoughtful look. Unclipping the wand from his pokedex, he touched the pokeball and scanned it. Then he popped it into his backpack and mentally counted to ten before sticking the wand into the backpack and scanning it again. "Well now, that's interesting." He put the wand away and pulled the pokeball out of his pack and slipped it into a pocket before bounding off again at full speed to catch Lorelei before she missed him.

Macavity finally pushed her plate away and leaned back with a tired sigh. "That was incredible." She unlaced some strings on her outfit and groaned in relief as it visibly expanded. "Oh, yes." The legendary gave Shikarou a thoughtful look. "Duck you promised and duck you delivered. Wonderful duck, I might add and the pie was very good."

"You are very welcome." Branwyn made a gracious host.

Macavity leaned forward, placing her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. "Now to business." She belched loudly, ruining the image. "Excuse me."

Shikarou nodded. "You were going to tell me about the men in green cloaks."

Her eyes grew crafty. "Was I?"

Shikarou slid smoothly to his feet. "We're done. Have a nice day."

Macavity looked surprised. "That's it?"

"We did the bargaining before the meal. If you want to renege, I can't stop you, however, I can end your games right now."

"You don't want to bargain information for information?"

"I said we already agreed on price for the information you had on the Order of Pendragon. I paid it. If you have so little honor as to be willing to uphold your end of the bargain, then there is no reason for me to do any more business with you. Ever."

"I wouldn't take that tone with me if I were you. You can't threaten me."

"If I were trying to threaten you, I would mention that I know you have a residence somewhere in the ruins of Edinburgh." Aggie had collated a large number of reports, unsubstantiated reports and rumors of sightings over the last 300 years to give an 80 percent probability that the legendary had a lair in that area. Many of the reports came from municipalities that didn't talk to each other and it was unlikely to the point of unity that anyone had looked at the information in quite this fashion.

Of course the same analysis of the reports gave a 94 percent probability that she had her primary lair in somewhere within a 20 square kilometer stretch in the middle of Ireland but there was no reason to give away everything that he might know.

Macavity stared at him in shock. "How did you know that?"

"My business. I was going to ask you for the information your agents could collect and trade the information mine can gather, but if you'll break one small arrangement with me, I can't trust you with anything substantial."

Her ears flicked. "Fine. The Order of Pendragon." She hesitated. "You'll tell me how you knew about my abode?"

"No. Dinner was the deal. Tell me or get out."

"I should lose my temper, but I suspect you really think you can eject me if I prove reluctant to leave." Shikarou just smiled at her words. "All right, I'll tell you about the Order of Pendragon."

"I first encountered the Order when I was in my thirties and they claimed then to predate Sukebe. Of course, they also claimed to predate the Romans and at the time I just didn't know they were telling the truth."

"They also claim to be the true heirs to the Court of the Round Table and the designated protectors of all of the British Isles. By the way, that's often a good way to spot one of them when they're not wearing those awful cloaks, they won't usually acknowledge the existence of the Blue League or the Blue Continent."

"Up until the time of Sukebe, they were a male only organization, but the reduction in the number of men has forced them to make certain adjustments and now they also allow women, although they will be treated more poorly than an equivalent man."

"The rankings are based on magical ability, with knights being the pinnacle of the Order. I think there are several levels of knight, but I've never been able to penetrate them far enough to find out if that's correct. I do know that they are flexible in their thinking and tactics, but only so far, for example, since the time of Sukebe, they've started using pokegirls, but only ones with a magic type or subtype. They disdain the rest of them."

"I know they have a headquarters but I have no idea where it is." She snorted. "Avalon, perhaps."

"Why are they after you? You're not a magic pokegirl."

"Duh, they're after me because I'm Macavity. Everyone wants me." Her ears flicked and she gave him an annoyed look. "Everyone with a lick of sense, that is."

Branwyn looked amused as Shikarou ignored the jibe. "Why are they after me?"

"The information I have suggests you have something that belongs to them. That combined with the fact that you have some competent magic pokegirls makes you a prime target." She looked curious. "What do you have?"

"A book."

"Must be some book."

Shikarou shrugged. "I don't know yet, I've only just been able to start reading it." He frowned. "The weird thing is that it is useless to them."

Macavity grinned. "I'd never accuse them of making sense. They probably want it just because it's magical. It is, right?"

Shikarou eyed her for a moment. "Yes."

"That's all I have to tell you." Macavity pushed heavily to her feet. "Damn that was a good meal. Can I come back?"

Shikarou started to answer when Branwyn interrupted. "Not with Jenova."

The legendary eyed her with amusement. "Shucks, girl, she ain't so bad."

The Unicorn shook her head. "Hold the hokey attempt at charm. She's a walking disaster area and she's not welcome here."

"What if she promises to behave?"

"I don't care if she swears on her soul, she can't be trusted. Jenova doesn't know herself what she's going to do from one moment to the next, so how can such a promise be of any use?"

"Fine. If I come back, I'll come without her."

"And if she shows up later, you are gone."

"I don't think I like your tone, girl."

"Shikarou has already, in the space of less than a day, found out where you live. If you want access to that kind of an information source you will treat him with a little respect." Branwyn smiled sweetly. "Imagine how successful he could make some of your work."

Macavity eyed her sourly. "The apple didn't fall far from the tree in your case, did it? Course, you're more of a cutting, aren't you. Poppet should be proud of you."

The Unicorn looked surprised. "You know her?"

"Of course I do. Several of us legendaries have been funding some of her research into reproduction. Some of us would like children, and she's the leading authority on that, not that humans would believe it."

She gave Shikarou a speculative look. "You probably have an agent monitoring you here."

"We do."

"Watch out, with their magic, they can force people you trust to become agents and wipe their memories afterwards. That's how they spring their agents, like the knight that attacked you in Glasgow."

"Interesting." He blinked suddenly. _Aggie, when I talked to the Glasgow police when I tried to get Marcus freed, I was told that he had already been released but that some needed paperwork hadn't been filed. The OfficerJenny who discovered this was indignant and would have followed procedure and filed a report of the discrepancy. I want you to find these discrepancy reports and log them both in time and location. Maybe we can get a picture of their activities and possible base locations._

**I will do that right away. I also have a suggestion. While Marcus Pendleton-Smythe hasn't been active, I would like to do a search for the pokeballs that his pokegirls were in. They can be tracked by a manufacturing serial number that is separate from the pokegirl inside.**

_I didn't know about that. Do it._

Macavity frowned. "What are you going to do about the agent?"

"Nothing. If I have her removed, that will verify that something interesting is going on here and they'll send another agent, one that I might not catch. So I leave her alone and use her as a conduit for misinformation."

She nodded and headed for the door. "I'll be in touch."

Shikarou walked her out. "You can reach me through Lynn or here is my card."

She took it, giving him a speculative look. "You would really fight me if I tried to tame with you?"

"Without my acquiescence all you will get is a fight."

She nodded. "Oh, well, there are other Tamers out there."

Shikarou smiled. "I hope your sister takes that attitude."

"Sexmet? Don't get your hopes up."

Shikarou's com chirped and he sighed. "Now what?"

Branwyn smiled. "I'm sure it's nothing vital. After all, Lynn knows where we are and she's got Faelan if there are any problems. We're already in Inverness and signed in for the County Final. Tomorrow we kick ass and take names."

"Kick ass and take names? What have you been reading?"

She winked. "We had a movie marathon last night to celebrate freedom from ten straight days of combat training, while you were off with Dorothea."

"I knew downloading those videos were a bad idea." He unclipped his com and frowned. "It's Poppet."

"Whatever it is, tell her no."

"Trust me, that's the general idea." He sighed and turned the com on. "Yes."

It wasn't Poppet, it was Devon. "Shikarou, I need to talk to you." His eyes were a little wild. "I don't know who else I can come to for help."

Shikarou sighed and glanced at Branwyn, who was giving him a stony look. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Conservatory. When can you get here?"

"Ten minutes."

"Ok, I'll be in the garden."

Shikarou hung up the com and shrugged. Branwyn sighed. "I know, he needs help and he has no friends except you. I just hope this doesn't take too long."

"Me either. If it does, however, you get to explain to whoever caused us to miss this year's Blue League Competition that we are annoyed at them." His ears flicked. "Preferably with several trample attacks."

She smiled. "They'll be lucky if that's all that happens to them. I'll turn the harem loose to wreak havoc."

"Isn't that my line?"

Shikarou and Branwyn could see Devon pacing back and forth in front of the bench where they'd first met. A Peekabu wearing a brown cloak stood guard nearby and Kathryn watched her Tamer with an anxious expression.

The Ladyien noticed them first and moved to intercept Shikarou. "Thank ye fer coming, he's in a right state."

Shikarou nodded. "What is this about?"

"I'd better let him tell ye." She gave a nervous glance over her shoulder. "Could I have a word with yer alpha?"

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn and reached for his pokeballs, releasing Pythia. "Go ahead, I've got my guard." The Unicorn gave him a wink and moved off with Kathryn.

"Devon." As he turned to face Shikarou, the kami noted that young Mr. Harris looked like he'd aged a dozen bad years. "I'm here."

He stiffened when Devon hugged him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you. Poppet can't do anything and she's told me to just let it go. I can't."

"Why don't you tell me what the problem is?"

"It's Lamya. She's under arrest. For murder." He blinked. "That and for impersonating a human."

Shikarou peeled Devon off carefully and held him at arms length. The Peekabu stirred but remained silent. "All right, Devon, take a deep breath and relax. There are some things I need to know."

**Lamya Harris is a 22 year old Tamer from the Harris Conservatory with four pokegirls. Current location is the Orange Islands. She is under arrest and is being held at an undisclosed location. There is another entry for a Lamya, a 22 year old Enchantress that was owned by Devon Harris. This entry has been almost successfully deleted and is fragmentary. Pokeball records indicate the Enchantress was in Devon's harem until a few months ago when her records were expunged. **

_Find her._

"Who is Lamya? Records indicate she's a Tamer from here, but that isn't the whole story, is it?"

Devon gave him a startled look. "You have some very good information sources." He sighed and turned away. "She's one of my wives."

Now it was Shikarou's turn to start in surprise. "She's what? I thought you were unmarried."

"We are his wives," the Peekabu announced. "His harem is his family and Lamya is part of the harem."

"Zelda's right. And I let her leave." Devon turned and punched a tree.

Zelda used her enhanced speed to catch his arm before he hit. "We agreed that breaking your hand only adds pain to your rage and intensifies it, remember?"

Devon glared at her. "Yes."

"So she's a pokegirl. That explains the impersonation charge, but that's minor. What is the murder charge about?"

"I don't know. They won't let me talk to her and they won't talk to me."

**Standard procedure for an ongoing investigation. Only family will be able to speak with her and the police will be unwilling to discuss the case with anyone not their own.**

Shikarou frowned. "Are you willing to be deceitful? If so you may be able to get in to see her."

Devon spun around. "I'll do whatever it takes." He sighed. "She's not the only one. Her harem has been impounded and I'm terrified they'll be given away." His voice dropped to a whisper. "It happened to me once."

Shikarou started to ask when Devon had been given away but remembered the young man was unused to his sense of humor. _Aggie, we'll need an injunction of some kind._

**I'm filing a report of unclear ownership on the part of each of the pokegirls in Lamya Harris' harem. That will have to be resolved before they can be given to new owners. The system averages a week or so to clear these reports and I'll monitor the situation. I'm moving the satellite you gave me to the Orange Islands, which will cut down on response time.**

"I can give you about a week. We'll need to head to the Orange League right away, my people can work faster on site."

Devon blinked. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to get your family back, what else? Are you ready to leave?"

Devon's eyes glowed. "Ten minutes, no more." He dashed away and the Peekabu gave chase.

Branwyn came up with Kathryn in tow. _I thought your life was a long series of stumbling from calamity to calamity._ "What are we going to do?" Her eyes suggested she already knew the answer.

"Ever been to the Orange League?"

She sighed. "I guess we'll be better situated for the Blue League Cup in two years."

Shikarou snorted. "Yes, the grapes look sour from here, too." Pythia chuckled.

"I have to ask this, what if she's guilty of the murder? If nothing else, Dorothea is going to want to know."

Kathryn bristled. "And what does that matter to ye?"

"I have a Seraph in my harem." Kathryn looked shocked. "Yeah, I feel that way myself sometimes. If she's innocent Dorothea can probably be convinced to help correct the miscarriage of justice, no matter what the law says. If Lamya is guilty, things could become more problematic." He glanced at Branwyn. "I did explain to her the options she has, but if she tries to go to the police, we will hold her until we can return."

Branwyn nodded. "I'll make sure someone keeps a mind on her." Kathryn blinked.

Devon came running up, followed by Zelda and a familiar blond in a blue dress. Branwyn smiled softly and turned slightly, allowing her ankle length hair to shimmer in the light. Shikarou sighed. _Women._

Poppet glanced at Branwyn and frowned before turning her attention to Shikarou. "What are you doing here?"

Shikarou took her arm and steered her into the trees. "Let's have a chat." She tried to come to a halt but finally gave up when it appeared that he might be willing to drag her. Finally he stopped and she gave him a cross look. "What do you think you are doing?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "What you want, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Devon called on your phone. Stop the games. You want me to help him."

A tinge of color came to her cheeks. "How did you figure it out?"

"I've spent enough time in your bedroom," she smiled slightly at his words, "to know that you always keep your phone under lock and key. You would have had to leave your com out for him to call me on it and you don't make mistakes like that."

She shook her head. "The idiot never put your com number into his phone." She squared her shoulders and met his eyes. "I was hoping you would help him, but I can't get involved. You know why."

"If we end up breaking the law down there to get his pokegirls back its unlikely they'll chase us outside the country, but you they would go after if you had the slightest sign of any involvement."

Poppet nodded. "That's right. I was actually trying to get her released but the judge I owned down there had the audacity to get old and retire and I haven't had the time to go down and buy a new one." A sigh. "And you know what will happen to Lamya if she's found guilty. She'll be executed."

"I thought they used level five conditioning cycles."

"And how is that not an execution?" She asked acidly.

"Point taken. Do you know where she's being held?"

"If I did, Devon would know." She reached out and touched his cheek. "Be careful down there, I don't have many friends and I can't afford to lose the ones I do have."

"I will." He sighed. "She'll be considered guilty unless proven innocent, being a deceitful pokegirl masquerading as a human. Fortunately, gathering evidence is an almost genetic level trait in any good policeman, so that will help me."

"Why would that help?"

"I may have to solve a murder the police think is already solved in order to get Lamya freed. If that goes away, the fine on the impersonation will be easy for Devon to accept."

Poppet sighed and took his hand. "I'm sorry that this had to happen. I know you were going to compete this year."

Shikarou shrugged. "It is annoying, but this is more important."

"Thank you."

"I sort of thought you'd given up on him as your future mate."

She sighed. "I have." Her eyes hardened. "Now he's just the boy I raised as my son."

"Crap. Now I feel sorry for his enemies."

Poppet looked hesitant. "Do you think we could talk later, about my possibilities for a future mate?" She watched him carefully.

"You haven't known me for that long, you do know that?"

She nodded, still cautious. "But I haven't clicked this well with anyone since Jamie and he and I became a couple over the course of an afternoon."

"What about Branwyn?"

"We've had some talks about this, but we'll have to have some more." A sudden smile. "For some reason we're both pretty stubborn. I have no idea why?" The smile vanished. "However, she appears to be willing to consider the idea, at least in theory and she knows that I wouldn't challenge her position as alpha."

Shikarou nodded. "We need to sit down together and talk. After I get back from this, we'll arrange a meeting."

"Thank you again."

They walked back to Devon and the others. Poppet stopped him right before they exited the trees. "What happened to Branwyn's hair? Yours is nice, but hers…" she broke off.

"I did."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Could you happen to mine?"

"We'll see."

When they rejoined the others, Branwyn caught his eye. _Did she ask about my hair?_

He smiled slightly. _She wants me to do the same to hers. I told her we'd talk about it when we got back. She also wants to continue some discussions that you've apparently been having with her behind my back._

Branwyn cocked her head. _There was no reason to involve you unless she and I could come to some basic agreements. We have, so I suppose it's time for the three of us to talk. Are you upset?_

_Surprised. I would not have thought that the two of you could have come to any sort of accommodation over me._

_You were surprised? I don't think she or I believed the discussion would ever go anywhere. _

Shikarou turned to Devon. "You'll have to provide the initial transport; I've never been to the Orange League."

Some of the anxiety had dropped away. "Hatsumi will take me and I thought I'd take Branwyn so she can come back and get you." He frowned slightly. "For some reason Hatsumi doesn't want to touch you. She will if I insist, but that isn't necessary if I take Branwyn."

Shikarou shrugged. "Chalk it up to oddity and move on."

"No, I want to know what's wrong, but it'll have to wait." He recovered Zelda and Kathryn before releasing his Demon-Goddess.

Hatsumi stretched and looked around, her gaze freezing when she saw Shikarou. "The kami again. Hatsumi was hoping to never see the kami again."

"Hatsumi, we are going to be working with Shikarou and his harem to get Lamya and the others back. The least you could do is be gracious."

"Does the kami have an answer to Hatsumi's question now?"

Shikarou sighed. "I was once amatsukami, but I was released from service to be my own man. However I am still kami and not oni."

"Kami have worshippers. Hatsumi would talk with them."

Branwyn interrupted. "You can, there are several in our harem." She smiled. "Actually we all say the occasional prayer to him, but you will want to talk to Yushiko, Fumiko or Lorelei. They're the most devout."

Shikarou grumbled beneath his breath. "Can we get this started." He pulled out Branwyn's pokeball and put her up before handing the pokeball to Devon. Pythia smiled and touched her pokeball where it rested on his belt and vanished inside.

Devon smiled. "What, no threats? I don't think I could give one of my wives away for any length of time without a threat or three."

Hatsumi sucked air in shock. "Master, do not tempt the kami."

Shikarou gave a twisted smile. "She's right. Don't go tempting people; you never know what might happen. Now let's get this going."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 61

Milktit Helen 54

Unicorn Branwyn 53

ElfQueen Gwyneth 48

Seraph Dorothea 45

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 41

Sphinx Lorelei 40

G-Spliced Pythia 38

Vampire Elizabeth 33

Titto Fumiko 26

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Harris, Devon Jamie

Age: 15

Residence: Harris Conservatory, Highland County

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 42

Security Clearance: Theta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Name Species Level

Ming Die Alaka-Wham 100

Hatsumi Demon-Goddess 87

Bellona DragonQueen 48

Rhiannon Dark Lady 44

Paulette Neo-Iczel 41

Kathryn Ladyien 36

Siobhan Nogitsune 35

Zelda Peekabu 23

Alpha: Kathryn

Beta: Bellona

Badges: Scotland:

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales:


	14. Chapter 14

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 14: Rescue

"For an Orange Island, it sure is black." Branwyn grimaced at Shikarou's words. He grinned as he summoned a light, revealing Devon and Hatsumi standing nearby. "Where are we and what is the local time?"

"It's 1:30 in the morning and we're a couple of kilometers outside of Burlest, a town on one of the northeastern islands." Devon's eyes glinted in the night. "I've already tried querying Lamya's ID chip, but it's out of range."

Shikarou nodded. "Try one more time."

Devon shrugged and activated his pokedex once more. "Nothing."

Aggie was waiting. **I have the code and am accessing the satellite. There is a response 1500 kilometers to the east, in the town of Coed. Infiltrating Coed web. Pokeball serial numbers verified, names and types verified. The four pokegirls associated with Lamya Harris are at the Coed pokegirl center. Police records indicate that Lamya Harris is being held at the CPD headquarters on Lion street.**

Shikarou lifted his pokedex and pulled up the entry on the Demon-Goddess. He nodded and put it away. "Lamya and her pokegirls appear to be in the town of Coed, which is located 1500 kilometers east of here. If nothing else, I'm fairly sure that the pokegirls are at the Coed pokegirl center."

Devon sagged with relief. "How do we get there?"

Shikarou released Pythia. "Feel up to a trip like the one you did when we rescued Faelan?"

She grinned and rubbed her nose against his cheek. "Of course I do. This time I won't have Ruiling slowing me down." She pulled a small handheld from her belt pouch. "Will I get to use this?"

"Aye. There's a satellite overhead, so you'll have realtime course data on your flight path."

The G-Spliced's grin widened, razor teeth glinting in the light spell. "Excellent. How far do I have to go?"

"Fifteen hundred kilometers and should take you less than four hours."

She flicked her ears. "I'll try to set a new speed record. Time me."

Devon frowned. "Can I send Paulette along?" He didn't see Pythia's look of disappointment when Shikarou nodded. "Thanks."

_Why do I have to babysit? She's only going to slow me down._

Shikarou gave her a slight frown_. This is his problem and he's asked for our help. We need to work with him, not against him. Besides, she's slightly higher in level than you and may be able to keep up._

Pythia whined very quietly. Shikarou reached out and plucked lightly on a whisker, making her sneeze.

Devon released his Neo Iczel. "Paulette, this is Pythia and you already know Shikarou." She inclined her head briefly. "You and Pythia are going to fly to a town called Coed and teleport back here for transport. We're pretty sure that's where Lamya is being held." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Pythia is in charge of this little expedition, understand."

Paulette looked about as happy as Pythia had. "Yes, husband."

_Can I start calling you husband?_ Pythia gave Shikarou a wink.

_Drop it._ She gave him another grin. "All right, Pythia has a tracking device that will keep you on track. If you fly for four and a half hours and don't find Coed, return here."

Paulette glanced at Devon and then nodded to Shikarou. "Yes, sir."

"Pythia, same rules as before. No side trips, avoid contact."

"Yes, my lord." Pythia lifted off slowly. "Paulette?" The Neo-Iczel joined her and after a moment of orientation, they sped east.

Shikarou started releasing pokegirls. "Branwyn, set up camp. Lorelei, Yushiko, you have overwatch. Circe, Elizabeth, perimeter security."

He glanced at Devon. "We need to talk, but let your pokegirls out first."

Devon gave him a puzzled look but released Kathryn, Bellona, Ming Die, and Siobhan. "Ladies, this is my friend Shikarou and he's helping to find and rescue Lamya and the others." He frowned. "Shikarou wanted me to release you for some reason, so what is it?"

"Without trying to cause problems, we need a leader. We can't both be in charge."

Devon frowned and nodded slowly. "Do you want it to be us or should we involve pokegirls?"

"It's going to be like that, huh? Pokegirls aren't going to be in charge, so it should be just us."

Devon smiled. "Do you how to use a sword?"

"Yes."

"Then swords it is."

Shikarou nodded and looked up. "Yushiko, I need two bokken." The Armsmistress wheeled in midair and circled back to camp, dismissing her wings as she landed and slipping off her backpack. She pulled two bokken from it and handed them to Shikarou.

He held them out for Devon to inspect. "Take whichever one you want, unless you want to do this with steel."

Hatsumi stirred. "Master, Hatsumi thinks this is a grave mistake."

Devon didn't look up from the swords. "Quiet, Hatsumi. Shikarou is right, there can be only one leader of this expedition and neither one of us is willing to just give in."

Branwyn shook her head. "Lorelei, get down here. Elizabeth, Circe, reduce the perimeter. You'll only drift inward anyway when the fight starts. Devon and Shikarou are going to use bokken to decide who the leader is on this little outing. Lorelei, fetch Candace." The descending Sphinx vanished as she teleported.

Elizabeth raced into camp and skidded to a halt next to Branwyn while Circe joined the group with a little more decorum. She glanced at the alpha. "I take it there's not going to be a pokegirl battle?"

"Shikarou wants to keep this short."

Siobhan bristled. "Devon is pretty good with a sword himself."

Hatsumi stirred. "Master is not good enough to beat the kami. No mortal is good enough to beat a kami."

The Nogitsune looked shocked. "You're on their side."

"Hatsumi is not happy that Hatsumi speaks the truth. Nonetheless, it is the truth."

Lorelei appeared again and Candace stepped away from her to look at Shikarou. "Why did you need me?"

He sighed slightly. "Devon and I are about to have a duel to decide who's going to be in charge of this little mission and I wanted you around in case things got out of hand. Thank you for coming."

Candace nodded. "Are we looking at any near fatalities?"

"I'm hoping to avoid that."

Devon was starting to get slightly annoyed. "This one," he announced as he lifted a bokken.

Shikarou took the other weapon and nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this? We could just talk this out."

Devon's eyes narrowed. "Yes." He fell into a high guard position. "Ready?"

Shikarou deliberately slipped into a low guard position to invite attack. "I am." A low growl began to sound as he gave voice to all of the frustration of the day, first having to leave the Blue League competition and now this stupidity.

Suddenly Hatsumi was standing between them, facing Shikarou. "Lord kami, please do not kill Hatsumi's master."

Shikarou blinked and the growl stopped. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry. You're right, this isn't his fault."

Hatsumi visibly relaxed. "Thank you, lord kami." She stepped out of the way.

Devon's eyes blazed. "Are you two quite done?"

The kami nodded. "Why don't you have Siobhan officiate?"

"Why her?"

"She really wants you to win, so she's unlikely to be biased towards me."

Devon's eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted. "You don't think I have a chance, do you? Well my Armsmistress says I'm a natural and I've been keeping up with my practice since she left."

"That's good, Devon. However, I'm a natural too and I've been using a sword since I was six years old. That gives me a good two centuries of experience on you, but you just might get lucky."

Now it was Devon's turn to growl. "Siobhan! You're the judge."

The Nogitsune grinned. "All right! This Tamer battle is single elimination, one Tamer with no time limit." Branwyn sighed quietly and shook her head. "Begin!"

The opponents faced each other in silence, weapons ready as they reached out with their ki. Shikarou's eyes began to glow as his energy gathered. Minutes slowly passed in silence and Devon growled and attacked with a perfect overhead cut.

Shikarou touched the point of his sword to Devon's as it descended, changing the direction of the blow to slide harmlessly past and hit the human four times in the blink of an eye. Devon flew several meters to crash into a tree as Yushiko gasped.

Branwyn cocked an eyebrow at the Armsmistress as Devon struggled to his feet. "I've never seen him move that fast before," she explained, "without the use of a haste spell."

Devon went into a ready position again and advanced. Shikarou sighed. He'd hoped the young man would stay down. So be it. The armor had protected him before, but there were ways around that and he didn't want to draw this out. He only hoped Devon wouldn't be too mad afterwards.

Devon struck. Shikarou broke his right arm at the elbow. Joints on armor had to be less well protected or else the joint wouldn't work.

Devon went white and screamed. The body knew that joints were important and tended to tell you slightly more emphatically than when other parts of the body were injured.

Shikarou's blow crumpled Devon's helm and smashed him to the ground to lie unmoving. Blood oozed from his ears and eyes. Shikarou looked up at Siobhan and waited.

"YOU BASTARD!" She charged, only to be brought down by Hatsumi. She struggled to get free, snarling curses. Ming Die looked down at Devon. _My Tamer is unable to battle. The match goes to Shikarou._

Shikarou dropped the bokken on the ground. "Candace, take care of him." He looked over at Kathryn. "I'll discuss this later with him, but I want you to know that I want him to work with me if possible. If not, I'll issue orders instead." He glanced at Siobhan and Hatsumi. "Put her up for the time being, I don't want to hurt anyone else if I don't have to." He cocked his head. "Should I be concerned about you and his harem?"

The Ladyien shook her head. "Ye beat him fairly, and I ken what the fight was about. Unless me husband orders it, ye won't have na trouble with us." She sighed as she knelt down next to Devon and looked for Siobhan's pokeball. "Will he be all right?"

"Yes," from Candace from where she was looking Devon over. "His injuries are relatively minor and he's responding well." She looked up at Shikarou. "I've fixed the arm and the concussion. I don't know when he'll wake up, but if it's longer than an hour I need to know."

"All right. How's the Moonflower, by the bye? I'd have thought she'd have been released by now."

The NurseJoy chuckled. "She has, days ago, but she won't leave. She likes the food and I think she wants a Tamer. Silly feral. She's harmless except she won't let anyone cut the lawn." She stood slowly. "I need to get back to the clinic, we've got our second visiting Tamer and he managed to fall between the ferry and the pier." An amused smile appeared. "The pier needs some work, by the way, but you'll be happy to know it now has a lot fewer splinters in it. I gave his Domina some tweezers and alcohol and I need to check on them." Branwyn winced.

Kathryn looked at the Nogitsune's now full pokeball and tucked it back into Devon's belt. "Even though we should only be here a few hours we need to be setting up camp." She straightened up. "Bellona, Hatsumi, set up the tent. Ming Die, you've got Devon and I'll work on dinner."

Branwyn smiled. "If you don't mind a little crowding, you can stay in our tent and we'll have more than enough dinner for everyone."

Kathryn gave Shikarou a glance. He smiled. "Hey, don't look at me. Branwyn made the offer, as is her right. I wouldn't give her the authority to do that and then countermand it without a very good reason. You are welcome to eat and stay with us."

She nodded once. "I'd like to take ye up on that offer, but do ye think that little tent will hold us all? Devon likes to have his harem out most of the time."

Branwyn stroked her hair with an amused smile. "That's right; you never went into our tent at Stroak's. Let me show you what we've got."

Shikarou looked down at the unconscious Devon. "Hatsumi, watch over him please. Oh, and Yushiko, would you do me the favor of fixing his helmet?"

The Demon-Goddess blinked in surprise. "Hai."

Yushiko smiled. "I'll take care of it right away."

"Circe, Ming Die, let's take a walk."

He received a tightbeam message from Ming Die. _Bellona is his beta._

He glanced at Hatsumi. "Kathryn is busy, does he have a beta?"

"I am," Bellona answered.

"Come with us." She nodded.

_Nicely done._

The four of them moved away from camp and into the darkness. When they were comfortably away, Shikarou leaned against a tree and turned to Ming Die and Bellona.

"Can he work with me after that?"

_I believe that he will work better with you after this. You have demonstrated that you are the superior combatant without being needlessly cruel. He will respect that._

"Good. I intend to use him as my lieutenant in charge of his harem. I don't know their strengths or weaknesses and I don't have time to learn them, so I'll give him orders and leave him to decide how to carry them out."

_That should work well. He has a great deal of initiative and will function well in that kind of situation._

"Bellona, what's your opinion?" He smiled when she looked surprised. "You are his beta and that makes you his adjutant, so how is he likely to respond?"

She frowned. "That's not how it works in our harem; I function more as his confidant and as a trainer."

"I still want your opinion."

"I think Ming Die is right, if he's not too mad at you he should do well as a lieutenant."

"Is he likely to let his anger cloud his judgment?"

She smiled ruefully. "He's Devon, that's what he does initially. Later he relies on reason, but his first response is usually anger. He should come around."

"He'd better, he asked me for help."

"May I ask a question?"

He smiled. "Everyone else does, so go right ahead."

"Why not let him be in charge? Why was the fight necessary?"

"Devon demanded that fight." Circe sounded amused. "Shikarou was willing to work it out in some other manner, but Devon insisted on that battle."

"I guess you're right." The DragonQueen frowned at Shikarou. "If he hadn't wanted the fight, how would you have resolved this?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I don't have to be in charge as long as Devon understands that he knows my harem as little as I know his. I'd either have let him be my commander or done something like rock-paper-scissors." Bellona stared at him in disbelief. His voice hardened. "However, Devon set the conditions and he lost the battle. I am in charge and that isn't likely to change."

_He made a foolish decision and now he must pay the price._

"I suppose that's one way to look at it, but I'm not going to be that hard on him. I just didn't want to argue with him when the wheels come off and they always seem to do so at the worst possible time."

"Will there be any special demands?" Bellona was watching him intently.

"Like taming requests? No."

Circe chuckled. "Shikarou doesn't do rape and to him taming an unwilling non-feral pokegirl is just that. Besides, if he gets that horny for someone in your harem he could always have Fumiko take on their appearance."

Bellona started and Shikarou gave his Alaka-Wham a disgusted look. "That's sick," the two of them said almost in unison and then they stared at each other. Bellona smiled while Shikarou started chuckling.

He pushed away from the tree. "I'll talk to Devon when he's conscious, but I'd appreciate it if you both would help me by quietly telling him what I plan and encouraging him not be so pissed that he takes his toys and goes off on his own. He asked me into this game and now that I'm here, I would really not appreciate any other players. Besides, we can work better together then at cross purposes."

Bellona glanced at Ming Die and then nodded. "We'll do what we can."

"I should be very angry with you." Devon gave him a sour look as he rotated his arm. "You broke my arm and ruined my helmet. The arm is fine but the helmet I can't get fixed and it was a gift from Tess."

Yushiko grinned and presented the repaired helm. "You mean this?"

Devon stared. "How?" He pointed his pokedex at her suddenly and she smiled and posed prettily. He checked the pokedex and read her again before putting it away with a frown and accepting the helmet from her. "You don't look anything like an Armsmistress."

"My kami let me look like I did before I thresholded." She smiled.

"You mean he's like your god?" Devon stared at Shikarou, who looked faintly embarrassed.

"There is no like. He is my god and my family's god." There was a note of pride in her voice. Shikarou looked more uncomfortable.

"Yushiko has some odd ideas about me. I am kami, but I never asked for worshippers." He sighed. "Yet now that I have them, I can't ask them to stop either. Thank you Yushiko."

She smiled and bowed. "Yes, my lord." Scarlet wings shimmered into existence and she took to the air.

Devon watched her go. "I miss Tess." He glanced at Shikarou. "Please don't tell anyone I said that."

Shikarou gave him a sad smile. "We have our favorites and they know it, even if they never say anything about it. I'll never tell anyone about it unless you give me permission." He settled down at the picnic table he'd created. "If it's possible, we'll get them back." He fixed Devon with an even look. "It'll be easier if we work together instead of at cross purposes."

"Now you sound like Bellona." Devon dropped onto the other bench. "Can I have a beer?"

Shikarou nodded and created two beers. Devon took a deep gulp of his and held it in two hands as he looked into the darkness for a minute before pulling his attention back to the present. "Lamya was my first pokegirl. There were two of them, her and a Mini-Top that I named Maeve." Another drink of beer. "I lost Maeve and then I let Lamya leave." He sighed. "To compound my stupidity, I loaned Lamya my Armsmistress, Tess, to be her alpha and Dima, my Baleena. Tess was my third pokegirl and in many ways, my favorite." His fingers squeezed the mug hard. "I had a good reason for it, but God it hurt."

"I hoped Tess could keep Lamya from getting entangled with someone else and bring her back to me. I never imagined that I could lose both of them." He gave Shikarou a questioning look. "How could I be so stupid?"

"Love makes us do things that turn out to be in hindsight less than intelligent." Shikarou sipped at the beer. "I've done it. Hell, I'm still doing it and I'm older than the Blue League. And you know that once you get them back, you'll probably do more silly things for them." He shrugged. "I'm sure they do the same thing for you." A brief smile. "Would a recent example of my own stupidity make you feel better?"

Devon brightened. "Yeah, it would. If a god can screw up, that would make me accept my own failings."

Shikarou winced. "Thanks. Anyway, I had a Dark Kitsune for a while. Kiyoko's previous Tamer had been killed by one of Godwin's men and she appeared to be happy with me. Then we ran across her previous Tamer. It turned out that she hadn't been killed and when Kiyoko wanted to go with her, I let her." He shrugged. "I was and still am very fond of her and I thought we had connected in a way that only Branwyn and Circe had achieved at that time." His eyes narrowed and his ears half flattened. "I was wrong, at least about her feelings for me."

He drained is mug in one long swallow. "It always hurts us because we care and because we care we let them hurt us because they think it's best for them. And we'll go ahead and do it next time too."

Devon shook his head. "That was supposed to make me feel better? Heaven forbid you try to make me feel worse."

"You love Tess and you love Lamya. Asking me for help may not have been wise insomuch as your self esteem is concerned, but I will increase your chances of getting them back." He smiled mirthlessly. "Hopefully without making us both wanted criminals in the Orange League."

Devon shrugged. "If that's what it takes, then so be it. I would die for them."

"That would be a pretty stupid thing do to." Shikarou snapped in a tone of pure acid.

Devon started. "What?" His voice rose in anger.

"What would dying for them accomplish? Would it help them? No. I'll tell you what it would do. It would leave your harem alone. It would shatter the women that you call wives and leave them helpless and in the clutches of strangers who would probably treat them a damned sight worse than you do." Shikarou's voice dropped to a low snarl. "Get this straight, human: You cannot save everyone and giving up your life for one only means you fail in your responsibilities to the others who depend on you. Think before you act, Devon, or your wives will pay the price for your stupidity."

"You may have to let someone die someday to save the rest. That is the price of being the man in charge and although we would give anything to avoid letting them die, sometimes we have to. If you lay down your life instead, you have failed all of them and don't you ever forget that." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly and continued in a more reasonable tone. "If someone has to die to save your harem, let it be the other guy. Don't die for them; kill for them so that you may live to take care of them."

Devon glared at Shikarou for a minute. They both jumped when the glass in his hands shattered and beer poured over the tabletop and the both of them. Blood began to drip from his fingers.

Shikarou sighed. "I'm sorry I made you angry," he began, but Devon interrupted.

"No, you are right. I wasn't thinking." He took off his shirt and wrapped his hands in it. "I don't like what you said, but there is some truth in there, unpalatable as it might be." He glanced over at Shikarou. "So, did I ruin your pants?"

"No."

"Good." He dropped his hands into his lap. "I'll follow your orders. So, how do we rescue them?"

Shikarou nodded. "Good question. We can't go charging in until we have more information."

"And then?"

"Most likely we'll still go charging in." He gave a slim smile. "That's what we do."

In Shikarou's opinion, breakfast reminded him of the circus. There was a lot of activity that seemed pointless to an outsider, but when everything was finished, two harems and their Tamers were fed, including any with special needs.

After returning everyone except the two alphas and guards, those being Hatsumi for Devon and Elizabeth for Shikarou, the two Tamers sat down for a quick conference.

"The first thing we need to do is get in to see Lamya." Shikarou glanced at the sun. "I need to hear her tell me that she isn't guilty so I can be truthful to Dorothea. I'm not sure that she will be especially useful, but having her out will lend a certain authority to anything we do since few would believe that a man with a Seraph could be an evildoer."

Devon had started to bristle and then relaxed as Shikarou finished his explanation. "All right, you said she was at the Lion street police department. Ok, I did some research before getting a nap and Lion street is where the police headquarters is. Will that be a problem?"

"That should actually help. We're less likely to be noticed at a large building, there's likely to be much more traffic. However, just to be on the safe side, we'll show up right around lunch time. Civil servants are usually fairly protective of their lunches; it's often the only free time they get."

Branwyn gave him a look. "Broken into many police stations, have you?"

Shikarou gave her a lofty look. "The whole idea is to avoid breaking into anything. We're going to ask to see her."

"And they'll just let us?" Devon shook his head. "That's unlikely."

"It just depends on how you ask."

"Follow my lead and just stay quiet." Shikarou muttered to himself briefly and then nodded. "Let's go." They moved through the steady stream of people exiting the building and to the main desk. The Catgirl there gave them an unhappy look as Shikarou smiled. "We're here to see a prisoner. Lamya Harris."

She eyed them briefly and pushed a button on her desk. A man in a police uniform came out. "What is it, Kitty?"

"They're here to see Lamya Harris."

The policeman shook his head. "All right. Have they signed in?"

Kitty nodded. "Yeah."

"Follow me." The policeman turned and opened the door, completely missing the look of undisguised loathing the Catgirl gave him. "Inside."

They followed the policeman back to the holding cells, small rooms with no tiny windows. He fished out a ring of keys and unlocked the door. "Just scream when you want out." Chuckling at his own joke he pulled the door open.

Shikarou was the first inside and put his finger to his lips to warn Lamya to silence as Devon stepped in. As soon as the door shut she was in his arms. "Devon!"

Shikarou leaned over to Branwyn as he tried to ignore the wet reunion going on not very far away. "Did you see the receptionist? Have any idea what that was about?"

The Unicorn grinned. "Kitty is a generic name for a cat type pokegirl and is probably not her name. Using it usually denotes contempt for the pokegirl since she obviously isn't important enough for him to bother learning her name." She frowned. "So what just happened?"

"It's a spell which makes the people around you see what makes sense to them in order to accomplish your goal. We probably appeared as family members or lawyers. It also made the Catgirl believe that we'd already signed in."

Branwyn's eyes widened. "That's some spell. Will you teach it to me?"

"It's hard to master and requires iron concentration, especially with so many psychic pokegirls around. I'll think about it, but we cannot stay long." He wiped sweat off his forehead. "Devon."

Harris looked up. "Yes."

"We can't stay long."

"Alright. Lamya, this is Shikarou and he has to ask you some questions. Don't be offended, he has to ask them. Just answer them."

Shikarou watched her pull herself together. "Ok. What is it?"

"You have been accused of murdering a man. The charge is pretty vague about how you killed him, but it hints that you used one of your pokegirls. Did you kill this man?"

She shook her head slowly. "No."

"Did you order one of your pokegirls to kill him?"

"No, I didn't."

"Did you order anyone to kill this man?"

She gave him an angry look. "NO."

"Do you know who did kill him?"

She sighed. "No. He was already dead when we found him. It was pretty gruesome; he'd been mauled pretty badly. Morgan was checking him for life signs when a woman saw us and started screaming. I decided that it would be best if we stayed around to answer questions and help." Her eyes hardened. "I never thought they would arrest us. They think Morgan killed him and I ordered it." She looked into Shikarou's eyes. "I didn't."

"I know." Branwyn let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and Devon almost went limp. "Now we have to prove it."

Lamya frowned. "That's going to be hard, since they know I'm a pokegirl, they're kind of predisposed to believe I'm lying about the murder."

"What do their psychic pokegirls say?"

She made a face. "Would you believe that Coed doesn't have any? A town of over two thousand residents and not one psychic pokegirl in the lot. They're illegal here. Tamer's have to check their psychic pokegirls at the town limits and they don't get them back until they leave."

Devon groaned. "Any idea why?"

"Some psychic pokegirls took over the town about a hundred years ago and turned everyone into puppets until some Tamers with Dark type pokegirls came along and freed them." Lamya made a disgusted noise. "A century ago and they still have that stupid law."

"We have to go." Shikarou winced at Lamya's expression.

Devon grabbed her and held her tight. "I'm not leaving the Orange Islands without you." He stared into her eyes. "We'll get through this." She nodded slowly; hope starting to glow in her eyes. "You just stay strong."

Shikarou went to the window and yelled. "Officer, we're ready to go." An OfficerJenny showed up and unlocked the door before leading them out.

Once a couple of blocks away from the police station Shikarou looked at the others and sighed. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought, but I don't think it's impossible."

Devon shook his head. "I don't see how to fix this. What are you going to do?"

"I need to think about that for a bit, but I've already got some ideas percolating. Meanwhile, tonight we'll get her harem out of lockup." He grinned. "That I already know how to do." He looked at Branwyn. "I'm going to need you to borrow Faelan's PLC badge tonight. I need to see it before I make one of my own."

She blinked. "You are going to impersonate a member of the PLC?"

"Would you rather I kill a building full of policemen? Once I start I can't leave any witnesses." Devon blinked in shock at his words and Hatsumi grinned.

Branwyn took a moment to digest his words and slowly nodded. "Well, we can't have that. I'll get it tonight." She frowned. "I don't think they're going to turn her over to you, the PLC won't have any jurisdiction in a case like this."

"Who cares? I'm not going to try to take Lamya that way. Instead we'll have to do this the hard way." He sighed. "And Dorothea will help, along with you. More than likely we're going to have to solve the murder. The PLC badge will get us access to the evidence, especially if Dorothea starts up with the whole miscarriage of justice thing that celestial pokegirls are famous for." He grinned. "After I order Dorothea to order me to come here and solve this crime I'll be able to tell them that's exactly what happened." The grin widened. "And no good cop would want me wandering around by myself trying to solve it. After all, best case scenario, I screw things up and get Lamya released on some technicality."

Devon frowned. "Best case? What's the worst case scenario?"

"I solve the case without them, steal the glory and make them look dumber than shit."

Devon stared at him as Hatsumi dissolved in peals of laughter.

Devon gave Shikarou an odd look as he released Hatsumi. "Why are we here?"

"We're going to rescue Lamya's harem."

"Here?"

Shikarou opened the door. "Yes. Inside." A shadow loomed in the doorway and he smiled. "Hello, Molly."

The Denmother smiled back. "Get inside before you're seen." Once the door was shut she gave Shikarou a quick kiss before turning to a stunned Devon. "Hello, Devon."

"Uh, hi." He glanced at Shikarou. "I know you killed Dugal, but it never occurred to me to ask what happened to Molly."

Molly gave him a neutral look. "Typical." She turned to Shikarou. "The power is online and everything is warming up. It should be about ten minutes before we are ready to receive, even if I don't know what."

"We'll be receiving four pokeballs." Shikarou dusted off a counter and hopped up on it as Hatsumi drifted over to stand near Branwyn. "All right, we are here in Lairg to rescue, um, yeah, rescue is a good word, rescue Lamya's harem."

He sighed. "Devon, I need your oath to secrecy. You will not reveal anything that I tell you or you see tonight."

Devon nodded. "Done. If it'll get them freed, you have my oath."

"All right. First of all, I have an AI."

Devon shrugged. "So do I. It's in my PDA."

Shikarou smiled coldly. "No, that is barely an expert system. I have an AI, one from home and it can run circles around VideoGirls without them even knowing she's there. Her name is Aggie and she's as much a person as you and I. She'll work with me for some time to come and when her service is up, I will free her."

"Nothing is better than a VideoGirl," Devon protested.

The monitor on the wall flickered and changed, showing an attractive girl with milk white skin, green hair and red eyes. She smiled. "I am. You see, Devon, VideoGirls operate in the nanosecond range, fairly good, but not well enough to deal with me. I function in the zeptosecond range, which is over two times faster than they do. They have a better chance of catching a cold in cyberspace then they do of even noticing that I am there."

"Aggie is modest, too."

She grinned at Shikarou. "I am only being accurate. May I explain what is going to happen?"

"Be my guest."

Aggie winked at him. "Thank you. Pokegirl centers have to respond to requests for any spare pokegirls that they have on hand from other centers in their region. This allows them to adopt out pokegirls that have spent too long in a Tamer's account without being taken care of." Branwyn scowled at the thought. "Coed has over two dozen pokegirls that are awaiting a Tamer, but all of them are considered unsuitable for a beginning Tamer so they haven't been shipped to a Ranch. I am going to generate a fictitious request from a pokegirl center on the other side of the Orange Islands for four of their adoptable pokegirls, however they will be rerouted to this pokegirl center."

"They will send the first four pokeballs in the transport queue, which I have the data on and have swapped with the data on Lamya's harem so they will be sent instead."

"Pokeballs work by converting a pokegirl into a form of bio-energy while long term storage is slightly different. The pokeball itself is converted into energy, allowing for the potential mass storage of an infinite number of pokegirls in one storage facility, limited only by the processing power and memory of the computer handling the storage facility."

"There is no way to check if the data on a pokeball is accurate, short of taking out of storage and scanning it with a handheld scanner, so by switching the data labels, their records will indicate that the correct pokegirls will be sent."

"I will also re-label four pokeballs in the station that is supposed to receive them to indicate that they did arrive. There will be some confusion when they open those pokeballs up, but I've selected four relatively harmless pokegirls for this and there will only be confusion and not screaming and running and dying." She smirked.

"Often the programs that send out the request for a transfer are automated and it just so happens that the station that is supposed to receive these pokegirls has such a system and I've introduced a miscount into their database that would generate such a request."

"The only thing left will be that when Lamya is released, she will be given the four pokeballs that are supposed to hold her pokegirls, however they won't. Instead they will hold four pokegirls selected by me." She grinned. "And I'm not telling what they are, except that none of them are feral and all of them are eligible for adoption; anything more will have to be a surprise for you organic types." She winked at Shikarou. "All done."

Shikarou smiled at Aggie as she dissolved away. "The reason we are here is because the pokegirl center here in Lairg was shut down for lack of use and its equipment mothballed in place." He glanced at Branwyn. "We've been trying to figure out how to get the Blue League to give it to us for use at Caomh Sith, but we really don't have a use for it right now." He grinned. "I just don't like the thought of all of those millions of credits of equipment being just outside my grasp."

"Anyway, Molly is here because she knows how to operate the transfer system and she's loyal to me personally." The Denmother grinned and nodded. "The power system still works, so in," he glanced at Molly, who held up two fingers, "two minutes, we'll carry out the perfect theft."

Devon was speechless for a moment, but Shikarou knew it was too good to last. "Do you realize that with this you could steal any pokegirl, anywhere, as long as she's in storage?"

"Yeah. I also figure that the leagues would put me on some kind of wanted list if they had the slightest inkling I could do this." Shikarou scratched his chin thoughtfully. "But they don't and no one is going to tell them. Besides, they can't even prove that Aggie exists since they can't catch her."

Molly cleared her throat softly. "My lord, Aggie's doing it, we have four pokeballs inbound and the catch system is functioning perfectly."

The tension in the room ratcheted upwards several notches until Molly checked the control board and grinned at her Tamer. "Four full pokeballs in storage and ready for retrieval." She turned back to the control panel. "We have one Armsmistress, one Baleena, one Cheshire and one Valkyrie."

Devon looked surprised. "Lamya must have evolved her Slicer into the Valkyrie."

Shikarou hopped off the counter. "Molly, let's have the Armsmistress out first."

Devon paled slightly and then nodded.

Under Molly's instructions, the release tray glowed and a pokeball appeared. She picked it up and released a tall redhead in armor who was wearing a claymore. She came out facing Shikarou and her eyes narrowed. "My name is Tess," she announced in a flat voice, "and I already have a Tamer. I will not go willingly to your bed." Her hand went to the hilt of her sword.

Shikarou shook his head slowly. "I know I'm not your Tamer." He motioned behind her to Devon. "He is."

She scowled. "It doesn't matter. Whoever he is, he's not my Tamer."

A smile. "Are you sure?"

"Tess?"

Tess froze. Slowly she turned around and stared at her Tamer. "DEVON!" She threw herself into his arms and promptly knocked him to the floor, where she refused to let go as she cried into his neck and he fought to breathe.

Shikarou watched them for a minute and turned to Molly. "Get the rest of them out of storage but don't release them and power the system back down. Aggie will reset the run hours log and erase the records of the transfer." She nodded and got to work.

Shikarou watched his guests eat dinner with a pensive expression. Due to the sheer number of people, he'd created a second dinner table in the living area of the tent for the other harem. Helen, who really enjoyed her domestic role as housekeeper, was thrilled to be able to cook for more people and the tables were lined with food. Devon, Tess and Dima made a little group of their own while Kathryn watched with an amused look as she rode herd over the rest of her Tamer's harem. The Cheshire, Morgan and the Valkyrie, Xifeng were huddled together in a corner, watching the group with obvious envy and no little concern.

Finally he growled low in the back of his throat. "If he's not going to do anything about it, then it's up to us."

Branwyn frowned. "What was that?"

"I would like you to invite them," he pointed with his chin at the Cheshire and the Valkyrie, "to dine with us. They appear to have been abandoned by their alpha and Devon shows no interest in taking care of them." He shook his head. "We're not adopting them; they'll go back to Lamya when she's freed."

Branwyn gave him a startled look. "I should have thought of that myself. Sorry." She hopped to her feet and went over to talk to the pokegirls, who looked extremely grateful at her words and quickly joined Shikarou's harem at their table.

Branwyn settled down in her spot. "Good call. They hadn't even eaten." She grimaced. "I should have been paying more attention."

"Hey, we're a team, we cover for each other. Do make sure they have somewhere to sleep, if you would."

She nodded. "I will. So what's next?"

He smiled. "Dorothea. If I can convince her that this is a worthy cause, the railroading of an innocent pokegirl and all, I'll have a very vocal non-psychic pokegirl on my side, one the police will notice. If I can't she'll still be there, just more quietly."

After the meal was over, Shikarou caught the Seraph's eye and motioned her over. "Yes, my lord?"

"Let's go to the arena."

Once there they settled down on a bench and he stared off into the trees for a moment before turning to her.

"I need your help and while I considered trying to manipulate you to get that help, I'd rather just tell you what is going on and let you decide."

She nodded slowly. "My lord, I am pleased that thou respect me such that thou would let me make mine own decision, but in truth I am thy pokegirl to command."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you, but no, you have a higher calling and we both know it. Someday it's going to conflict with what I want to do and what I want you to do, but we'll deal with it when it happens."

"My lord, what vexes thee?"

"I have spoken with Lamya and she told me that she was not involved in the death that she's been charged with and neither was her harem. You know I cannot lie, but I haven't told you that I can also detect lies in others and she's telling the truth."

Dorothea looked startled. "That is a wonderful gift, my lord and will be of great benefit in our battles with evil."

He smiled. "Only if they stop to talk. Now, the police believe she is guilty and the community has a ban on psychic pokegirls so they cannot ascertain the truth the easy way, so it is unlikely that they will pursue the investigation any further unless we force them to. While one pokegirl being wrongly convicted is bad enough, in my opinion, it also shows a laziness of thought that has probably resulted in such events happening in the past and indicates that they will continue to occur in the future."

"In addition, it means that the killer is still free to kill again."

Dorothea nodded. "If we can stop this miscarriage of justice, my lord, then we should do so with all dispatch."

"That's my opinion as well. We will need to take into consideration that even with your presence, the police are unlikely to be willing to consider further investigative work on a case they believe is solved if I tell them they are wrong, so I'm considering a bit of subterfuge to give me the moral authority to prod them into action and I'll need your help to do this."

"My lord, we are as one mind in this. I will do as thou command."

"Excellent. What I'm going to do is impersonate an officer of the Planetary League Council. While I won't have the jurisdiction to investigate the case as a PLC officer, the police will understand if I'm being harassed by my Seraph to find the real killer and will be sympathetic to another policeman in his plight."

She frowned in thought. "But thou cannot lie, so thou cannot tell them that."

"If you tell me that you know Lamya isn't guilty and demand that I involve myself in finding the killer, then it won't be a lie when I tell it to the police, now will it?"

Dorothea stared at him for a long time before a shy smile appeared. "That is very crafty of thee, my lord."

He winked. "Thank you, I try. Will you do it?"

She gave him a broad smile. "My lord, it has come to mine attention that in the town of Coed a grave miscarriage of justice has taken place. A pokegirl stands wrongly accused of being involved in the murder of a person and that the police are unwilling to continue investigating as they are filled with surety in their false position. It falls upon us to correct this injustice and I charge thee with assisting mine efforts. It is the very soul of law that is in peril, my lord, and if thou must break some minor laws of man in order to correct this terrible injustice then I charge thee to do so."

Shikarou considered her words. "You did that very well. I think that should cover almost everything and we'll take care of what little remains before we go hunting criminals and lazy cops."

Dorothea hugged him in glee.

"So why did you have everyone in your harem call you Patrick Hayden?" Devon asked curiously.

"I can't lie, so I had to create some truths." Shikarou settled the balmoral more firmly on his head. "I hate hats. They crush my ears and make everything sound muffled."

Devon grinned. "It looks smart on you, especially since you cut your hair." He was a blonde now, courtesy of a spell Shikarou had taught Branwyn.

Shikarou now sported close cropped hair, which changed his face completely while the balmoral hid his ears and drew attention away from his face. Dorothea touched his cheek. "My lord, it will grow back, will it not?"

"Yes, I'll have to keep cutting it or it'll grow back overnight."

"Good, thou a handsome man and thy hair is very beautiful." She blushed suddenly.

"Why thank you. Are you ready for your part?"

She gave him a determined look. "It is not a part, my lord, there is a grave issue here and the sloth of the Coed police department must be corrected."

"That's the spirit." He adjusted the balmoral once again. "Let's do this." They headed down the street in the direction of the police station.

The Catgirl obviously didn't recognize him. "How can I help you?"

Shikarou produced his badge. "I need to speak to whoever is the liaison with the Planetary League Council."

She stared at it and then at him. "Uh, just a minute." Picking up the phone, she continued to eye him as she dialed. A quick conversation and she turned back to him. "Someone will be right out, major."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later a sergeant came out. "Major Hayden?"

Shikarou smiled. "That's what they call me." Devon blinked as he suddenly got the answer to his earlier question.

"Yes, sir. We don't have a liaison with the PLC, so the chief wants to talk to you. This way, please."

The three of them followed the sergeant to a lift which deposited them on the fourth floor. He led them to a nicely apportioned office and turned them over to the chief's secretary. She smiled. "The chief will be with you in just a moment, please have a seat."

After about ten minutes, Devon leaned over. "How long are we going to wait?" he whispered.

"Good question. Dorothea, want to be offended at the delay?"

The Seraph bobbed her head once and gave him a quick grin. "Watch me." She jumped to her feet and gave the secretary a haughty stare. "How long is the chief going to make Justice wait?" She asked in a loud voice as she placed her palms flat on the side of the desk. "Or is the hospitality of the Coed police to the Arm of Good nothing more than a myth?" You could actually hear the capitals in her speech. "Thine sloth has already condemned the Innocent; must thou delay in correcting the Error in which thou finds thyself?" Wood splintered beneath her fingers in a series of loud cracks as she slowly clenched her hands.

Devon stared openmouthed as the secretary gobbled in shock and Shikarou fought a grin.

The secretary's phone buzzed and she grabbed it up like it was her salvation. "Yes sir. No sir. Yes sir. At once sir." She hung up the phone and looked past the Seraph to Shikarou. "Major, Chief Bradley will see you now."

Shikarou stood. "Thank you. Dorothea." The Seraph moved to open the door for him and Devon.

Chief Adolfo Bradley stood and extended his hand. "Major Hayden." Shikarou took it and then the he and Devon took the indicated seats as Dorothea stood next to her Tamer. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

Shikarou smiled gently. "First of all, Chief Bradley, I would like you to send me the bill for the repairs to your secretary's desk. Sometimes Dorothea becomes a little exuberant." He shrugged. "I've had no choice but to become accustomed to it."

Bradley smiled. "Think nothing of it." He glanced at the Seraph and couldn't suppress a slight shudder. "I take it your pokegirl is the reason you are here?"

"That's right. I don't have any official jurisdiction in what I'm going to ask you to let me be involved in, just," he stressed the word just, "a Seraph who tells me that there is a grave injustice here that we can correct." He smiled easily. "I'm not here in any official capacity, just as another man who wants to see the bad guys get theirs." His smiled slipped a bit and a slightly harried expression appeared. "A man with a portable conscience who charged me with this job."

"What injustice are you talking about?"

"I understand that you have a Lamya Harris under arrest for murder. Dorothea here tells me that she's innocent and that the real killer is still at large."

Bradley frowned. "The evidence is pretty damning. She owns the pokegirl that did the actual killing under her orders and they were found with the body and literally dripping with its blood."

Dorothea glared. "Did thou find any who had witnessed this murder taking place? Did thou have a psychic pokegirl investigate her mind?"

"Ah, well, it's illegal to own psychic pokegirls here." Bradley replied delicately. "Right or wrong, it's the law." His tone said he didn't like it either. "So we have to do our investigations in more mundane ways and while we don't have any witnesses, the man was mauled to death by a pokegirl. We're confident her Cheshire was the killer."

Shikarou touched Dorothea's arm as she started to speak. "Chief, you aren't going to convince Dorothea with a conversation, so I'd like to look over the evidence, if you don't mind. If we find anything, I'll let you know." He sighed and Devon saw an expression of "help me out" flash across his face.

The chief gave him a sympathetic look. "This is very irregular, but we want to be accommodating to our Celestial pokegirls. I must have someone monitor everything, you understand."

"I want you to, Chief." Shikarou glanced at Dorothea. "If you would assign me a liaison that would help immensely to facilitate things, and please understand, while Dorothea is convinced that there is a mistake being made, I am not here to make your department look unprofessional in any way. I'm just here to correct it and I have no problem if my name never appears in any official reports."

Shikarou could almost see the chief's mind work. If Shikarou found nothing, then his department would be vindicated by a Celestial and if he did find something wrong, the chief could claim credit for correcting the problem. He couldn't lose.

"So, major, who's your associate?"

Shikarou smiled. "This is Jamie." A slight smile. "He's my lieutenant." Devon nodded politely.

The chief nodded back. "What were you doing before you came here?"

"Would you believe I was in the Blue League, chasing some suspected terrorists?" His eyes flicked in Dorothea's direction. "This came up rather suddenly."

Bradley nodded and made the decision. "Where do you want to start?" Devon relaxed slightly.

"If you still have the body, I'd like to start there."

Chief Bradley nodded. "I'll set you up with Sergeant Dobson. He'll coordinate your investigation and report directly to me."

A short while later found the three of them in the morgue, which was located as they often were, in the basement. Sergeant Dobson turned out to be a stocky man with a strong heritage of aboriginal stock. He grinned, his teeth glinting whitely in his swarthy face. "You want to see the body, is it? Have you ever seen one before?"

"Yes and yes."

"Suit yourself." The sergeant opened the refrigerator and wheeled out a shrouded form. "There weren't no autopsy, the cause of death was pretty obvious."

He uncovered the body with a flourish of the sheet. It was still covered in dried blood and other things and huge wounds gaped in the torso. One limb had been shredded and a foot was missing. Devon paled slightly. He'd seen bodies in the field, even killed some of them, but it was different here in this clinical setting. Dorothea watched impassively.

Shikarou glanced at the sergeant. "May I?"

"My orders are to let you do as you wish, so long as you don't start cooking bits of him." The sergeant grinned at his own joke. "There are gloves over there."

"Thanks but they interfere with my sense of touch." Shikarou started with a visual inspection at the body's head and working downwards. "You said there was no autopsy, was the body examined at all?"

"We took some photos and gathered some physical evidence; hairs, some fluid scrapings and we measured the wounds. I was part of the team that did it."

Shikarou nodded without ceasing his examination. "I'll want to see that evidence later." He glanced at the wounds and continued on, stopping at the crotch. He cocked his head and frowned slightly. "Did you get a sample of the semen?"

"Semen?" Dobson looked surprised. "I don't remember any semen."

Shikarou glanced up. "If you'll look, you'll see that this man ejaculated not too long before he died. His semen was still wet enough to mix with the blood when he was killed." His nose told him that the ejaculation had probably been the result of intercourse; he smelled a female as well.

Dobson got a magnifying glass and peered at the man's penis. "I'll be damned." He gave Shikarou his first look of respect. "You've got good eyes."

"Thank you." He continued his examination to the feet and then easily flipped the body over to continue.

Dobson whistled. "You're a strong one, bodies are hard to move."

Shikarou sighed. "He's been raped; see where the blood came from the anus instead of flowing into the buttocks?" Dobson whistled again and nodded.

He turned the body over again and moved to the torso, examining the wounds closely. "Whatever attacked him was strong; the cuts go through the ribs. The weapons were sharp too, the bones aren't splintered or shattered. So, someone strong and quick with sharp knives or claws." He slid his hand into the largest cut and felt around. Devon turned green and looked away, as did the sergeant. Dorothea just watched.

"The killer had reach, the cuts are very deep. Wait a minute, what's this?" Shikarou pulled out the end of a talon, black in color and almost a centimeter long. "Well now, a broken piece of claw." He examined it closely. "It's hollow, a claw sheathe. Most likely from a cat type, but a little large for a Cheshire." He offered it up for the sergeant to look at. "See how it's broken and not torn at the root, it's from a larger claw than a Cheshire has."

Dobson nodded. "I'll get an evidence bag." He stepped out of the room for a moment.

While he was gone Devon gave Shikarou a slightly ill look. "How can you do that?"

"Back when I was a monster hunter I often had to examine kills for information on the killer." He smiled mirthlessly. "At least this one hasn't started to liquefy. There was one I had to run through a strainer because my prey shed teeth while killing."

Devon turned green again.

The sergeant came back with some evidence bags and the claw tip was duly cataloged and bagged.

Finally Shikarou was done and was washing up while the sergeant finished documenting the new evidence. "Can you get out all of the evidence and set up somewhere so I can take a look at it?"

Dobson nodded. "I'll take care of it." He looked at the clock. "Major, will you be eating lunch first?"

"Yes." Shikarou looked at Devon. "Let's go get something to eat."

During lunch Shikarou nodded. "I can understand that you aren't hungry, but you need to eat." He smiled. "The worst is over, Jamie, possibly except for some photographs."

Dorothea nodded. "Thou should eat, Master Jamie. Thy body needs fuel no matter what thy mind may think." She glanced at Shikarou's hamburger. "And thou should not eat so much meat."

Shikarou gave her a pleasant smile. "That is enough."

She blinked at the reprimand and nodded slowly. "Yes, my lord."

Devon picked at his sandwich. "So what do you think killed that guy?"

Shikarou popped a chip into his mouth. "My nose told me that the pokegirl had sex with him before killing him and I didn't smell any sort of poisons, so we can rule out a Toxicat. Whatever did for him was big and strong. It fucked him and then killed him, so the sex with him did not tame it, at least not quickly. Most cat types don't eat their partners, so that begins to limit the list. The claw tip was fairly large, so the killer wasn't a small cat, which rules out the various Catgirl evolutions until you reach Chimera." He shrugged. "I have a suspicion which fits the evidence we've seen so far and I really hope that they found fur on the victim."

"My lord, what pokegirl does thee suspect?"

"The worst case scenario would be if the killer was a Panthress, and so far my luck tends to run in that direction. If they have some hairs, I'll swipe one and have Branwyn take it to the Conservatory and have a DNA analysis run on it, but if it's black, I'll probably consider that fairly conclusive."

Devon nodded slowly. "The damage on the body would tend to indicate torture and you said that the pokegirl had sex with him before he was killed. That fits."

"So if it is a Panthress, what do we do? She could be long gone by now."

Shikarou watched him with an amused expression. "We are here to get Lamya freed. Proving it is a Panthress will do that. At that point our job is done."

Dorothea stirred but remained silent. Shikarou noticed. "I know we should probably stick around and help the police hunt it, but we don't even know if they are going to want any help. We'll cross that bridge once Lamya is free." He glanced at Dorothea. "Is that acceptable?"

"If it is a Panthress, thou should lead the hunt to eliminate it as it is obvious that the police are ill equipped to handle such a threat," came her reply.

"And if the police don't want any help?"

"The desires of the police in such a situation are of little import if by acting thou can save their lives."

He sighed. "Devon?"

"I tend to agree with Dorothea."

"Wonderful." He shook his head slowly. "I guess we are all stupid"

Dorothea touched his arm. "We are not stupid, my lord, we are heroic."

He gave her a flat look. "Just how many old heroes can you name?" He nodded at her blank look. "Yeah, me too." He levered away from the table. "Let's go. We've got evidence to inspect."

As Pythia and Siobhan sniffed around the murder site, Shikarou reflected that there was another reason to hunt down the Panthress.

The Coed police department wouldn't release Lamya until it was caught.

On the plus side their decision to send the major and his lieutenant out alone meant that they wouldn't be stumbling over any cops and in addition they could use their harem's full capabilities without worrying about somehow being identified.

On the minus side, there was… Shikarou frowned. No, it seemed to be all plusses. Cool. He wriggled his ears in pleasure, glad to have them out from under that blasted hat.

The murder had taken place a kilometer outside of Coed proper and Lamya's pokegirls had been able to lead them straight to the murder site. After figuring out just how badly a bunch of police and forensic "experts" could contaminate the site, they'd turned Pythia and Siobhan loose to scent around in an ever widening circle.

It took about a half hour before Siobhan caught a feline scent.

Shikarou checked with Devon and assigned primary hunting responsibility to Pythia. The G-Spliced was far tougher and stronger than Siobhan and would therefore hopefully survive long enough for help to arrive if she was ambushed. Siobhan would follow at a six meter distance. Hatsumi and Lorelei had overwatch with Yushiko and Tess watching their backtrail. Shikarou didn't want some misguided cat affection to cause his overwatch to hesitate in a crisis. Paulette, Branwyn, Kathryn, Dorothea, Circe and Ming Die were all out and provided a ready reserve. Paulette and Dorothea also had guard duty on their respective Tamers and would be the last into a fight.

They followed the trail for about four hours and the sun was starting to set when Pythia reported that the scent had suddenly become much fresher.

Shikarou turned to Devon to ask him a question when the Panthress erupted from her ambush site with a scream and leapt at Devon. Shikarou reacted almost instantly, smashing Devon to the side and putting himself directly in the path of the oncoming pokegirl. An instant later a powerful shove threw him sideways as Dorothea stepped in the Panthress' path and lashed out with a meteor punch that crunched into her opponent's face, sending blood flying as the Panthress staggered backwards.

Paulette grabbed Devon and shot upwards, getting her charge out of harms way as a second Panthress jumped Shikarou. There was a quick flurry of claws and the Panthress shrieked and leaped off the kami, blood and vitreous fluid running down her face from the eye he'd popped. Shikarou rolled to his feet with one hand over his abdomen and backed up quickly as blood began to seep around his hand. "Devon assist Dorothea. Pythia recover partner primary attack, Circe team primary defense Branwyn medic required."

Ming Die traded places with Paulette and the Neo Iczel dove into the melee with Dorothea, her energy blade flashing into existence as Hatsumi teleported behind the enraged Panthress and hit her with iron fist, driving her towards Dorothea, who reacted with another meteor punch, this one to the chest. The Panthress hit the Seraph with a claw attack while Dorothea used deflect to knock the attack away.

Behind the group, Tess climbed powerfully and turned towards the combat while Yushiko pulled up into a stall as Pythia teleported in behind her and grabbed her backplate before teleporting again, this time coming out between Shikarou and his Panthress. Circe and Lorelei teleported in behind them and Branwyn appeared next to her Tamer and grabbed him by the shoulders to lift him onto her quad form. Shikarou screamed as she pulled and intestines wriggled around his hand from the hole in his gut.

Paulette slammed through the melee, her energy blade driving deep into the Panthress' back and she pulled up to circle back as the enemy pokegirl screamed and whirled around to fire a ki blast which took the Neo Iczel in the middle of the back, driving her off course with a yelp. Hatsumi smashed the Panthress in the face with another iron punch.

Branwyn dropped Shikarou and shifted back to bipedal form and her hands glowed with healing energy as she knelt and pressed them over his wound. Pythia hit the Panthress with a thunder bolt as Yushiko glowed with focus energy and drew her katana before advancing while Lorelei hit the Panthress with another thunder bolt and Circe tore a tree to shreds with her telekinesis to make projectiles for use against the dark pokegirl.

Dorothea hit her Panthress with another meteor punch and the pokegirl staggered backwards. Hatsumi grinned and used imitate to hit the Panthress with meteor punch in the back. The Panthress flew into Dorothea's arms and the Seraph promptly wrapped her up in a bear hug attack, ratcheting up the pressure as the Panthress struggled initially to escape and finally merely to breathe.

Yushiko slapped at her Panthress with a wing and the dark pokegirl grabbed it with one hand and grinned as her free hand began to glow as energy built in it. The Armsmistress blended cut with master blow in a tremendous overhand strike which cut the Panthress in half from crown to crotch in an explosion of blood and brains.

Yushiko dragged the sleeve of her kimono over her eyes and advanced on the Panthress trapped in Dorothea's grip.

Branwyn helped Shikarou to his feet. "Yushiko." The Armsmistress halted. "Ladies, bind her."

Tess landed as Shikarou's pokegirls grabbed the Panthress in Dorothea's arms and began tying her up. Ming Die settled to the ground with an angry Devon in her arms and Kathryn followed her down. He dropped free and glanced at Shikarou. "Are you ok?"

"Better than usual," came the reply. "I normally don't get healed until the battle is long over. Good orders to your girls."

"Thanks." Devon stuck out his hand. "You saved my life."

Shikarou took it. "My pleasure." He grinned. "Split the bounty?"

Devon shook his head. "You can have it if I get Lamya back." Kathryn gave him a hard look which he shrugged off. "We don't need it."

"And who is to say that ye won't need it tomorrow?"

"Relax," Branwyn interjected. "We aren't broke either and I agree we should split the bounty, if we get one." She smiled sweetly at Shikarou. "I'm not sure that members of the PLC can collect bounties."

"Crap."

Devon brightened. "So we give them the dead one and turn the live one over to the Blue League. That way we get at least one bounty and since she's alive, maybe we can squeeze them for more."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "That might work. Shikarou?"

"I can't lie, so let Devon do it. He can send us our half of whatever he gets."

Kathryn looked happier. "Aye, we should to it. I dinna like that we had to pay so much in taxes, this way we get some of it back."

Devon nodded. "I'll see to the collection of the dead Panthress." He headed off, giving instructions to Kathryn as he did so.

"Branwyn, Dorothea, thanks. Yushiko, good kill. Ladies, that went off, well not quite without a hitch, but you did a good job, all of you." He shook his head. "I've never read about Panthresses hunting in prides; I hope this isn't some new development."

Circe nodded. "They are rare enough that they shouldn't normally meet, so I doubt it's a problem, unless someone is deliberately making them."

Lorelei snorted as she shifted from her battle form. "Now there's a lovely thought."

Shikarou stretched. "Much better. Pythia, Yushiko, Lorelei, find me some water, we all need baths before we go back to the police department. Branwyn, Circe, uh, whatever. Dorothea…"

"Dorothea is with thee, my lord." The Seraph opened the hole in his tunic and peered inside. "Thou do good work, Branwyn."

"All right." Shikarou frowned. "Water, ladies, I'm covered in blood and Yushiko looks like she went swimming in it."

Yushiko smiled slightly. "My lord, perhaps a water pokegirl might be a good future addition to the harem."

He smiled back. "I'll consider it."

"Well I recommend you call him and ask him to come back to the station." Shikarou gave the poor Eva who apparently sat the desk at night a stern look.

"I can't, major. He's given explicit instructions not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

"I see. Only for emergencies, you said? Very well." He smiled at the flustered pokegirl. "Thank you."

"Good night, major," the Eva responded with obvious relief.

Dorothea watched him carefully as they went back outside, to where Devon was waiting with the body. "My lord, thou has a look that does not rest well with my spirit and the knowledge that I have acquired of thee in the time we have been together. Thou do intend to follow the rules as they have been laid out, does thou not?"

"Of course, my dear Dorothea, I intend to work well within the constraints of the system here in Coed." The Seraph flushed with pleasure at his words, but still continued to watch him warily.

Devon sighed. "So, we are going to have to wait until morning aren't we? Damn it, I don't like to think about her having to be tamed by someone there." He scowled angrily at the thought.

"The night is still young, Devon, and we haven't lost yet." Dorothea's eyes narrowed at his jaunty tone. "I was told by the receptionist that the chief left instructions not to be disturbed unless there was an emergency."

"So we're screwed." Devon's voice dropped to a growl.

"No, we are not. We just need an emergency."

"My lord, if thou were to cause an emergency, thou most likely would find thyself in jail, not with Lamya free."

"While the first time I went to jail here turned out in the end to be a good thing, since it got me Elizabeth, I'm not in any hurry to go back." He nodded to the wrapped body. "I need to borrow her."

Shikarou unwrapped the corpse of the Panthress and tied just enough fabric around it to hold it together before hauling it up to the police station and inside. Devon and Dorothea followed behind.

"Do you ever feel like he's a force of nature, like a thunderstorm?" Devon gave Dorothea a curious look. "He just kind of sweeps through and does whatever he wants."

"Master Jamie, it would be that he was more of a natural disaster then a force of nature." She sighed. "Excuse me." She dashed ahead as the screaming started.

Shikarou had carried the corpse inside and showed it to the Eva. "Caught the Panthress," he announced cheerily. "Where do you want me to put her?"

Predictably, the Eva threw herself from her chair and almost battered down the security door getting through it, screaming the whole while.

Dorothea gave him a hard look as she watched him prop the corpse against the wall. "Must thou terrorize the good citizens of this fair town?"

"Do you think it fair that Lamya might have to spread her legs for a cop tonight when she could instead be with her Tamer?"

The Seraph glared. "That does not affect thee."

"And if it were Branwyn or you?" She blinked at his words and her expression softened before she nodded grudgingly.

Devon gave the corpse a disgusted look as he came inside. "It's leaking on the floor." He frowned. "Is that urine I smell?"

"It's not my floor, and as for the smell, I'm afraid I scared the receptionist pretty badly."

"Master Devon, do thou not think that these actions are unseemly?"

He shook his head. "Not if it gets Lamya back sooner instead of later. They should have let her go just as soon as we proved it was a Panthress, only they had to play fuck-fuck games and send us out to do their job."

"I disagree about the game." Shikarou watched an OfficerJenny stare through the security door at the four of them. "The police of a place like this are not equipped, either equipment wise or mentally, to hunt down a killing machine like a Panthress. That's why we get go out on the sharp end. We know how to do it better then they do." He nudged the corpse and watched the figure in the door jump and disappear as the body moved. "They deal with criminals; monsters are out of their league."

He chuckled. "Of course, we're not trained to handle criminals. For example, Faelan blew up a bank in Wick to catch some robbers. Nobody got hurt, but the civil authorities aren't supposed to go around doing that, it's hard on the civilians."

Dorothea looked shocked. "Master Faelan destroyed a bank? I hadn't heard about that."

"I doubt Svetlana likes to talk about that one; I suspect it isn't exactly cricket for a Celestial to go around blowing up buildings, even if the robbers had hostages." Shikarou smiled as a police car careened up and skidded to a halt. "Nice car, maybe it belongs to the chief."

Chief Bradley stomped into the building. "Major Hayden, what it the meaning of this outrage?" He was almost frothing.

"Well, chief, we got the Panthress and I wanted to get Lamya released."

"Why could this not wait until morning?" Chief Bradley started to regain his composure.

"She was starting to smell." Shikarou replied in a deadpan voice. "Besides, I have work to do and now that my Seraph is almost happy with the situation, I'd like to finish up and get back to those suspected terrorists."

"She's been charged with impersonating a human. That's a serious crime."

Shikarou sighed. "No, it's not. Lots of people impersonate humans. Council members for example." The Chief snorted in reluctant amusement. "However, if there is a fine, we'll pay it; only let's get this taken care of right now." He shrugged. "I mean, since you're already at work?"

"How did you make major?"

"That's a good question."

Chief Bradley glared at him. "You'll leave right after that?"

"Within hours, minutes preferably."

"All right, the paperwork won't take long." He glanced at the body. "What about that?"

"We PLC hero types don't get bounties, so she's all yours."

"Harumph. I'll get her released. Why don't you take that back outside."

"Very well, Chief Bradley."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 61

Milktit Helen 54

Unicorn Branwyn 53

ElfQueen Gwyneth 48

Seraph Dorothea 45

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 42

Sphinx Lorelei 40

G-Spliced Pythia 39

Vampire Elizabeth 33

Titto Fumiko 26

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Harris, Devon Jamie

Age: 15

Residence: Harris Conservatory, Highland County

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 42

Security Clearance: Theta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Name Species Level

Ming Die Alaka-Wham Psychic 100

Hatsumi Demon-Goddess (Hunter) Steel/Magic/Dark 87

Bellona DragonQueen Dragon/Dark 48

Rhiannon Dark Lady Magic (Infernal) 44

Paulette Neo-Iczel Magic 41

Kathryn Ladyien Bug/Flying 36

Siobhan Nogitsune Dark/Magic 35

Zelda Peekabu Electric 23

Tess Armsmistress Fighting/Steel 42

Dima Baleena Water 33

Alpha: Kathryn

Beta: Tess

_**PANTHRESS, the Dark Feline Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Animorph (Black Panther)

**Element**: Dark/Fighting

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: human style foods, extra meat (especially fresh and raw...)

**Role**: occupations where combat is necessary, revenger

**Libido**: Average (High 4 times a year)

**Strong Vs**: Normal, Ghost, Psychic

**Weak Vs**: Bug, Fighting, Rock

**Attacks**: Claw Slash, Gatling Punch, Ki Blast, Drain, Dark Attack, Night Shade

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Tigress (low discipline, mistreatment, little Taming, and lose 7 battles in a row)

**Enhancements**: Claws, nightvision, Enhanced Strength (x7), Enhanced Olfactory Sense (x4), Enhanced Hearing (x4), Enhanced Agility (x3), Quick Recovery, Stealth, (can blend in with shadows).

**Bounty (for confirmed kill)**: 700,000 SLC

**Bounty (for reporting sighting &amp; getting out alive)**: 100,000 SLC

**Recommendation if you see one**: Make sure you have a strong fighting-type Pokegirl on hand to fight. Try to not let yourself become visible to the Panthress as they will try to ignore your Pokegirl to attack you directly.

In all things light there is darkness.

Like the Penance and the Chimera, the Panthress is a dark evolution. Only this walking tragedy is especially sad, as it could have been prevented quite easily.

There are a combination of elements which result in an evolution to a Panthress. One, obviously, is mistreatment, verbal and physical abuse. Normally, this would lead a Tigress to become a Penance. However another factor is a lack of discipline. Treating a Tigress with indifference save for when you want something, not having her train much at all, and other such lackadaisical things add to the deadly mixture. Another, even more inexcusable factor is lack of Taming. Tigresses require frequent Taming for them to function, and not taming them often leaves them half-Feral, near savage at all. And finally, having the Tigress lose seven battles in a row. This engulfs them in rage and frustration, resulting in a dark evolution and certain death for the Tamer who abused her.

The first Panthress was discovered completely by accident. A Tamer of the Sunshine League didn't take good care of her Tigress, letting her training slip, rarely taming her, and forcing her into fights against opponents who outclassed her greatly. When the Tigress lost her seventh battle, against a Griffon, she was engulfed in dark light, changing into a monster. She killed her Tamer for the pain and frustration she had suffered under him and murdered the Griffon and her Tamer out of sheer rage. The Panthress was caught and put down, but soon after others began appearing.

When a Tigress evolves into a Panthress, they undergo several changes. Their bodies muscle-up greatly, especially in the biceps and thighs, and their breasts expand into the F-Cup range. Their tails grow thicker, and their fur and hair turns midnight black, their eyes become gold. Their faces, if not already close to it, become more animal-like in appearance, growing a prominent muzzle. Their claws grow longer and while their senses of smell and hearing dull, they gain greater agility and the ability to blend in with shadows.

Panthresses are vicious, unrelenting fighters. They will not hesitate to kill anyone they find, and when they catch a male Tamer they will torture him to death, forcing them to arousal and violently raping them first. They are considered by some to be embodiments of Mao Shin Mao's frustration and rage. It is known what makes a Panthress, and you are advised NOT to do this under any circumstances! They WILL NOT STOP until they kill their abuser and anyone else in their way. If found in the wild, do not attempt to engage or capture unless absolutely necessary. Evacuate the area immediately and contact local security forces and as many OfficerJennys as you can find. This is not a joke. Failure to do so will result in loss of Pokegirls and Tamers license, as Panthresses are ranked to be an Alpha-class threat and a danger to anyone around them.

Most recently, a Panthress was captured and Tamed by the Limbec Pirates, the group who did so sustaining heavy losses, showing up later as the leader of a unit of Pirates in a kidnapping raid on an orphanage. She was still having trouble controlling her rage, but was obviously tamed due to the level of sheer control she had over herself. It's unknown how this was done and it's assumed that either a ForbiddenTech device or a psychic-type Pokegirl was involved.


	15. Chapter 15

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 15: Changes

"All right, why do you suddenly look like a Bunnygirl sank her teeth into your arse?"

Shikarou blinked. "That was actually a look of epiphany, not one of buttock related pain," he informed Branwyn in a lofty tone.

"So what were your buttocks having an epiphany about?"

He rolled his eyes. "I was thinking that it's good to be back at Caomh Sith and to be home when I realized that this is my home now. I've made the mental transition and I have a home again."

Branwyn stared at him and then wrapped her arms around him and rested against his chest. "That's good to hear," she said in a soft voice.

He draped his arms around her and squeezed gently until she made a contented noise. "I thought so too."

They stayed that way for a few minutes before Branwyn slowly pushed away and kissed him gently. "I need to check on our guests." She smiled as she evaded his attempt to for another, deeper kiss. "I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't channeling Devon's Tamer's disease; recently you've been very horny." A grin appeared on her face. "I'm commenting by the way, not complaining. Not yet."

"It's the company I keep, I assure you." He made another grab for her. "All of these beautiful women, how can I not want more and more of each of them?"

She stepped back, shaking her head and making her massive golden braid swing slowly. "I have to check on Devon and his harem as well as Lamya's harem, since she hasn't left his sight since she got back and we're still taking care of them." She cocked her head. "You are supposed to spend tonight with Candace and since she's still treating Mr. Splinter, you get to spend it at the clinic. Gwyneth will escort you down. Why don't you stop on the way and tame her?"

After a quick glance around to make sure Gwyneth wasn't in earshot, he pouted, his ears drooping sadly. "She's not you."

She gave a soft chuckle. "No, but if she's all you've got, she'll do now won't she?"

"I don't think of any of my harem as 'just doing'."

She nodded. "That's also good to hear. Now get going."

"Yes, mistress. As you command, mistress, Shikigor will do." He hunched over and crabbed sideways as he mimicked having a hump and a clubfoot.

She laughed. "If only."

Shikarou mused to himself as she walked away that he'd be a lot sillier than that if that's what it took to make her laugh. He shook himself out of his reverie and went looking for Gwyneth.

They were on the way to the clinic when he saw a silver haired woman waiting up ahead and as he approached he was surprised to see that it was Hatsumi. He was even more surprised when he realized she was waiting for him.

"Hatsumi would like to speak with the kami." She inclined her head to his escort. "Alone."

The ElfQueen's eyes narrowed. "I am his bodyguard. He goes nowhere without me."

"Hatsumi understands bodyguard. Hatsumi only requests some privacy."

"Gwyneth, give us a handful of meters, please."

She looked at Shikarou and nodded slowly. "All right." She moved a short distance away, staying where she could clearly see him.

He turned back to the Demon-Goddess. "What is it, Hatsumi?"

"Hatsumi would like to thank Master Shikarou for helping Hatsumi's master get his pokegirls back. Master Devon was frantic to help them and without the kami's aid, he would not have been successful." She looked deeply into his eyes. "Master Shikarou did what any true kami would have done."

"Um, thank you for the compliment, but I just helped."

"That is not true. Master Devon could not rescue his pokegirls on his own and no mortal agency could grant him the assistance he needed. He beseeched Master Shikarou for aid and the kami rescued his pokegirls and gave them back to him. Only the kami had the power to take Lamya's pokegirls from the pokegirl center, in a way that no one has ever been able to do before, and only Master Shikarou's skills and knowledge made it possible to solve the murder and free Lamya. The kami acted as only a kami can and Hatsumi is grateful."

"That is an interesting way of looking at what happened, but the truth is I had help, in fact I had a lot of help, from Aggie and from Devon and his harem, including you, Hatsumi."

The Demon-Goddess shook her head in denial. "Master Shikarou is most humble, but of course a kami would have access to servants and powers that mortals could not hope to. Master Shikarou is a true kami, a guardian spirit, and Hatsumi understands this completely now."

Red eyes stared into his. "Because of this, Hatsumi asks a boon of the kami."

Shikarou flicked his ears irritably. "What is it that you want to ask of me, Hatsumi?"

"Please allow Hatsumi to become one of the kami's servants."

He looked shocked. "You want to worship me? Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"There will always be those who will seek to harm Hatsumi and her master, some from the past and some from the future. Master Shikarou is a protective kami and will protect us. Hatsumi understands that Master Shikarou has others to protect and that sometimes they will need protection too, but with Master Shikarou's aid, Hatsumi knows that Master Devon will be much better protected."

He sighed. "Look, I'm new at this whole protection thing, and I'm not sure just how good I'm going to be at it. People are praying to me for protection and for kids, for blood's sake. I've never been this kind of kami before. I was a death god, not a kami of protection."

Hatsumi's eyes glowed with pleasure. "That is even better than Hatsumi had hoped, Master Shikarou. It means that Master Shikarou understands that all enemies are best when dead."

Shikarou rubbed his face with a heavy hand. "I give up. Yes, you can become one of my worshippers. Talk to Yushiko and she'll explain what you need to do." He glanced at the sky and muttered quietly, "Father, I really hope you're laughing right now."

Helen checked to make sure he was alone and settled on the edge of the table. "Got time for me?" Her hands were already undoing the ties on her blouse as she gave him a needy look.

Shikarou smiled as he looked up at her. "You already know the answer to that." His lips closed greedily around the nipple she offered him and he drank deeply. His eyes drifted shut as he savored the taste.

Helen moaned softly and cradled his head. "When the others drink it just feels good, but when you do it I always want to be tamed." Shikarou responded by suckling harder. "Oh, kami," she breathed.

His eyes opened and he looked up at her. She giggled. "You deserved that, you greedy thing." She gasped when he inhaled her nipple and sucked even harder and her thighs pressed together in a search for relief.

Shikarou released her nipple and stood, opening his pants while Helen checked behind her and shoved a pitcher to the side before laying back and lifting a leg over him to pull him in.

He sank deep inside her as she draped her legs over his hips and pulled; he overbalanced at her tug and came tumbling down in a mostly controlled fall to land with his palms slapping the table on either side of her head. "Deeper," she moaned in a low voice.

Shikarou lifted her legs onto his shoulders and drove into her until his balls slapped against her ass. The Milktit groaned in pleasure with each thrust, her breasts rocking in time to their lovemaking. She shuddered suddenly and grabbed his braid, pulling him down for a heated kiss. She broke it and whispered against his lips, "I had mine, now you."

Shikarou changed the rhythm of his stroke as he worked towards his own release and Helen clamped her legs on his shoulders as she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts until he hissed between clenched teeth and buried himself to the hilt as he spilled into her.

The Milktit dropped her legs to the floor and grabbed a napkin to wipe him off as he pulled out. She clamped it between her legs and let him pull her upright, her eyes bright with suppressed laughter as she smoothed her skirt back down.

"Well, my lord, I've had my treat, now it's time for you to finish yours." She guided his head back to her chest and sighed with pleasure as he went back to feeding.

After a breakfast in which Pythia kept giving him amused glances and Siobhan continued to sniff the air with a curious expression and Helen spent the whole meal laughing quietly at them both, Shikarou was just glad to be escaping the tent.

Helen stuck her head out the kitchen door as he not quite snuck out. "Got a second, oh great master?"

Apparently escape was not meant to be. "Sure." He followed her into the kitchen, which had changed a lot since the early days. Now the kitchen was a lot larger and there were four large modern ovens, two good sized food storage areas and a sophisticated computer system. Doors lead to other areas including a cheese making room. Milktits produced over 170 liters of milk a day at peak production and something had to be done with it; they had Milktit cheese, butter and cream.

"Try this." Helen shoved something in his mouth. A velvety chocolate flavor spread warmly across his taste buds and he made an appreciative noise as he chewed.

"It's a new recipe for cookies." She gave him a glance. "When Branwyn told me that I was going to learn to read, I agreed so she'd leave me alone. I never knew something so small would open up such a huge world for me." She checked an oven and the buttery smell of bread filled the air. "I've always enjoyed cooking, but I had to make up my own recipes, which limited me. Now Aggie gets me recipes from the web and I get to use the ideas that other people have come up with. This is so much fun!"

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, sorry, no." She gave him an apologetic look along with another couple of cookies. "I'm glad your metabolism runs so high, otherwise you'd get fat on everything I cook." She winked at him. "And I really enjoy cooking for you and the harem."

He gave her a tolerant nod. "Your company is delightful, but you wanted something?"

"Are you aware that the harem has meetings to discuss possible issues, usually involving you?"

"Yes, I know about them. Usually it's to update some entry in my TTR."

"That's part of it, but we also compare notes about you in order to keep an eye on your physical and emotional state."

"I didn't know that, but it makes sense. I keep an eye on the harem as best I can so I guess it's only fair."

She nodded. "Well, some things have been coming up and while no one is concerned as of yet, I wanted to suggest something. I'm still new here, so I didn't feel it would be right to try to make suggestions to Branwyn yet, but I know I can always approach you." She gave him a curious look.

He smiled and nodded. "You can." Helen relaxed slightly. "So what idea do you have?"

"I tend to read just about anything I can find and when the harem started talking about how you seemed to be changing, I started doing some research."  
Shikarou frowned. "What changes are they talking about?"

"There's a whole series of them. You seem to be getting stronger and faster and your appetite has jumped dramatically." She smiled. "You are also much more sexually active, at least according to Branwyn."

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"So what I was thinking was that we needed to see if they were right, and to try to get an idea of the extent of the changes. I know we can't quantify how you've already changed, but I was thinking that perhaps we could get a," she paused. "Damn, I can't remember that word." She raised her voice. "Aggie, what was I thinking of?"

"The word you want is baseline."

"Thank you." She smiled at Shikarou. "She's been a great help with the technical terms."

Shikarou was staring at her. "You are incredible. Did you come up with this idea on your own?"

She blinked. "What do you mean? I'm just a silly Milktit." A smile. "No, I didn't think of it myself. I told Aggie what we were worried about and she helped me do the research needed to find out how we can help you." Her ears flicked nervously. "So what do you think?"

"I think you are absolutely incredible." Shikarou gave her a warm smile. "If I didn't have Branwyn, you would make a first rate alpha."

The Milktit flushed. "Stop that." She gave him a stern look. "I wanted to know what you thought about getting a baseline exam so we can see how and how much you are changing."

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Shikarou munched on a cookie as he thought. "If it's going to be useful, I'll need blood work as well as the physical exam."

"You will also need a mental exam for your emotional state. Circe says she's not qualified to do it, but she has a sister who could."

"Ah, yes, this mysterious Stardust she mentioned to me. Looks like I'll have to meet her after all." He nodded suddenly. "Tell Branwyn about your idea and tell her I want her to coordinate the appointments so we can get this taken care of as quickly as possible."

She smiled. "I'll tell her today."

"Good. Do I need to milk you again?"

She laughed. "No, I think twice a day is plenty. I love the extra tamings. I've never had a master who could do it so often and I never dreamed that I would get laid so much, but the milkings let me have you twice every day without anyone else getting upset. More than that and someone will get jealous."

"Good point." He grabbed another handful of cookies. "I'll see you later."

"Shikarou! Hold up!" Shikarou turned and waited as Lamya joined him. "I'm not sure I can ever express my gratitude for what you did. I'm sure Devon would have found a way to free me eventually, but you really helped speed things along."

He gave her a noncommittal smile. "That's an interesting opinion. How are Morgan and Xifeng doing?"

She blinked at the change in topic. "They're fine. Now that Tess has rejoined Devon's harem, I'll need to make one of them my alpha. Thank you for taking care of them for a time."

"They were no trouble at all." He looked into her earnest young face. "What are your plans now? Are you going back to your journey?"

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about, you see we've gotten my pokeballs back, the ones the Aggie switched so you and Devon could rescue my harem and I wanted to see if you wanted one of them."

He nodded. Aggie had told him the pokeballs' contents earlier this morning. "Did you have someone in mind?"

"Actually, yes, I do. One of the pokeballs has a NurseJoy in it and I was wondering if you wanted her. Devon already has two, what with Letitia and Florence, and I don't really have a use for one."

**The Shikarou Urufu Home for Unwanted Pokegirls, are you now? What about the others, the Mysticangel, the Mystikat and the Starmystic? Is she even going to let you know about them? I got them for **_**you**_**, damn it.**

_I don't care about them and I could leave a far worse legacy than a home like that._ "I would be happy to accept such a remarkable gift from you." _If she's willing, that would give Faelan one for his household._

**Grumble. She's ruining my gift.**

"Ok, Shikarou, I'll bring her by later today."

"He's only got the fox thingy with him; we could kill him and be gone before anyone knew." Gwen had that sullen look she got when her will was being thwarted.

Mary shook her head as they watched Shikarou head down a path with Pythia in close company. "We are supposed to gather intelligence, not do any eliminations; my orders were quite clear."

"Oh, come on, they prize individual initiative."

"Come on? Gwen, you know that isn't true for me or any of the other female knights. If you want that, we can see about getting you a male knight to be a companion to."

"No thanks, most of them are idiots."

"Then stop trying to get me to do something that will get you taken away." Mary grimaced in exasperation. "Because that's what you are doing."

Gwen glared. "You like him don't you?"

"No, he's a freak." She sighed. "I'm just not sure why we are here. I've never been on a mission like this where nobody had anything bad to say about my target. The worst I've heard so far is that he's gone too much, but still he's apparently doing a good job."

Gwen snorted. "Yeah, I know. And the sheriff was just plain creepy, what with the way she looked at us when we asked her about him."

Mary agreed. She'd gotten the distinct impression that Molly had been either measuring them for handcuffs or coffins; she wasn't sure which but was quite sure she didn't want to know. "If any of the knight commanders had this kind of loyalty, we'd have already saved Britain."

"So what do we do?"

"We keep watching and reporting. And that's all." Her tone was final.

A hundred meters away Pythia snickered. "They've decided to let you live for a while longer."

Shikarou clasped his hand over his heart. "That's a relief. I wasn't sure I wanted to die today and I'm sure if I die before I'm ready that it's a bad omen of some kind."

She glanced at him. "Why do you tolerate their presence? If you made them slaves, you could feed the Order anything you wanted them to believe."

He shrugged. "I'm not willing to take that step. Yet." He glanced at the G-Spliced. "No, I don't know why I'm not willing to do it; I just know I'm not."

"I suspect it's because you like the person she is and are vacillating because you hope to turn her to your side."

He looked interested for the first time. "That would be something useful. Do you think it's possible?"

"I don't know. So far you've forbidden us to probe her or Gwen's mind." She yawned, her tongue curling as she did. "Are you lifting that restriction?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes. I want everyone to be careful, but I need the data." He smiled suddenly. "After all, what's she going to do, decide to kill me?"

"So, Candace has you scheduled for a physical today at 1200 and after I talked to her yesterday she went ahead and made arrangements for your blood work to be analyzed at the Conservatory." Branwyn looked over at him. "I can't believe Helen came up with this idea, it's brilliant." She smiled thinly. "I'm also more than slightly aggravated that I didn't think of this myself. After all, I grew up in a research facility. You know, if Helen had any real combat skills I'd suggest you make her your beta, but she doesn't and in a combat harem that's out of the question."

"Let her know you considered it; that will make her feel good." Shikarou gave an abrupt nod, snapping his thick black braid up and dropping it into Dorothea's lap. She glanced at him and flushed slowly as she realized he was watching her, but her fingers closed resolutely around his hair and began to slowly caress it.

Branwyn watched with an amused look. "I will. After Candace finishes the physical, we're going to the arena for some physical testing; strength, endurance, that sort of thing." She gave him a hard look. "Our goal is to push you until you can't take any more, so it's not going to be fun."

"I thought as much."

"After the physical testing Candace will take more blood and tonight before bed she'll collect a third sample."

"My lord, some of Devon's pokegirls approach thee." Since this discussion was not for anyone outside the harem, Branwyn fell silent at Dorothea's warning as Hatsumi came up, accompanied by Kathryn and Lamya.

Hatsumi gave Kathryn a pointed look. "Hatsumi says ask him."

The Ladyien gave the Demon-Goddess an annoyed look and turned to Shikarou. "Good morning to ye." She glanced at Hatsumi once more. "Hatsumi has badgered me into bothering you this morning, and I apologize beforehand."

Shikarou nodded. "What is it, Kathryn?"

She rubbed all four hands together nervously. "Understand that I think this is utter rubbish and a waste of our time, but Hatsumi's demanded that I ask ye formally for a favor."

"Tell him."

Shikarou sighed. "Apparently Hatsumi isn't going to let this drop until you tell me whatever she wants you to, so just do it and it'll be over."

Kathryn nodded with a grateful smile. "We want ye to find Maeve."

Branwyn frowned. "Maeve is dead."

"I know, but Devon's never really gotten over it. If we had her, he could try to have her fixed, fail and move on."

"Devon wants to try to bring her back to life?" Shikarou sounded more than slightly confused. "How is that possible?"

Lamya shook her head. "Not all of her died," she said simply, as if that explained things completely.

Not to Shikarou. "Someone tell me what is going on?"

Kathryn gave Branwyn a glance. "If ye don't mind?" When the Unicorn shook her head she turned back to Shikarou. "What do ye know about Maeve?"

"Devon said he lost her, other than that, nothing."

"Ah, well, Devon acquired Lamya and Maeve together and she was the first member of his harem that he tamed. She's a Mini Top, which is a special evolution of BunnyGirl. They only evolve when they either witness or are the recipient of a great deal of physical abuse or violence. Are ye with me so far?"

"I am."

"After Maeve and Lamya, Devon acquired Tess and meself, in that order and when we got to Glasgow, he was arrested for being a member of Team Viper."

"That I know a little about. His harem was put up for adoption, wasn't it?"

"Aye, we were. And Maeve was given to a Tamer."

"That isn't in the official reports."

"Nae, it wouldn't be. When Ming Die squeezed them for a great deal of money, part of the agreement was that they didn't admit any wrongdoing, so Maeve's loss never officially happened."

"Tacky, but that makes sense." Shikarou frowned. "Devon's got some pretty good resources. Why didn't he find Maeve, or was it that she wasn't important to him?"

Kathryn winced. "Nae, she was one of the lights in his world, even if she was a bitch to us. She was his first alpha and since he gave me the job, we didn't get along verra well."

"Nae, what happened was that before Devon was released from jail, the Tamer who adopted Maeve ran her through a level five conditioning cycle." Dorothea gasped.

"Aye, it destroyed her personality and she was renamed, Kinesha I think."  
"Later we ran across her in the Indigo League, in a pub. Devon was grief stricken and we left right away." She sighed. "He's never forgiven himself for losing her. He claims that if he'd somehow been better, he could have saved her."

Branwyn snorted. "Utter rubbish."

"Aye, I agree, but that doesn't change how he feels." She grimaced. "Hatsumi thinks you can find her and bring her back, if we asked ye to try." The frown deepened. "She also thinks you can restore her, but I know that's impossible."

"For mortals, not for kami." Hatsumi's voice rang with conviction.

"Whatever." Kathryn shook her head. "So I'm here to ask ye to look for her, in yer spare time, of course."

Shikarou exchanged a look with Branwyn, who shrugged. "So you want me to look for Kinesha. Anything else?"

"Hatsumi would like for Master Shikarou to restore Maeve's mind. Hatsumi knows that this would make Hatsumi's master very happy." The Demon-Goddess gave him a confident stare. "Hatsumi knows that the kami can do this."

"I cannot make any promises." Shikarou's voice was flat.

"We know," Kathryn answered. "I don't expect you to find her, much less bring her back."

Shikarou's ears flicked in annoyance. "I'll see what I can do."

Branwyn gave him a startled look. _Why are you agreeing to this?_

He gave an almost imperceptible shrug. _First, Devon came whining to me that he couldn't save Lamya and her harem and we get them back. Then he ignores his responsibilities to his pokegirl's pokegirls and we have to take care of them. His alpha should have pointed out to him that he was ducking his responsibilities, but she dropped the ball on that and now she's telling me that 'you can't do that'. I'd like to smack her smug ass around, but since I shouldn't do that I'll just make the twit eat her words._ Teeth glinted in a silent snarl.

Branwyn stared at him for a moment in shock. "Very well, ladies, you heard him." She recovered her composure quickly. "Now I have a question for you. When are you likely to be moving on?"

"We are leaving tomorrow."

His alpha's eyes narrowed. "And just when was I going to be informed about this?" She glanced at Shikarou. _Arrogant little bitch, isn't she? We'll find Devon's rabbit and when I'm done, she won't have to eat her words; I'm going to shove them so far up her ass that she'll taste them._

"Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed." Candace gave Shikarou a tiny grin.

"Don't I get any foreplay first?" He began to quickly strip.

Her grin widened. "Not this time and for a change I'm going to be sticking things in you."

"That doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as when I do it to you."

"You're probably right, but I'll enjoy this as much as I can." Candace had already measured him and weighed him and now she proceeded to give him a thorough physical examination, which of course included at least one thing he enjoyed not at all, a prostate exam.

When she was done she threw the rubber gloves in the trash and pointed to a door. "You can clean up in the bathroom. Oh, and while you are in there, you'll find two sample cups. I need a urine sample and a semen sample." She gave him an extremely amused look. "And no cheating. I'd let you have help with the second sample, but if I did, I doubt I'd get the whole thing and that's what I need, since I'm going to be checking volume as well as composition. So, do it yourself."

He gave her a disgusted look before disappearing into the bathroom. "First Kathryn and her bullshit and now this crap is happening to me. Today sucks."

The arena stands seemed relatively full of people; most of his active harem was present, along with several members of his inactive harem, including Molly, Candace, Lynn and Alice. To his surprise, Poppet was seated next to Candace, talking quietly to the NurseJoy.

"What's Poppet doing here?"

"Someone had to come get the blood work samples and I guess she decided to do it herself." Branwyn seemed unconcerned. "That makes sense; she'd be interested if only to continue evaluating you as a breeding partner."

"Ok. What am I doing first?"

"Weight lifting."

So, for the next half hour, Shikarou picked things up, and in the process determined that his physical strength had more than doubled from what he estimated he had when he arrived here.

Next there were the endurance tests. These were set up with Yushiko and Dorothea sparring with him until he was too exhausted to continue. Breaks were only to replace broken bokken and drink some water. The pokegirls were instructed to push him hard and he was only allowed to defend himself and not counterattack, and this they did admirably.

Shikarou was surprised that he lasted for over half an hour of punishment, only conceding defeat when he could no longer raise his sword.

Immediately Candace came out with her needles and sample bottles to draw more blood and even demanded another urine sample, which he provided after a quick trip to the bathroom.

Poppet came out to give him a quick hug and jerked away from him immediately. "Yuck, you're sopping wet." She looked at her soaked shirt and gave him a wry grin. "Isn't that supposed to be the girl's job?"

Shikarou was too tired to glare at her properly, so he instead grabbed her and tried to dry himself by rubbing his sweaty body against hers while she tried to push him away, protesting the whole time.

"So what are you going to do next, Shikarou?" Devon gave him a curious look.

"I'm not sure. I was expecting to make it through the first leg of the Blue League County Finals, so I hadn't planned anything. How about you?"

"I'm going to spend some time with Letitia and Florence, so I'll be shuttling between the Conservatory and Belfast. In addition, Zelda wants to go back to her home and see if we can't find her parent's bodies to give them a decent burial." He sighed. "I'm not sure I want to do that. It's quite likely they were converted by the Wasps and I'd prefer it if she didn't have to think about that."

Shikarou nodded. "If I remember correctly, the place was damaged by fire, so why not go ahead of her and finish the job? That way she can assume the corpses were cremated in the ruins and won't think to worry about it."

Devon looked surprised. "Brilliant! I may just do that." He glanced over as Hatsumi appeared. "There's my ride. Take care." He stepped into the Demon-Goddess' arms and was whisked away.

Shikarou watched the empty spot for a minute. "Oh, no problem, Devon. You are very welcome and I didn't mind giving up my plans at all. Your gratitude made it all worthwhile." He snorted. "Oh, wait, you never even said thank you."

Sir Gregory advanced and kneeled. "Your Majesty."

The woman on the throne nodded. "Rise, Sir Gregory. What have you to report to me?"

"I have nothing out of the ordinary to report, your majesty."

She cocked her head quizzically. "Don't you?" Her tone held an air of whimsical amusement and the four identical Dragonesses along the wall stirred. "Aren't you going to finally tell me that the Grimoire of Danu is back on Earth? Or did you think I wouldn't find out about what happened with Sir Marcus in Glasgow?"

Sir Gregory turned white. "Your Majesty, we are still investigating what happened and I didn't want to trouble you with an incomplete report."

Her voice cut at him like razors. "You are overstepping your authority, Gregory." When she dropped the honorifics, it was a sign that things were not good for the person she was talking to. "You have been my right hand for many years, but I remain the queen. I was the queen before your great-grandfather was born and I will remain the queen after your great-grandson dies, should you live to have a son." Her tone hinted that this might be questionable.

"I gave specific orders that the slightest sliver of information about certain subjects would be brought to me immediately, no matter how vague or fragmentary. Do you remember what those subjects were, Gregory?" she asked in a silky voice. "I'll even give you a hint, there were four of them. Do you know what they are?"

"Yes, my queen." Sir Gregory trembled.

"Enumerate them for my benefit, Gregory."

"The Grimoire of Danu, my queen. The sword Excalibur, my queen. Any information about the Sidhe, my queen, and anything about the return of Arthur from Avalon."

"Correct. Now Gregory, if you fail me again, in the slightest thing, I will not be pleased."

Sir Gregory kneeled again. "My queen, I hear and obey."

"That had better be the truth, Gregory. More than your life hangs in the balance." Gregory gave her a look of sheer terror. "Now, tell me about the Grimoire."

"Yes, your majesty. After we determined that the park in Glasgow held a controller for the cargo transport, Sir Marcus was dispatched to collect it for study. While he was attempting to complete his duty, a Tamer activated it and he and several pokegirls were transported to asteroid base C-17."

"We do not know what happened there, but we do know that the Tamer returned several hours later. Sir Marcus determined that the Grimoire was present and attempted to recover it, however he was unsuccessful."

The queen nodded. "Yes, I've seen the police report. Where is Marcus now?"

"He's currently doing work in our base on the Indigo plateau, your majesty."

"I want to question him, Gregory. Today."

"I'll make the arrangements immediately, your majesty." He started to rise.

"It'll wait until after our little talk, Gregory. You were telling me about the Grimoire?"

"The Tamer who recovered the Grimoire is Shikarou Urufu and he's a landlord here in the Isles, my queen. He holds tenancy over your lands on South Uist, which he has renamed Caomh Sith."

"The Home of Peace? This man is an optimist."

"Yes, my queen. He resides there, but has most often been on the road, competing at gyms for badges so that he can compete in the Blue League Competition."

"Who rules when he is away?"

"There is an ElfQueen who claims to be his queen, but we believe that Urufu's half brother is the true ruler. He's a retired operative of the Planetary League Council by the name of Faelan Wolf who lives on the island."

The queen laughed. "Faelan Wolf? How quaint. So where is the Grimoire?"

"We believe that Urufu has it and keeps it with him while he's traveling. We have an operative on Caomh Sith and according to reports he's currently on the island."

"Why hasn't the Grimoire been taken into custody?"

"There was an attempt made, my queen, when Urufu was in Edo, one that resulted in the death of a knight. Another knight returned to report that Urufu is a mage with some very powerful blood gifts, something that we were not aware of until that point."

"And now?"

"Our agent is gathering information so that our next attempt to recover the Grimoire will be our last. I'm considering using the Templar Knights in the attack."

"You consider him that powerful?"

"The situation is unusual, my queen. Urufu shows some unusual abilities and powerful magic. His harem also appears to be quite powerful and I believe that caution is indicated."

The queen was silent for a moment. "I agree. Sir Gregory, you will use the Templar, but you will not initiate any attempts without my express direction, is that clear?"

"Of course, my queen."

With a clink, the little blue plastic disk sailed into the cup. "I win!" Belinda grinned up at Shikarou as her sister frowned. "I win!"

"Yes, you did."

Tamara glared at her sister. "I think she cheated."

Shikarou chuckled. "I'm afraid unless she has suddenly developed telekinetic powers; your sister beat us both fair and square."

The Growlie crawled into his lap, pondered for a minute, and announced her solution. "I'm going to have telekinesis when I grow up," she announced confidently. Her head twisted to look up at him. "Can I?"

"When you get older you will become a Growltit, which can evolve into a couple of different things, but I'm not aware of an evolutionary path for the Growltit that has telekinesis." Tamara pouted as he draped his arms over the ten year old. "However, new evolutions are still being discovered, so if you still want, when you become a Growltit, we'll see about getting you a Psi-crystal and conduct a few experiments. Will that satisfy you?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Belinda's eyes narrowed. "I want to be a Dragoness and a Denmother and a Sphinx."

Shikarou raised his eyebrows. "Ooh that one's going to be a toughie." He glanced at his watch. "Girls, I have to go, I'm supposed to be meeting someone in a little while."

"Tiddlywinks are boring with just her," Tamara announced. "Let's go play Legendaries!"

Belinda grinned. "Yeah. I wanna be Typhonna."

Tamara glared. "I'm going to be Typhonna."

Shikarou sighed. "Ok, Belinda, you called it first, so you can be Typhonna." He touched her nose and her fur changed to a dappled green that spread down her in a wave.

"What about me?"

Shikarou touched Tamara's nose. A dull silver spread across her fur. "You can be MechaTyphonna." He leaned down and whispered in Tamara's ear. "She has missiles."

"Oh wow!"

Belinda jumped up. "Next time I'm MechaTyphonna!"

"Only if I don't call it first!"

Shikarou put Tamara down and stood up. "I think you still need something before you go terrorize Nyu-Tokyo." He snapped his fingers and a cloth bag appeared. "Here you go."

He handed the bag to Tamara, who opened it up and reached inside to pull out a gumdrop. "What are these?" she breathed. The two Growlies stared at him with an intensity that reminded him of Border Collies waiting for their orders, eyes bright and ears up. Even their tails quivered slightly as they waited.

"Nyu-Tokyo's citizens."

"All right! We get to eat the people! Let's go!" The sisters raced out of the inn, almost running into Circe as she came in.

"You're letting them have sugar? Before dinner? Molly is going to have your hide." The Alaka-Wham glanced at the table and all of the chips flew into the cup.

"There is a long and venerable tradition of uncles spoiling their nieces," Shikarou announced frostily.

"Yes, and an even longer one of their mother killing the uncles for it," she replied.

"Some traditions need to end and I suspect that's one of them. So, what do you want?"

"I'm here to take you to see my sister, remember? She wants to meet you on her terms for the first visit."

He nodded. "Ok. Let me get my stuff."

Circe led Shikarou out of the alley. "There's her clinic." It was a nice little two story with office space on the first floor and living quarters on the second, pretty typical for the Blue Continent, not to mention Glasgow. "She goes by the name of Victoria here; people don't think Stardust is a proper name for a therapist."

"I see."

Once inside, Circe nodded to the young pokegirl behind the desk. "Mandy, this is Shikarou Urufu." The temperature was noticeably on the chilly side and Shikarou wondered why.  
**The pokegirl is a Margarita, the ice evolution of Chichi.**

_Well, that explains that. You need to stay out of my mind while Stardust is examining me, while she may get information about your existence I don't want her to have any direct contact with you._

**Very well.**

Mandy nodded. "Your appointment is in ten minutes. Would you like to wait?"

Circe glanced at Shikarou and nodded. "Yes, we will."

A few minutes later Mandy looked up. "You can go in now."

Shikarou got up and glanced at Circe. "Are you coming?"

She shook her head. "No. She wants to meet you alone." A smile. "You aren't worried, are you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "The fact that I've gotten used to the psychics in my harem does not mean I want just anyone poking around in my head."

She nodded. "That's a good attitude to have. Keep it." She smiled. "Make her work for it, she'll respect that." The Alaka-Wham shivered. "Damn, it's cold. I'm going to wait outside."

Shikarou opened the door and stepped quietly into the room. It was nicely furnished and he smiled at the traditional couch. An Alaka-Wham wearing a nice grey suit was standing at the window and looking outside as she sipped at a bottle of liquid his nose identified as orange juice. "Stardust?" he quietly called.

She jumped and the juice flew everywhere as she spun with a shocked look on her face. "What the hell?" Her eyes were wide and her antenna quested in his direction.

"I'm Shikarou. Circe brought me here for an examination."

She continued to stare and he felt her mind testing his shields. "How?" She frowned. "Circe wasn't kidding about your shields. I can't feel you at all." It seemed to unnerve her and she kept facing him as she backed behind her desk.

Once behind her desk she seemed to relax a little as Shikarou watched her. "Please sit down, Mr. Urufu."

"I'm not used to being called Mr. Urufu. Please call me Shikarou." He settled into a comfortable looking overstuffed chair.

She nodded slowly. "Very well. Shikarou it is." Her eyes narrowed. "I still can't feel you, even though I know you are here in front of me. How did you construct your shielding?"

"Magic. I have little psychic powers of my own and use magic to protect myself."

She shook herself. "That's interesting. You are aware that you are going to have to lower your shields before I can examine you."

"Yeah, I understand." He frowned. "I'm not too happy about it, and I'd like to ask if I could put shields around this room first, but I know what I have to do."

"Why are you so, um, defensive?"

He shrugged. "I was mind raped as a teenager. A powerful psychic was looking for a husband and decided I'd do. She wasn't the type to bother asking me, she just took me over."

Stardust looked surprised. "May I inquire as to what happened to her?"

"My father found out and was slightly miffed. He has this irrational dislike of rape and took steps. She ended up being burned at the stake."

"Oh." She gave him an odd look. "I can't do anything until you drop your shields."

He sighed. "All right." His eyes unfocused briefly and then he nodded.

"It's like you just popped into existence." Stardust shook her head. "Your magic is quite remarkable." She smiled. "Now just tell me what is bothering you."

"How about I just relax and let you poke around? After all, my talking isn't going to do anything except make me think I'm being useful."

Stardust blinked. "For a non-psychic, you are remarkably well informed."

That earned her a smile. "My very first crush was a psychic and while I was silly enough to think that I could impress her, I learned everything I could about how psychics and their powers work. I did learn a lot, but she never noticed me." His ears flicked. "I realized later that there was no way she couldn't know what was going on and ignoring me was probably the best she could do."

Shikarou glanced at his watch and then settled back and closed his eyes. "So just do this."

"All right." Stardust slipped into his mind.

_She stepped into a corridor of dressed stone and looked around carefully. "So, he uses mental constructs. Once again, unusual for a non-psychic."_

_ "Thanks." Stardust whirled to see Shikarou leaning against the wall. "However, if you'll remember, I said I didn't have a lot of psychic abilities. You assumed that meant that I had none."_

_ "How are you here?" She frowned. "I could be anywhere in your mind."_

_ "I use the mental constructs to channel attackers to where I can deal with them and even though you aren't an attacker, they did their job; so I knew where to meet you." He smiled. "Don't worry, I'm just here to observe."_

_ "I can't worry. No emotions, remember?"_

_ "Oh, right." He fell in alongside her as she headed down the corridor. Periodically wooden doors appeared and fell away after she cracked them open to peer inside. _

_ "You've got good compartmentalization." Apparently she didn't mind the company._

_ "Thanks. My father and Willow showed me how to do it."_

_ Stardust gave him a shrewd look. "Willow. Is that the pokegirl you were talking about? The one who ignored you?"_

_ "Willow's not a pokegirl, but yes, she's the psychic I mentioned."_

_ Suddenly Stardust stopped with a frown and stared at the blank wall. "There should be a door here. I can feel it." She ran her hand over the wall and jerked it back as there was a snapping noise and a flicker of energy. "Damn, that hurt."_

_ "Are you ok?"_

_ She nodded, still staring at the wall. "I'm not supposed to open it." She gave him a quick glance. "This kind of thing happens for a couple of reasons. One is there is something that you are trying to not remember. Another is that there is something that someone else is trying to keep you from remembering and the last is that there is something in there that isn't part of you."_

_ Shikarou looked interested. "Which do you think this is?"_

_ "It's not you trying to suppress a memory. The door would still exist, only the construct would show some kind of locks or a guardian." She frowned. "We need to be careful; a guardian could hurt me if it is powerful enough. Are you aware of the limitations of constructs?"_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "Constructs are only as powerful as you imagine them to be. If you have a weak imagination, your constructs are weak and conversely if you have a powerful imagination and will, your constructs can be like Legendary pokegirls. So, how's your imagination?"_

_ "I'm a mage, imagination is part of spellcasting."_

_ "Crap." She glared at the wall. "I only know that a door should be here because of the regularity of your mind, doors are set at exact intervals. Otherwise I can't detect a thing."_

_ She gave him a look. "Are you willing to help me?"_

_ "Sure. What do I have to do?"_

_ Her antenna twitched. "I'm going to have to link my mind with yours so that you can see past the construct and then you are going to have to open the door."_

_ "Ok. Let's do it."_

_ Stardust touched her antenna to his forehead. "Ok, tell me what you see."_

_ Shikarou looked at the wall and blinked in surprise. "There's a door, but it's not like the others we've seen so far. It's technological, made of metal and has a touchpad for DNA identification. There's a weapon's blister above the door and I don't know what kind of weapon is in it."_

_ "You need to open the door. Imagine the touchpad is keyed to your DNA and everything should be fine."_

_ "All right." Shikarou squared his shoulders. "Here goes." He pressed his hand against the touchpad and the world changed._

_ They were outside and standing on a hill overlooking a village. Smoke rose in a thick column from at least a half dozen burning buildings and the air was heavy with the scent of death._

_ Shikarou looked down and could see the tiny figures sprawled around like toys carelessly tossed by a child and knew what he would find once he got down there._

_ He heard Stardust's voice next to him. "What happened to you?"_

_ Shikarou glanced at her and then looked down. Stardust had shrunk to about two thirds his height. "What the fuck?"_

_ She gave him an odd look. "I was wondering that myself. We appeared here and you grew."_

_ "I grew? Are you sure you didn't shrink?" He shrugged. "I actually hope you are right, because I know what's down there."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Oni or bandits. I recognize the type of village, it's Japanese." He frowned. "What should we do?"_

_ "The only way to get through a mental construct is to either crash it or make our way along it. I've already tried to crash it and failed." She grimaced at the admission. "I didn't think that was possible, but it happened. Now we only have one path. You have to be true to your nature, that's the only way to get through this."_

_ Shikarou gave her a wry grin. "Great, now I have my own spirit guide."_

_ Stardust ignored him. "I'm vulnerable here, particularly since I have no combat skills. You'd better lead."_

_ "What happens if you get killed here?"_

_ "You don't want to know." She gave him a tiny smile. "At that point you'd better hope Circe likes taking care of vegetables, because there will be two in my office."_

_ "Right. Success it is."_

_ "I thought you'd understand that quickly."_

_ Shikarou headed down the hill, closely followed by Stardust. Approaching the village, he saw that it was either populated by Japanese dwarves or she was right and he'd grown. _

_ Bodies lay everywhere, most in pieces and the ground was so sodden with blood that it squelched with every step. Most of the bodies were men and boys, few females were present._

_ Suddenly Shikarou stopped, his ears twisting as he put out a hand to halt Stardust. He heard a rhythmic grunting and shook his head slowly before moving slowly in the direction of the sound._

_ It was coming from the headman's house. Shikarou extended his claws and gave Stardust a warning look. She nodded and slipped up close behind him, not exactly what he wanted, but it would do. Slowly he opened the door to a scene from hell._

_ Bodies and bits of bodies lay everywhere and the blood formed a pool that extended from the door across the entire floor, even curling underneath the small group of the living huddled together on the far side of the room. All were women or girls and all were nude._

_ The noise came from a darkened corner on the far side of the room and Shikarou opened his eyes wide to maximize the light coming into them as his pupils dilated. _

_ The woman was on all fours and her body rocked forward heavily each time the black wolf oni thrust into her. It held her by the hair, pulling her head up and her eyes were open and empty. _

_ Its head turned to look at Shikarou and its ears went back as it snarled loudly. The women screamed and pressed themselves as far away from the creature as they could. _

_ It slid to its feet and the woman slumped forward, unconscious or dead and Shikarou knew where he'd place his money._

_ Its voice was a angry rasp. "You again." It looked past him. "You brought me something tasty." A smile twisted the muzzle as Stardust squeaked and pressed herself against Shikarou._

_ Its eyes narrowed as it looked him over. "You've grown more powerful, but you can't defeat me. Even if you do, far worse waits."_

_ Shikarou summoned his sword. Here it was different, the blade gleamed black in the dim light and glowing runes dotted its length. He lifted the blade and a dreadful hunger seeped from it and down his arm, filling him with anticipation. He fell into a low guard position and waited._

_ The creature laughed. "You can't attack, the moment you do, I get your companion." It moved smoothly forward and to the side. "She cannot cower behind you forever, and if you move to defend yourself, she dies."_

_ Stardust whispered to him. "There is a way for you to protect me, but it's dangerous."_

_ "Do it. I can't let you be killed here."_

_ She pressed herself against his back and seeped into his body. "Your construct will protect me and here I'm safe as long as you aren't killed." _

_ The black wolf screamed its rage. "No! She is mine! Now you must die!"_

_ Shikarou smiled. "Here is my world, my rules." He summoned his power and the building exploded away from them. Women screamed and ran in all directions. _

_ The oni grabbed a girl as she passed and threw her at Shikarou as he charged. "Save her if you can!" _

_ Shikarou cut the girl down without hesitation as he met the creature's attack. He'd have done the same in the real world, the death of this creature was immeasurably more important than the life of any mortal, but here he knew that nothing was truly real, except for them. _

_ The world seemed to slow as his full power exploded inside him and the creature's blurring attack became almost leisurely. Shikarou knew somehow that only a strike to the heart would end this, any other damage the creature would survive. _

_ The point of his katana slid into the creature's chest and the feel of bone shattering transmitted itself up the blade as Shikarou thrust. The creature's eyes went wide and it dissolved into black smoke which was sucked through the sword and into Shikarou. _

_ He screamed and heard Stardust's echoing scream as if far away as he collapsed to his knees and the hallway reformed around him._

_ He gasped for air as his heart slowed and the power drained away. Sometime during everything his sword vanished back to its home. Shikarou leaned against the wall and whispered. "Stardust?"_

_ She flowed up out of him like liquid and appeared, holding his right hand. "I'm here."_

_ "What happened?"_

_ "The construct was a mission and you completed it." She squeezed his hand. "It's over, but I'm not sure that was everything." She gestured behind him. "Look."_

_ Shikarou twisted to see the door. The weapon blister and the touchpad were gone. The door had changed and was now made of stone bound with bands of copper. The lock on the door was hugely made and there was no key. _

_ "How do I open it?"_

_ She touched his shoulder. "You have to find the key. Somewhere in your mind it must exist and this door can't be opened without it."_

_ "I'm tired." He hated admitting weakness, but it was the truth._

_ "You do not have to find it now." She smiled at him. "When you completed the mission construct, something changed and until you know what it is, you won't be ready to search for the key."_

_ He nodded wearily. "Will you help me?"_

_ "I have never seen anything this complex. Helping you to solve it will be my pleasure." She tugged at his hand. "Now we must go."_

Shikarou opened his eyes and looked at his watch. "I don't think any time has passed." He looked at Stardust as she slowly slumped forward.

He jumped up and gathered her in his arms, listening. Her heart sounded strong and regular and he couldn't see any injuries. "Circe, something is wrong with Stardust."

She appeared and placed her hands on her sister's head. Her eyes closed and her antenna hovered over Stardust's face. The Alaka-Wham gave a long sigh and opened her eyes. "She's going to be ok. What you two faced took a lot out of her and she needs some rest."

Stardust's eyes fluttered and slowly opened. She smiled slowly up at him. "I look a fright." She frowned and blinked rapidly. "What the hell? Put me down!" She struggled suddenly to be free and Shikarou dropped her legs to the ground and helped her to stand. She pushed away and grabbed Circe.

Circe helped her sister to the couch and got her settled onto it. Stardust gave her a frantic look. "I don't understand what's happening. Help me." Circe leaned down and pressed her antennae against Stardust's and they both closed their eyes together.

Shikarou leaned against Stardust's desk and watched intently as several minutes passed. Finally the two Alaka-Wham's opened their eyes and turned as one to stare at him with neutral eyes.

He held up his hands. "Whatever I did, I don't know what it is or if I should feel guilty about it."

Stardust gave him a slight smile. Circe did not. "Something happened while we were in your mind and it resulted in an unexpected effect."

"I don't see."

Stardust glanced at her sister with an almost impish look. "Should we keep him in the dark?"

Circe was still watching him. "I don't think it was deliberate, but when Branwyn finds out, she's going to be very pissed at him."

"Interesting, but don't let her hurt him. Not for a while, anyway."

Shikarou frowned. "Would someone tell me what is going on?"

Circe gave him a flat look. "You bonded my sister to you and not with an alpha bond."

Shikarou quickly rebuilt his shields. Stardust smiled. _You can't keep me out any more._ There was a feeling of vast amusement.

"Branwyn's not going to be pissed." Shikarou shook his head. "She's going to wait until I go to sleep and get a knife, but she'll do it very calmly." He sighed. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry it had to happen to you."

"I won't be much good in your harem."

He smiled. "I'm sure we can find a way to utilize you much more efficiently than you might think, but if you really want, you can stay here."

Stardust cocked her head quizzically. "Are you sure?"

"I am. We are delta bonded, like it or not, and right now I don't know you well enough to say either way. However, if you are like Circe, you are going to need some time to get used to having emotions, even if they are my leftovers. I would like you to spend some time with us while you adjust, but afterwards you are welcome to come back here if you want and I'll drop by from time to time to see you, and I don't mean just for taming."

Stardust looked at him for a moment and nodded. "I'll give it a try." She smiled. "At least now you can't get another psychic pokegirl to help you." She gave Circe a glance. "She couldn't think her way out of a paper bag, so you need me."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 61

Milktit Helen 54

Unicorn Branwyn 53

ElfQueen Gwyneth 48

Seraph Dorothea 45

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 42

Sphinx Lorelei 40

G-Spliced Pythia 38

Vampire Elizabeth 33

Titto Fumiko 26

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**MARGARITA, the Icy Chinchilla Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Animorph (chinchilla)

**Element**: Ice

**Frequency**: Rare

**Diet**: herbivore, pokechow, fruits

**Role**: pets, domestics, food preservation

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Dragon, Flying, Ground, Plant, Ice

**Weak Vs**: Fighting, Fire, Rock, Steel

**Attacks**: Ice Beam, Mist, Blizzard, Ice Wall

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Senses (4), Nightvision, Enhanced Speed (x3), Enhanced Agility (x4), Not Affected by Snow Blindness

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Chichi (Ice Crystal)

Margaritas change little from their pre-evolved state, gaining roughly 6 inches in height and a cup size. Their body fur, still luxuriously soft, becomes completely white. They also tend to be quite friendly, and they particularly enjoy snuggling. This particular trait has lead to their popularity among Trainers, seeing as they probably the most affectionate (not to mention warmest) Ice Pokegirls in the world. Combined with their decent skill in combat (and ability to learn), they tend to be a solid choice for a Tamer needing Ice support.

Wild Margarita prefer to live in desert climes, but above the level where snow falls. Wild Margaritas prefer to stay in cool shade (such as caves or rock structures that they build) during the day and forage at night like chinchillas, but this routine can be changed by a tamer, especially when not in desert climates.

The Margaritas usefulness in food preservation and cute-and-cuddly demeanor has led to them often being used as mascots for anything cold, from frozen food to food freezers, air conditioners to breath mints. Of particular fame is a Margarita named Eleanor, who appears in every refrigerator ad run by the Jahana Corporation. Originally kept as a pet by a Junior Executive of Marketing, her above-average appearance and distinct delivery won her a surprising following. She is noticeably more popular than most of the products she shills, with several fan groups devoted to her.


	16. Chapter 16

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 16: Bittersweet Sorrow

Dorothea settled down beside Shikarou and picked up his braid with a smile, which quickly evaporated as Branwyn gave her an annoyed look. "If she starts snogging that thing, I'm going to retch."

The Seraph flushed and her eyes narrowed. "The fact that thou is in such an awful mood does not give thee the right to display such an attitude to either myself or my lord."

"Awful mood? And I suppose you wouldn't know anything about being angry, would you, you bleeding paladin wannabe?"

"Thou may be my superior in the rankings of the harem but I will not allow thee to speak to me in such a foul manner." Dorothea's eyes blazed. "Thou are upset at my lord for something that I understand to be not his fault and I think thou know this and cannot find a way to retreat from thy position without looking foolish, which of course only makes thee more upset."

Branwyn eyes were slits and she hissed when she spoke. "No one addresses me that way. I'm going to kick your fucking ass, you bitch."

Everyone jumped as Shikarou hit the table so hard that it shattered and dishes bounced across the floor, their contents spilling everywhere. "ENOUGH!" Helen peeked out from the kitchen with a worried look as he continued and Branwyn and Dorothea stared at him in shock. "Branwyn, I realize that you are not happy about my delta-bonding with Stardust. It just so happens that you aren't the only one who isn't quite pleased about what has happened. Circe's upset and frankly neither Stardust nor I are thrilled about any of this." A low growl trickled from his throat. "Branwyn, you have crossed a line and you will apologize to Dorothea. Dorothea you will accept her apology." He took a deep breath and his ears slowly came up. "Now."

There was a quick flurry of muttered words.

He glanced at Helen as she lingered in the doorway and she blinked in surprise at the humor that suddenly lurked in his eyes. "Now you two kiss and make up."

Both pokegirls turned to stare at him in disbelief. He gave them a crooked smile. "You can't blame a guy for trying."

"My lord!" "Oh yes I can!" Shikarou flinched as he got smacked by both Branwyn and Dorothea hard enough to knock him off of his pillow, but his smile never faltered.

After the dining room had been restored to normalcy and the food had been restocked, Shikarou turned to his alpha. "We need to remember what happened today for the future."

She glanced at the Seraph who'd gone back to fondling her Tamer's hair. "What is that?"

"We just can't stop adventuring. When the time comes to settle down for a while, we're going to have to taper off or we'll be at each other's throats." He paused. "Again."

Branwyn's eyes jerked back to his and she looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're right and I'll work to keep that in mind. So we need to get back on the road. Any ideas as to what we'll be doing?"

"After breakfast I have a meeting with Lynn to discuss some plans she has; while I'm doing that why don't you see about open bounties. That'll get us out of here and hopefully get some money coming in." He frowned. "We need the action more than anything else, so don't limit your search to the Blue League, at this point I don't care where it is."

She nodded. "Ok." The Unicorn glanced over his shoulder. "Dorothea, you have protection detail today."

"Yes, my alpha." Dorothea sighed and patted his braid one last time before coiling it beside his knee.

"That reminds me," Shikarou mentioned. "We also need to find Dorothea a sword. She's got a lot of weapon related attacks, and we need to make them available to her for use."

"My lord?" Shikarou looked at his Seraph. "While Armsmistresses can master any weapon at a touch, my skills are more specialized and thou need to know this."

"What is your specialization?" Branwyn looked curiously at Dorothea.

"My preference is for sword and shield. I am quite proficient with it and mine enemies do not face that style often and are usually quite discomfited by it."

Branwyn raised an eyebrow at Shikarou, who shrugged. "You heard the lady. Besides, anything that discomfits our foes is a good thing."

"Ok, I'll look for that as well." She frowned. "Could Yushiko make the shield?"

Dorothea nodded. "It is likely that she can. I shall inquire of her after my duties are over for the day."

Shikarou slid to his feet. "Sounds like everything is under control here, now I get to find out what Lynn wants."

Lynn stroked his face as his head rested in her lap, the ElfQueen's favorite position for their talks. "Xantha has sent me an envoy."

"Who is Xantha?"

"She's the ElfQueen from the lands around the Conservatory. The one who works with Poppet. "Fingers traced over his lips. "She has sent a message that claims that she rules all of Scotland and everything north of it, including Caomh Sith, and that I am her vassal."

Shikarou kissed her finger. "Is this the opening round of some kind of negotiations, or is she serious?"

"Her threats are quite serious. She is claiming tribute and other things." Her tone darkened. "Including access to you."

He scowled slightly. "Do I need to take my harem and explain to her that I don't belong to anyone?"

Lynn shook her head. "Not just yet. However, I would like to send an envoy of my own and I'd like to borrow Gwyneth to do it. I've spoken to her and she's agreed to act as my agent in this matter and she's actually quite excited about what I'm planning." She smiled. "With your permission, of course."

"What is it?"

"You understand that we need to plan for the future, both the near and far, and I've been trying to do live up to my responsibilities as your queen."

Shikarou gave her a suspicious look. "So what do you want?"

She smiled. "North Uist."

"I'm afraid you skipped a couple of steps in your explanation. Try again."

Lynn dimpled. "I know, I just wanted to get to the bottom line and then backtrack so you know right away where I'm going with this." She went back to stroking his face. "I've done some checking and I haven't been able to find a preserve for Elves anywhere on the Earth, and I'd like to turn North Uist and Benbecula into one. Not only would it provide us with a haven, but it would create a buffer against human expansion from the north."

"What does Branwyn think about this?"

She frowned. "It's none of her business. She rules the harem. I rule Caomh Sith."

"So who will rule the preserve?"

Lynn looked hesitant for the first time. "I was actually thinking about Gwyneth. I'm happy here and Gwyneth is stronger than either me or Xantha." She traced an ear and smiled when he flicked it against her finger. "I'm hoping that Xantha will see reason and agree, but if not, Gwyneth is strong enough to fight free of her people and return here." Her face tightened. "At that point, we two ElfQueens will make war on Xantha and conquer her."

"Can you do that successfully?"

She nodded. "I believe so. As Gwyneth travels to Xantha's court she'll be collecting every elf and fairy that she runs across and sending them here to be awakened."

"Awakened?"

She smiled. "I like that much better than domesticated."

He smiled slowly back at her. "Awakened does sound good. I like it too."

"Gwyneth will also be collecting any good plant types and frankly anything else she runs across." Lynn smirked. "You've taught me that everyone has something to contribute and I intend to use that in your kingdom."

"What about the Blue League?"

"Once Xantha signs on, one way or another, I'll search for any other courts in the Blue League and send emissaries to them as well, if any exist. Once we speak with one voice, then we contact the Blue League and discuss the preserve."

"One voice, huh? Yours?"

Lynn twisted a lock of her hair around a finger and teased his nose with it, making his face wrinkle as he fought a sneeze. "Gwyneth will be the queen of the preserve, so it should probably be her voice. However, we both belong to you, so if you were to present my suggestions to her framed in a suitable fashion?"

"Direct orders, perhaps?"

She gave him a mock thoughtful look and smiled. "I can live with that."

"I'll bet you can." Shikarou sighed. "You're asking me to release Gwyneth for the foreseeable future."

Lynn nodded. "Yes, but in the long term this is a good thing, both for the Elves and for you. You will someday be the king of two lands and in a thousand years, after Gwyneth and I are gone, you'll be able to watch your children sit on two thrones and protect our people."

He looked into her eyes and minutes drifted by as he calculated probabilities. "What do you want me to do?"

She smiled softly. "Be ready to back us up if we need it, your harem would prove to be decisive, even if I'm hoping to keep this 'in house' so to speak."

"Just Elves, huh?"

"If I can. If not, I'll use every tool I can get my hands on, including you."

"We'll be ready. When do you want me to release Gwyneth?"

"Would yesterday be too soon? Xantha's demands have irritated me and Gwyneth and I need to start planning our response right away, she didn't leave us much time in which to work."

"I'll explain it to Branwyn."

"Thank you, my king." She leaned down and kissed him gently.

Branwyn gave him a hard look. "So Circe gets her sister in the harem and Gwyneth gets a fucking kingdom! What do I get?"

"It's not like that, and you know it."

She nodded slowly and crawled into his lap. "I know," she admitted. "Hey, I get Gwyneth out of my harem. At least that's something."

Shikarou hugged her until she sighed and relaxed against him. "I don't have any plans for Stardust to join the harem. In fact, I'm going to ask her to work in the clinic."

"What about her therapy practice in Glasgow?"

"She doesn't really like it, and some people are starting to ask some hard questions about her after the mayor's wife nutted and killed his JigglySlut."

Branwyn nuzzled in against him. "Was she involved in that?"

"Up to her antennae. It turns out she convinced the mayor's wife that she hated the pokegirl enough to kill her, so one day the woman threw a radio in the bathtub with the JigglySlut."

"Ouch. Why did Stardust do that?"

"It turns out His Honor was trying to restrict pokegirls from owning their own businesses by significantly raising the taxes on any business that wasn't directly owned by a human. Apparently getting his wife to commit murder was her way of protesting the idea. Well, that and the scandal neutralized the mayor's powers completely."

Branwyn giggled. "And now she has a Tamer. Is that ironic or what?"

"It's certainly amusing. So are you still mad?"

She bit him gently on the neck. "If I say no, will you still hold me?"

"Always, my love, always."

"Then I'm not angry." She kissed the bite. "I'm just not happy at how fast things are suddenly changing."

"Hey, I'm with you." They were quiet for a minute. "Did you find any bounties for us to go after?"

"Well, there is the usual collection of obvious death traps, but other than that, no. Oh, there's a Widow callout somewhere in the Crimson League and there's the usual bounty for catching some of the Limbec pirates, but there isn't really anything else out there. Things are quiet."

She paused. "Well, there is a reward for helping to rebuild a Ranch in the Indigo League, but I wasn't sure you'd be interested in that. The reward's not that high and it would be a lot of work."

"Where is it?"

"The Tendo Ranch. It was demolished not too long ago in a Team Trauma attack and Soun Tendo is trying to rebuild." She frowned. "Someone really likes him; the cost of the rebuilding is being almost completely underwritten by outside investors, which in this case is a thin screen covering government funding. However, he's apparently having problems getting construction teams out to where he lives and so he's been offering a cash incentive as a reward."

Shikarou nodded. "I think we'll pass. I read Devon's report of the place and I've got enough pokegirls."

"I agree. I heard some rumors that he might try to substitute an equivalent value in pokegirls as opposed to actual cash." She nibbled his neck suggestively and arched as his hands slipped under her blouse and caressed her skin. "I've asked Aggie to tell me if any other emergency reports come in."

"Ok." Shikarou slipped his arms under Branwyn and slid to his feet.

She raised her head and gave him a suspicious look. "Where are we going?"

"Bed."

"Oh, good. I was hoping you'd take the hint."

Shikarou sat on a pillar at the end of the Peacetown pier and idly watched the seabirds as he tried to decide where their travels would lead them next. Dorothea stood guard nearby and cleared her throat quietly. "My lord, thou have a visitor." He nodded and continued watching the birds.

"Tonosama, I have been looking for you." Shikarou blinked at both the voice and the words and almost fell off of his perch as he twisted around in surprise.

"Yoshihara-san." It was Yoshihara Masato. Apparently Juniper had led him out here, the Omegan stood behind the old man with a pensive expression on her face. Shikarou winked at her and she visibly relaxed; her antenna lifting as she realized he wasn't upset at the interruption.

Yoshihara waved a hand. "Masato, please, or should I call you lord kami?"

Shikarou smiled slightly. "Masato-san, it is a pleasure to see you again." His ears canted sideways. "Although I must admit that I am surprised to see you here."

"Junko was home visiting and she brought me here." He grinned. "She's already gone on to Glasgow," he carefully sounded out the name, "and so I will have to ask for a ride home."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." He gestured at a bench. "Please, sit. Dorothea, this is Yoshihara Masato, Fumiko's grandfather and Yushiko's great-grandfather. Masato-san, this is Dorothea, my Seraph."

Masato's eyes twinkled. "Another pretty one; this is becoming a habit of yours." Dorothea flushed slowly as he openly ogled her.

Juniper sat down next to Masato and gave him a hard poke. He jumped and turned to her as she smiled. "If you keep staring at everyone else, I'm going to go."

He frowned. "No, that won't do." He turned to Shikarou. "I am sorry."

Shikarou gave Juniper another wink and she grinned back. "I forgive you, Masato-san. Now you need to get Juniper to do so, however that is for somewhere else and another time. Why are you here?"

Masato scowled. "The Yakuza are getting worse in Tomakomai. I do not tell you this in hopes that you will do anything about them, but last week they killed my student."

Shikarou blinked. "Keiichi?"

Masato shook his head. "No, Keiichi is the master of the smithy. I am speaking of my student, Miyagi Arata."

"The young man who disappears as soon as I arrive." Shikarou remembered him now, he was painfully shy.

"Hai. His brother is a policeman and refused to work with them. Arata was killed to punish him." He sighed. "I am here because of a promise, and I wanted to talk to you beforehand."

"Promises are very important." Shikarou nodded in understanding. "What promise do you need to discuss with me?"

"When Fumiko was a child I promised her that if my student left me, I would give her the chance to be my new student." Masato's eyes met Shikarou's directly. "Things are different now, but I made a promise. She has worked hard in the smithy and I would be proud to take her as my student and teach her everything that I know." He put a slight stress on "everything".

Shikarou blinked and thought furiously. "She will remain mine."

Masato's smile was cunning. "I thought as much. Her training will take many years."

"I understand. However, if she is interested, I will allow it. What about Keiichi?"

"Many people need swords these days. What about him?" Shikarou looked surprised at Masato's casual dismissal. "Fumiko will not open a smithy in Edo, will she? No. And is she not family? Her mothers understand what is happening and they are happy for her opportunity."

So Keiichi wouldn't be a problem, at least not for long. "Very well. Perhaps it would be best if you spoke to her alone and let her come to me afterwards."

Their conversation was interrupted as one of the golf carts Lynn had recently purchased purred onto the pier and stopped near Masato's bench. Helen got out and grabbed a folding table from the back. "My lord, you have a guest and you haven't eaten lunch." She began filling the table with covered plates.

Shikarou shook his head. "Masato-san, this is my Milktit, Helen. Helen, this is Yoshihara Masato, Fumiko's grandfather. Helen, do you hide somewhere with a telescope and watch me?"

Masato chuckled as Helen gave Shikarou a mischievous smile. "That is my secret."

Shikarou slid off his perch. "Well Masato, get ready for some good food."

Masato grinned. "Old men like me are always ready for that."

Branwyn gave him an unhappy glare. "What am I missing here? Why are you so pleased that Fumiko is going to Edo for several years?"

"Let me explain. First of all, Fumiko is really excited about this and I want her to be happy. Second, I'm not giving her up; it just means that we'll be going to Edo every week so I can spend some time with her. Third, Yoshihara Masato, the premier sword maker in Edo, is a man who uses a style that dates to long before Sukebe was ever born. He has only taught one other person how to make swords the way he does. When a man like that offers to teach Fumiko this art she jumped at the opportunity, not only because he's her grandfather, but because she loves sword making. Later we will be opening a smithy here on Caomh Sith for her use."

"Lastly, this solves our problem." He grinned.

"Which of our many problems does it solve?" Branwyn did sound more content with the world; she was looking amused for the first time since the conversation had started.

"The Yakuza killed Masato's student, Miyagi Arata, in order to punish his policeman brother. So that means we get to go to Edo, kick the Yakuza around to tell them that the Yoshihara's family kami is more than a little pissed at them, take everything that isn't nailed down, and if we give the police a little warning about why this is going to happen, they are likely to look the other way."

Branwyn stared at him in shock. "You really think the police will stand aside?"

Shikarou gave an evil smile, one full of dark promises. "Police everywhere tend to protect their own as much as they can, and if they are being frustrated by the Yakuza they are unlikely to want to stop me. Even if they don't want to stand aside, I still need to punish the Yakuza."

"As for the Yakuza, angering a kami is a very bad thing and mere mortals tend to run for cover for a reason. I intend to remind the Yakuza about what happens when you ignore spirits and I am planning to be quite firm. I expect that the survivors will be much more respectful."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "We'll have to be careful not to hurt too many bystanders or break too much stuff."

"Yeah, I know." He gave her an amused look. "I also know that the after action reports tend to be written by the winners. So the breakage gets blamed on the Yakuza."

"You're serious." She slowly smiled. "We are going to have so much fun."

"Circe, call the Ka-D-Bra and let her know she needs to come as soon as she can."

The Alaka-Wham nodded. "I'll go to Edo and contact her." She vanished as Branwyn folded up her pokedex.

"Losing Gwyneth dropped the average level of the harem and lost us our only plant type. Do you want to move Misaki to active status?"

"No. She's happy where she is. We've made do before and we'll do it again. So what's our composition look like now with the deletions?"

"Ok, you've got nine pokegirls in your active harem right now and if we break them down by type, you've got five magic, two psychic, two flying, two fighting, one steel, one dark, two ghost, one electric, one normal and two Celestials."

"Wow, nineteen pokegirls in nine. Not too bad."

"Unless you find a pokegirl battle that involves cooking, you have eighteen in eight. I would strenuously recommend leaving Helen out of any fight."

"Your advice is duly noted and agreed with." He nodded. "In a dire fight, Helen will be operating the PPHU to bring other pokegirls back to full strength."

Circe appeared. "She won't be able to get away for another six hours. That's 2000 in Edo."

"That'll be noon here." Shikarou frowned. "Training?"

Branwyn nodded. "First we need to redefine the teams. Do you want to use Dorothea in this?"

"Yes. We'll be fighting criminals and I'm hoping she gets her butt kicked in the first fight."

Circe looked surprised. "Why?"

"Seraphs have a tendency to start out at low power and measure out their response to their targets, depending on their innate toughness and healing powers to protect them." Shikarou grimaced. "Nice, but if I want that, I'll order it. I want her to learn the art of the fast and dirty takedown and Yakuza are sneaky enough to piss her off when she starts her games."

Branwyn nodded. "Once we get to Edo, where are we going to start?"

"With Miyagi Arata's brother, Miyagi Ozuru. He's the policeman they were trying to control. After that, we'll pay the oyabun a visit and work our way through anyone involved in the killing. The police are touchy about this sort of thing, so it's likely the oyabun ordered the killing personally. He'll start us on the chain."

"Are you going to kill him?"

Shikarou smiled grimly. "Nothing so pleasant."

Kebi pushed her way through the crowd like an icebreaker as she stayed close to Shikarou's path through the shopping district in Tomakomai, never moving more than a handful of meters from him as they traveled but roaming ahead and dropping back as she moved along his base course. He watched her with an amused expression, wondering what she was stealing as they went and looking forward to finding out. Nothing useful, he was sure, but he suspected that she was never sure what she'd get when her hands dipped into someone's pocket or purse and the trinkets were usually amusing.

**Stop for a minute. Please turn a little to the right, I'm using the sensor array in your backpack and you are blocking it with your shoulder. Your other right. There is a Sanctuary Goth up the street.**

"Where?" he muttered.

**Look a little to your left. There**. An unassuming woman flashed with a blue outline as Aggie injected a signal into his visual cortex. She was leaning against a wall and watching people go by as she smoked a cigarette. A bored look was plastered on her face. **That is the S-Goth.**

Shikarou motioned Kebi to him. "Are there any others?"

**I don't know. Do a slow circle and I'll find out.**

Kebi laughed as he slowly turned in a circle, peering around as if trying to get his bearings. She spun in place to imitate him. "Kebi like."

**No. She's the only one.**

Shikarou looked around. It was almost 2300 and the place was still packed with people as they flowed up and down the street and eddied into buildings to shop. "Kebi, see the woman up ahead, the one in the red top with the cigarette?"

Kebi looked. "Kebi see, she paint." Indeed the woman had tattoos that crept over her collar and around her neck.

"Yes. I want you to stay in front of me and knock her down. Can you do that and make it look accidental?"

She grinned. "Kebi do. Stay close."

Shikarou kissed her nose. "Wonderful." She beamed and surged down the street towards the Sanctuary Goth.

Later, Shikarou decided that sheer artistry was the only way to describe what happened. Kebi was striding down the street one second and had actually passed the Goth when she slipped and fell backwards, knocking the disguised pokegirl sprawling.

Shikarou grabbed her by the elbows and apologized loudly as he pulled her to her feet, holding her close to him, and no one noticed his hand plunge into her chest. Her eyes went wide and she relaxed as he finished the conversion. Kebi put a hand on his shoulder and helped to block the view of passersby.

He brushed dust off her clothes as he whispered. "Are you under observation or actively watching someone else?"

"No, they are still in the shop."

"Good. Follow me." They stepped into a corner and he turned so she could continue watching where her target was. "Give me your phone."

Aggie invaded the software smoothly and made a few changes.

"Use this code to reach me. Call tomorrow morning and tell me about yourself. No calls over two minutes unless it's an emergency." The number she was dialing would be read by the software and changed slightly, sending it to a nonexistent number that Aggie could reach. She would fake his voice unless he needed to talk to the Goth in person.

"Yes, sir." The Goth frowned. "There is my target."

"Continue on as before."

The Goth stubbed out her cigarette after a final draw and headed down the street almost idly.

Kebi laughed. "Neat."

"Fortuitous is the word you want."

Her eyes crossed. "Four two us."

He chuckled. "Close enough. Let's move on, we've still got to get to the policeman's apartment." She smiled and started down the street. "Oh, and Kebi?"

She looked. He held out his hand. "My coins?"

A grin stole across her face and she dug into one of her skirt's many pockets to produce a handful of change which she dropped into his hand before skipping off.

Miyagi Ozuru stood in the darkness that was his apartment, looking out the window and silently raged against the universe. _His_ was the dangerous choice. _His_ was the dangerous life. _His_ was the dangerous profession. _His_ younger brother was the one to die because _he_ wouldn't take a bribe.

His cigarette burned his fingers and he stubbed it out with a grimace. The voice came from behind him. "That's a lousy habit."

Ozuru spun, his hand clawing for the gun that wasn't there. It hung from its place behind the intruder as he stood in the darkness. He snarled at his enemy. "What do you want?"

"I am going to punish the Yakuza and I wanted you to know that this is going to happen." The voice was calm and even. A sphere of light began to glow as it hovered in midair, revealing what looked like a human, but Ozuru knew that it was not. Black ears rode too high on the head and long hair drank the feeble light. "I am the Yoshihara kami and the Yakuza have forgotten many things that they should not have. I am going to remind them of a few of these things." Fangs glinted as it spoke.

"Why tell me?" Miyagi's voice was harsh with exhaustion.

"It is the death of your brother that brought their parting with tradition to my attention. I know that the police have been forbidden to exact vengeance but I understand the desire that burns in your heart. I will do what you cannot."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"I do not want you to throw away a career because your superiors are in league with the Yakuza. I expect you to be an even better policeman than you are now because of what happened and I expect you to take pleasure in what I am going to do to the Yakuza. I am not going to destroy the Yakuza, they provide a service. However, Miyagi Arata was Yoshihara Masato's student and that placed him under my protection. The Yakuza will be reminded that they anger kami at their peril."

Miyagi's eyes burned. "How can I help?"

"Find out which police serve the Yakuza. There is a shrine at the Yoshihara smithy and there you can tell me who they are." A glint of teeth flashed in what was not a smile. "They passed knowledge along to the Yakuza about your brother. They will also be punished. Will you do this, Miyagi?"

"Hai. I will." He frowned in the semidark. "You will kill them?"

"There are worse things than death, Ozuru, and the Yakuza are about to find this out firsthand."

The kami leaned against the wall and passed through it as the light went out, leaving Miyagi in the darkness, his spirit burning with a new fire.

Circe watched Shikarou with a neutral expression on her face as he stepped away from Elizabeth. "Thanks."

The Vampire nodded. "That was fun." They kissed briefly before he turned to the Alaka-Wham.

His ears canted in the darkness. "What?"

"What was that about? First, you have me read his mind and then you have Elizabeth phase you through his walls. Why?"

He smiled. "It sets the tone for what's going to happen and I needed the help." His face sobered. "The man has the soul of a samurai and he's been forbidden to take revenge for the death of his only sibling and the last of his family. Seppuku would have been a waste of his potential, but it was his only option. Now he gets the chance to not only get revenge, but to clean up the police, at least a little."

Circe looked surprised. "He's in the same situation you were in with Pallaius. That's why you sympathize with him."

Shikarou looked uncomfortable but nodded. "Sometimes you are just a little too perceptive."

"So now we visit the Yakuza oyabun?"

"That's right. Next we visit Suzuki Tadao and his son Danjuro." A grim smile. "Now it begins."

Shikarou looked around as Elizabeth escorted him down the hallway. Danjuro's room was just ahead and he was grateful for the invisibility the Vampire provided. This was supposed to be a supernatural visit and she was being a great help. None of the guards had any idea that they had been successfully invaded.

He slipped the door open and crept inside as Elizabeth stayed in the hall. Danjuro was a twenty year old who was the designated heir for his father, Suzuki Tadao, although his father showed no signs of handing over the reins of power and so far Danjuro appeared to be content to wait.

Although he didn't know it yet, Danjuro's wait was officially over, although there was a price to be paid, Shikarou thought as he pulled out his wand and touched the young man on the forehead with it, stealing control over his voluntary muscles. _I am glad he's sleeping alone. I don't like hurting bystanders._

Shikarou extended the claws on his right hand and drove one into Danjuro's leg, about half a centimeter deep. The young man's eyes flew open and he tried to yell as pain lanced up his thigh.

Shikarou leaned over until they were eye to eye. "I am the kami of the Yoshihara clan." Danjuro's eyes got big. "So you know why I am here. Good. That will save time. I know that your father ordered the death of Yoshihara's student, Miyagi Arata, and because he was staying with the Yoshihara's, that makes it my right to seek vengeance. Tonight you will become oyabun of the Tomakomai Yakuza."

He smiled, teeth glittering. "However, I want to make sure you remember that if you do anything to disturb the Yoshihara clan, I will be back for the rest of you. You see, I'm going to take a small piece right now to help you remember the old ways. Remember: disturb the Yoshihara clan in any way except by shopping for a sword and I will pay you another visit. You do not want that." Shikarou smiled and drove a claw into Danjuro's right eye.

Danjuro tried to scream as the fluid ran down the side of his face but couldn't. Shikarou watched for a moment and then turned and left the room.

He proceeded quickly down the hall to Tadao's room, halting only to peer around the corner for guards. Elizabeth gave him a curious look as she followed but remained silent.

Once inside the room he looked around. Suzuki Tadao was sound asleep with a blonde Catgirl curled up with him. Shikarou watched her for a moment, weighing his options. Finally he decided and nodded to himself as he moved to the other side of the bed.

He cocked his head. _Circe, do you have the information on the killers?"_

_There were four of them. I have their names and addresses._

_Good._

As his hand slipped into Tadao's chest the old man's eyes opened and he gasped. The Catgirl moved but didn't awaken, which saved her life. Shikarou pulled Tadao's soul from his body and the old man went limp.

The kami held up his hand and blew on it and the soul flickered and vanished. He spent a moment observing his work. Tadao's eyes were open and once a minute he would blink. If fed, his body would live out the rest of its span, but nothing would ever change again. Perhaps this would serve as an adequate warning.

Branwyn nibbled delicately on her breakfast. "So, what now?"

Shikarou smiled. "Now that the Yakuza are in disarray, we go hunting. We take out the four killers and take all of their stuff."

"Are you going to enslave them?" Circe grabbed a roll from his plate.

"I'm not planning to. Why?"

"We could use the males on the island."

Shikarou looked thoughtful and then shrugged. "We'll see."

"Hey you! I challenge you for the Unicorn."

Shikarou didn't even look up. "Go away."

"So, you refuse me, you coward."

Shikarou sighed, turned and hurled a chopstick, taking the belligerent Tamer in the forehead. The impact knocked him sprawling and he lay unmoving in the street. "Oops." He looked at his remaining chopstick and put it down to use his hands. "Where were we?"

"Discussing the Yakuza." Branwyn finished her tea and signaled for more.

"We'll start at their residences and go from there. I'm not interested in killing their families, not this time, so if they aren't there, we wait." He frowned and squashed a roll into a tiny ball before popping it into his mouth. "I may have made a tactical error in letting Danjuro know who I am. If he's warned the killers, they may go to ground."

"What do we do then?"

"Kami aren't known for their patience. I may have to threaten their families to get them to break cover." He shrugged. "Hopefully it won't come to that. Besides, you telepaths may be able to find out where they are hiding from their families."

Circe nodded and pulled out a piece of paper. "Our targets are Shimada Katsuhiko, the brothers Ueshima Eichi and Maresuke and Takekawa Akira." She reached over and plucked Shikarou's handheld from his belt and activated it. "I want my own computer. Ah, the Ueshima brothers live the closest to here."

Shikarou stood up. "That's as good a place to start as any. Who is supposed to be guarding me today?"

"Elizabeth." Branwyn smiled. "However, Yushiko would provide better cover on the walk over." She glanced significantly at the fallen Tamer, who was starting to stir. "Fewer people would randomly scan her just to see if she's a pokegirl."

"That's a good point. Yushiko can escort me over."

"So, what are the standards in regards to pokegirl battling here in beautiful city of Tomakomai?"

Yushiko's voice came from slightly behind him as they walked down the street; she was on guard duty and that's where she'd decided she should be. It also helped them to blend in with the crowd as women were historically subservient to men and the addition of pokegirls had only made that tradition more prevalent. "My lord, here a pokegirl battle is called a duel and the standard Edo dueling practices are observed. Tamers fight alongside their pokegirls and standard duels can have up to two pokegirls on each side."

"And how do the Yakuza duel?"

"They tend to follow the traditional paths as far as formal dueling is concerned. In private or a dark alley all bets are off, but in public the proprieties are still observed."

"All right." Shikarou looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'd actually prefer to take them in private, but public works as well." He swerved into a quiet area and summoned his sword and scabbard.

"Your weapon is more decorative now," Yushiko observed. The scabbard and hilt were still black, but now both were decorated with inlaid gold and green wolves.

"It changes sometimes." He shrugged as he slid the weapon into his belt. "It got a lot plainer when I gave up my shrine and now that the situation has changed again, so has it."

Yushiko was looking the scabbard over. "Will you change my wings to match your scabbard?" She glanced up. "Just change the dragons to wolves; I'm happy with the red color."

"If you want." He glanced around. "We are a couple of blocks from the Ueshima residence, so it's time to swap you out with Circe."

"My, lord, a suggestion?" She smiled when he raised and eyebrow. "Use Pythia instead. She is a telepath and will confuse anyone who scans her."

"That is an excellent idea. Confusion to our enemies it is."

Seconds later Pythia joined him. "Me?"

"Unknown telepath."

"Ah. Clever."

He smiled. "Yushiko."

The Armsmistress sighed. "Are you aware just how annoying this pidgin of yours can be?"

Pythia smiled. "Hai."

Yushiko shook her head. "If they are as confused as I feel from time to time around you two, we have nothing to fear." She winked at Shikarou as he recovered her.

"Here are the people we're looking for."

Pythia looked at the pictures displayed on his handheld. "Taste?"

"I have no idea how their minds feel."

She nodded. "Are you going to keep any of them?"

"I haven't decided yet. Suggestions?"

"Kill these; enslave any who try to help." She fluffed out her shoulder length blue hair as they walked. "That will discourage more help in the future when you have to do this again."

"I'm hoping that won't be necessary."

Her ears canted sideways. "You expect their descendants to believe it could happen to them?"

"Always with the good news. How?"

"Take them someplace else and enslave them there. If they leave and don't come back it will be fairly unnerving, especially if they have dependants." She cocked her head. "I know you don't want to kill people that others may depend on, but someone depended on Miyagi Arata and they didn't care. If you do, it will limit your response." She frowned. "Unless."

"What."

"Take them all. Enslave the adults; raise the kids as free beings on Caomh Sith." Her eyes watched his. "It's the kids that bothers you, so give Molly's kids some playmates and help give Caomh Sith a future."

He looked thoughtful as they walked. "It's a good idea, but not one for revenge. Paralysis for interlopers, death for the killers." He grimaced. "Besides, I don't want to fill Caomh Sith with my slaves. I want people who will disagree with me if they think it's important enough and slaves won't do that."

Pythia stopped and turned to face him. "That explains why you refuse to put a slave in your harem."

"That's right."

"Ok, you're the boss." She slipped her arm through his. "But you'll consider it for the future?"

"It's a good idea. We'll probably make stops in Scotland looking for orphans and small families looking for a chance to start somewhere nice."

"Boy children will be hard to get."

"Then we clone them." He gave a whimsical smile. "Or we turn Kebi loose in a nursery and ask her to steal some kids."

"Ah, here we are." Shikarou pulled a bag out of his backpack and Pythia moved to face him. She scanned the neighborhood as he tossed her bits of cheese and she caught them in her mouth. People ignored them.

"Woof. Woof."

"Cute." He tossed her another chunk. "Now that is interesting. To your right is not one of the Ueshima brothers, instead we have Takekawa Akira."

Pythia glanced where he indicated and a piece of cheese bounced off her nose. She glared. "You ass."

He snickered and tossed another piece.

Her eyes unfocused. "I'm in his mind. He's looking for the brothers. He's worried. All four of them were supposed to meet here before going on to a warehouse down at the docks, but he suspects that they went on ahead without him. They've abandoned him before."

"Don't you just love good friends?"

She snorted. "Depends on how they are prepared." She flicked an ear and caught more cheese. "He's done waiting and is going to his girlfriend's place. I have the address."

Shikarou stuffed the cheese back in his pack. "We know where he will be and where the brothers and possibly Shimada Katsuhiko may be. Let's check out this warehouse."

"There are three in there, the Ueshima brothers and Shimada." Pythia opened her eyes. "I can't tell more from here."

"Pokegirls?"

"I didn't detect any; however a psychic type could hide herself from me."

"Remind me to ask Faelan if he knows a spell of clairvoyance."

Pythia chuckled. "I will. So how do you want to do this?"

He sighed. "Old school. Elizabeth turns me invisible and I peek in windows."

The warehouse was a multistory building and from the outside Shikarou couldn't tell if the interior had multiple floors or not. It was old and dilapidated, like the rest of the neighborhood and exuded an air of decay.

"We could burn it down and claim it is urban renewal."

Pythia gave him a hard look. "Nice try, but I want to watch you explain that one to Dorothea as well as the police." She pointed. "From that rooftop over there. That way they won't think I'm involved and later I can rescue you."

"All right, all right. Windows and roof it is."

Pythia landed on the rooftop and let Shikarou go as Yushiko and Dorothea landed next to them. He released Branwyn, Circe and Elizabeth.

"Ladies, I wish I knew what they had in the way of pokegirls, but I don't." A brief smile. "I will in a couple of minutes, but that doesn't make things any better."

Branwyn grinned. "If they're too strong, we run and fire the building behind us." She blinked as Pythia groaned. "What?"

"Never mind. Team one is Branwyn and Circe. Team two is Pythia, Yushiko and Dorothea and Elizabeth and I are team three. Humans die; pokegirls get saved if it doesn't endanger anyone on our side." He grinned. "I want to surprise them if possible. Circe?"

"They are watching a vid, some social documentary, I believe. They have no idea that we are here."

"Excellent. Ladies, team one opens the ball with fireball spells, team two uses thunderbolt on any moving humans. Elizabeth and I are backup."

Dorothea gave him a hard look. "Miss Elizabeth, I would be most grateful if thou were to ensure that my lord is kept safe, despite whatever intentions that he might have."

Circe lifted her head as Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply. "They are letting out their pokegirls!"

"Shit." Shikarou grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Let's go."

The Vampire smiled and pulled him to her before wrapping her arms around him from behind. "We have to do this right." They dropped through the roof and into the warehouse proper, turning invisible as they fell. Once in the room, Elizabeth hovered as Shikarou looked around. It was one large room, subdivided by a few partitions and dimly lit.

Shikarou and Elizabeth were the recon team, his presence would allow Branwyn, Circe and Pythia to teleport in behind them, but he had to see the interior first. He had just enough time to recognize that the men were all naked and that the pokegirls were either naked or getting that way. One was kneeling and giving a man head He also noted that the movie was a porno.

Circe teleported in and dropped Dorothea as Branwyn appeared on the ground and Pythia appeared in midair, releasing Yushiko to soar to the side. The pokegirl performing fellatio looked up with her mouth full of dick and her eyes widened just before two fireballs exploded in the middle of the beginning orgy.

Figures flashed with blue outlines in sequence as bodies flew in all directions. Flash. **Mistress.** Flash. **Draco.** Flash. **Dark Lady.** Flash. **Electrocat.** Flash. **Killer Queen.** Flash**. Lemure. Warning: Dark Lady capable of teleport.**

"Yushiko, Dorothea, Pythia, the one with the long brown hair is a Dark Lady. Primary Target. Take her down." Lightning flashed from three different sources and hammered the Dark Lady as she slowed her fall. She dropped, screaming. Yushiko hit her with feather shuriken and the screaming stopped.

"Elizabeth, you have the Draco. I'll assist."

"Goody. I get to try my new spell." They swept forward as Branwyn used mach breaker and smashed into the Mistress as she crept along a wall, crushing the smaller pokegirl with her quad form. She then used stomp on her prone opponent, breaking bones with each flashing blow.

Dorothea screamed as the Lemure used backstab to teleport behind her and drive a blade into the Seraph's back. Dorothea whirled and the Lemure danced away.

Circe picked up the Killer Queen with telekinesis and drove her headfirst into the ceiling. The fact that two support beams were in the way of the journey didn't slow her down any, the Alaka-Wham used her as a battering ram. A needle spray from the Electrocat slapped Circe spinning and she was forced to drop the unconscious Killer Queen, who crashed to the floor below.

The Electrocat's joy was short lived as Pythia teleported in behind her and used tectonic slam, blasting the electric pokegirl flying. The whole building groaned and shifted and dust and fragments of rock pattered down.

Elizabeth dropped Shikarou in front of the Draco who pulled up her charge at Branwyn when he appeared out of thin air and his sword whispered from its scabbard. She hissed and began to charge Shikarou when Elizabeth's ice beam spell took her high in the chest and sent her flying backwards. Elizabeth's second bolt speared the Draco in midair and sent her careening in a tangent to her original course. She hit the wall and slid bonelessly to the ground.

The Lemure hit Dorothea again with backstab, knocking the celestial pokegirl stumbling forward. Dorothea whirled and used mana bolt at point blank range. The Lemure used absorb to counter the bolt and responded with hypnotize. Dorothea crumpled and the Lemure continued the assault with dream eater.

"Circe." Shikarou watched as the Alaka-Wham used psychic on the Lemure, who screamed in agony and went to her knees as Yushiko hit her with feather shuriken and Branwyn used magic missile. The Lemure was dying before she hit the floor. "Branwyn, stabilize the wounded. Everyone else, look for pokeballs." He recovered Dorothea and tucked her into his belt.

Capturing the enemy pokegirls was amusing, the pokeballs had been scattered all over the room, so once they were located all six of the Yakuza pokegirls were unceremoniously dumped in a pile and a pokeball was pointed in their direction and activated to see who got sucked into it.

Shikarou checked on the humans, driving his sword into each one's throat. He wiped the blade as he returned to the group and Circe frowned in the low light and summoned a light globe. "Let me see your sword."

He shrugged and held it up. Circe shook her head. "Do you see anything wrong with it?"

"No. Anyone else?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember the blade being black."

Shikarou gave them an odd look. "It's always been…" he broke off as he thought about it. "You are right," he said slowly. "It was silver before. For some reason it feels normal. No, it feels _right_."

Branwyn smiled slightly. "Back to Stardust you go." She turned to the Alaka-Wham. "Circe, I want you to monitor your sister's work and help out. Please try to keep him from bonding any more of your family."

Circe gave her an annoyed look. Shikarou sighed. "We still have one more Yakuza to take care of and Dorothea needs healed."

_If she blames me for that accident one more time I'm going to challenge her to a duel. Will you allow it?_ Circe's emotional state was much more than just annoyed.

_Are you sure you can win? And do you want to be alpha, because you know that's how she'll see such a challenge._ There was a feeling of amusement from Shikarou. _Not that I'm not tired of hearing about it as well._

_I will wait a little longer, but my patience is not infinite._

_Thank you. If she doesn't start calming down in a day or two, I'll see if I can deal with it._

_He knows you are coming._ Circe's message resonated in Shikarou's mind as he stepped out of the elevator. She was in the stairwell with Pythia while Branwyn waited with Yushiko and Dorothea in the alley outside the apartment building. Elizabeth stirred beside him as she received the same warning.

"Be ready." He stopped outside the girlfriend's apartment door and knocked. "Takekawa Akira?" The door creaked slightly open and Elizabeth started.

A quavering voice, female, called out. "Come in, dread lord." Shikarou and Elizabeth exchanged a confused look.

He pushed the door open and peeked in the doorway, expecting an attack, the signs of a hurried escape, anything but what he saw.

Four people were facing the door as they lay prostrate on the floor and his quick glance told him that there was one male and three females. Shikarou frowned and stepped into the doorway. His eyes narrowed and his ears flicked. "Akira?"

The man bobbed his head against the floor. "Master, please don't kill me."

"Explain yourself."

"Master I did not participate in the murder of Miyagi Arata and I was not even there I never wanted to join the Yakuza my father was one and I was expected to join I will serve you loyally forever and my girlfriend is pregnant and I am going to have a son and please don't kill us!" He took a deep shuddering breath as his girlfriend started crying and his pokegirls visibly trembled.

_All in one choppy go._ Pythia stood next to Elizabeth. _What are you going to do?_

Shikarou gave the man a disgusted look. "Get up. All of you." When no one moved he growled. "Now!" They jumped to their feet as if levitated. "So you want to live, do you Takekawa?" The man nodded frantically.

He looked at the woman; she was human and just starting to show. "And you want him to live."

She nodded just as frantically. "Hai, dread lord."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed and a growl sounded in his voice. "If you call me that again, I will kill everyone in this room. Master, lord or Shikarou."

Everyone turned white, but the woman managed to stammer out, "Hai, lord."

Shikarou suddenly looked tired. "Pythia, get Circe and Branwyn down here and take these people to Caomh Sith." I'll be along presently and take their oaths of loyalty."

"Yes, Shikarou." A minute later Shikarou stood alone in the room. He sighed and got himself a glass of water. Elizabeth and Yushiko watched him anxiously from the hallway.

"Oh, stop that and close the door behind you," he snapped irritably.

Yushiko touched his shoulder as Elizabeth pulled the door shut. "Are you ok, lord? Why were you angry?"

"Dread lord is the title given to an oni, especially one with delusions of grandeur. I may be a little touchy, but that I will not put up with." He sighed. "Ok, maybe the 'I'll kill everyone in this room' bit was a little over the top, but blood and darkness, that's a pretty serious insult."

Pythia nodded. "I understand. After all, all you did was come here to kill her man."

"That's right." Shikarou blinked. "Are you making fun of me?"

The G-Spliced just grinned, her muzzle wrinkling in amusement.

His eyes narrowed. "You are going to come to an evil end, mark my words." His tone was amused.

Circe appeared. "Branwyn is getting them settled down in the clinic. You gave the woman quite a fright and she tried to go into labor." She shrugged. "Candace says she'll be fine." She gave him a brief smile. "Stardust says it's nice to see you aren't a wimp."

Shikarou sighed. "That man is a physical and moral coward. He makes me ill." Snort. "He must be something other than Japanese."

Circe glanced at him. "Your prejudices are showing."

"So? What are his pokegirls?

"He's got an Amazonkapoeraa and a Geogal."

"Good. Make him a construction worker. That will hopefully keep him out of anything that he could cause mischief with." He looked around. "Women usually like having their things, so pack it all up."

"You are being fairly nice to someone you were planning to execute."

Shikarou laughed. "I'm being nice to the woman, who has done nothing to me. He just gets the reflected largess."

Circe nodded. "And if they break up?"

"I'll reevaluate his usefulness."

Branwyn teleported in. "They're in the clinic." She gave Shikarou a hard look. "Are you aware that she almost lost the baby because of you?"

"She almost lost the baby because of stress. You are not going to blame that on me."

"Nevertheless, Candace is upset with you. That is a boy and we can't afford to lose him."

Shikarou gave her a flat look. "You will never, ever talk like that to me again. Every child is just as important, no matter whether a boy or girl, and don't you ever even hint that boys are more important. Am I clear?"

Branwyn looked startled and then nodded. "You are quite right. I'm sorry. Maybe I should talk to Candace before you do."

Shikarou rubbed the glass against his forehead, savoring the coolness. "Drop it. What we have to do next is get everything packed." He poked at the tabletop. "And I hope she doesn't really want to keep this cheap furniture."

"Then don't take it." Elizabeth flashed him a quick smile when he looked at her. "Then she can't keep it."

"No, I want her to have the choice, for all we know this stuff might hold some value to her." He grinned as his black mood dissipated. "I can hope not, but you never can tell."

Pythia sighed. "So now we are Kami Movers. Is that a corporation or just a one kami show?"

He chuckled and got up. "It's a one kami and his harem operation. Now, let's get started."

Faelan stared at his brother. "You don't want _any_ of them?"

"Well, let's apply a little logic to my situation. If I brought the Dark Lady, the Killer Queen, the Mistress or the Lemure into my harem, after killing them Branwyn would come after me and you know what, I'd deserve it." Shikarou made a dismissive gesture. "Kebi is far better than the Electrocat, which leaves the Draco. I did consider her, and Branwyn urged me to, but the simple fact is that she's just not powerful enough and the way my life is going she'd get killed before I could evolve her." He gave his brother a direct look. "I'm actually hoping that you'll take her."

"You were dropped as a child, right?" He rubbed an ear. "I'll talk to Svetlana and see."

"Thanks." Shikarou handed him a pokeball. "Here she is."

"What part of I'll talk to Svetlana did you not hear?"

"The part where you said you'd keep the Draco in the meantime."

Faelan blinked. "Oh. I suppose I could do that." He took the ball. "This doesn't mean anything, understand?"

"Sure."

"So what are you going to do with the others?"

"Originally I'd sell them to Poppet, but I want to try out a new auction website that Branwyn and Aggie found."

"What's it called?"

Snort. "What else? PokEbay."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 61

Milktit Helen 54

Unicorn Branwyn 53

Seraph Dorothea 46

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 43

Sphinx Lorelei 40

G-Spliced Pythia 40

Vampire Elizabeth 35

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**ELECTROCAT, the Excitable Electric Cat Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Electric  
**Frequency**: Uncommon  
**Diet**: prefers fish, chicken, milk, and rice. Usually finds finer brands of pokechow acceptable.  
**Role**: home security  
**Libido**: Average  
**Strong Vs**: Electric, Flying, Steel, Water  
**Weak Vs**: Dragon, Ground, Plant, Rock  
**Attacks**: Bite, Scratch, Slash, Spark, Static Barrier, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Needle Spray, Jolt  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Hearing (x3), Enhanced Reflexes (x3), Enhanced Sight (x3), Enhanced Speed (x2), Night Vision, Body Spikes  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Merrowl (Thunder Stone)  
When a Merrowl is given a Thunder Stone, she evolves into an Electrocat. Electrocats usually have yellow coats of fur, though white patches in it are not uncommon. Very rarely there are Electrocats with deep blue fur. Their bust size remains the same as it was as a Merrowl, something they are usually disappointed about. The hairs on their coat of fur can be consciously made to stand up with their own static electricity, making it so that opponents who physically strike them take damage from the needle-hairs. These hairs can also be flung at enemies a short range away. Electrocats are usually found in cities, disliking wilderness areas where there are lots of plants and Ground-type Pokegirls that ground her natural electricity.  
Electrocats have been recently touted as the new Pokegirl to have for home security. Their basically lazy nature, common to almost all cat Pokegirls, means that they are unlikely to try and run away or even leave home, so they're likely to be around when someone tries to break in. Using their Thunder Wave and Static Barrier to stop thieves without hurting them too badly, as well as their own natural body hairs as needles, Electrocats are fast becoming the pet Pokegirl of choice for people to adopt. If this keeps up their Frequency rating may soon shift from Uncommon to Common.  
Electrocats are decent fighters, and fight better from a distance. They like to use Spark and Thunder Bolt to try and electrocute their enemies before they can close, minimizing risk to themselves. If they feel that their foe is making a serious attempt to get close for hand-to-hand combat, they'll use Static Barrier to keep them at a distance and Thunder Wave to try and paralyze them. Should close combat be unavoidable, an Electrocat will flare out the hairs on her coat of fur for defense and begin using her physical attacks, trying to use Needle Spray to open more distance between her and her enemy. They have one sex attack, Jolt, where they deliver a small shock to their opponent's sensitive areas, the jolt exciting them the same way a pinch or a slap would.  
Electrocats enjoy being on the bottom during Taming. Their basic lazy nature leads them to want their Tamer to do all the work. They do their fair share though, knowing that a dissatisfied Tamer is one who won't work as hard to please them. They also make sure to never flare out their hair into needles when being Tamed, no matter how much ecstasy they're in, since doing so would seriously damage their Tamer's willingness to Tame them again.  
Feral Electrocats become more rowdy than they would be ordinarily. They tend to use their electricity more often, giving small shocks to anyone around them. They also tend to wander somewhat in this state, usually venturing further abroad than they would care to if they had all their wits. Even in this state though, they won't wander too far, and will usually stay in the same general area. Threshold girls don't usually become Electrocats. Thanks to the recent propaganda campaign about the uses of Electrocat pets though, girls who do become Electrocats are finding their families to be slightly more understanding than they usually would, although that isn't saying too much. Still, Electrocats are now considered one of the better types of Pokegirls to become if Threshold is unavoidable.

_**KILLER QUEEN, the "CALL ME QUEEN!" Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Poison/Plant

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare

**Diet**: human style, heavy on meat

**Role**: S&amp;M Queen

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: weak-willed individuals, Plant, Rock, and Water

**Weak Vs**: Fighting, Magic, Psychic

**Attacks**: Strike of the Motionless, Hydra Whip, Circle of Pain, Love Sting, Ensnaring Kiss, Enslaving Kiss, Erotic Kiss, Spine Grind(*)

**Enhancements**: Can attack twice in one round if wielding whip, increased toughness, stronger Hypnotic Gaze/Voice, Healing Factor, ability to summon her personal whip

**Evolves**: N/A

**Evolves From**: Dominatrix (normal)

Killer Queens are generally slightly taller and have a fuller figure than Dominatrixes. Most adore presents of jewelry, but love crowns the most.

Once a Dominatrix makes the step into being a Killer Queen, her personality changes again, but how greatly it changes is determined by how much she was able to indulge in her S&amp;M fetishes and how weak-willed her "tamer" is.

A strong-willed tamer will get a very powerful and very loyal lover who is very similar to the Dominatrix in reasoning. She wants everyone in the harem to enjoy themselves, even if it means temporarily bending their wills to her. These Killer Queens are, perhaps, the rarest of all.

An above average-willed tamer will have the Killer Queen's loyalty, but may to watch her regardless, as she will try and dominate all of the other Pokegirls in the harem.

An average-willed tamer will find themselves constantly butting heads with the Killer Queen over who is in charge. The Killer Queen will take any opportunity she can to try and ingrain some trained reactions, subtle signals for the tamer to bend to her will. The most control-happy of the Killer Queens may even try to use Enslaving Kiss and various mind-control poisons to slowly program the harem towards being loyal only to her if the tamer remains obstinate.

A below average-will tamer will find themselves quickly losing control over their own lives, as the harem, under the Killer Queen's command, will begin assisting the Killer Queen's agenda, even when she isn't present.

A weak-willed tamer is the Killer Queen's personal doormat. Nothing more. She will control said tamer's entire life to the point that they are completely unable to eat or sleep without her permission.

Giving Killer Queens a bit of control, either by allowing them to do as they please in a battle, giving them a Pokegirl to "play" with or even making them Alpha, is a tricky ordeal. On the one hand, if it's made clear to the Killer Queen that she has earned this bit of control, she will enjoy it immensely and become more loyal to the tamer.

However, if it's simply given to her, she may take it as a sign of weakness. Showing signs of weakness to a Killer Queen is quite dangerous unless the tamer is absolutely certain that she's loyal, and even then, it should be done sparingly. In 113 AS, a Killer Queen in a weak-willed man's harem once took over half of Tentaculus before being stopped. It was this incident, soon followed by many other such examples that made the Killer Queen unpopular, which is why most tamers who get a Domina or a Dominatrix are HEAVILY advised not to let them evolve into a Killer Queen.

(*) - **Spine Grind **(ATK 15 AND/OR 35) - Useable by anyone with a pair of stiletto-heeled shoes, the Pokegirl drives the heel into her target's body (not necessarily the spine). Unless properly trained or a Domina (or one of it's evolutions), the target will only take damage. Only properly trained, the user can use it as either a sex attack, a normal attack or, in some cases, both.


	17. Chapter 17

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 17: Preparation

(03/19/99 0730 Blue Continent)

"Do you like your new rooms?"

Stardust smiled slowly. "They aren't my office building, but they'll do. Will I ever have my own place again?"

"If you want it, then yes." Shikarou glanced at Circe. "Thank you for being here."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure I can be of any real use, but I realize that you two are still in the beginning phases of your relationship and I'm the only person both of you trust."

Stardust settled back in her chair. "Are you ready to try this again?"

"Would it make you feel better to know I'm as nervous as you are?"

She winced. "No. Did it occur to you that I might be nervous only because you are?" A glance at Circe. "My sister tells me that it will be a month or so before I start generating my own emotions, so whatever I'm feeling right now probably comes from you."

"I can't do anything about that, so I'm not going to apologize."

Stardust gave him an appraising look. "You know what you are responsible for and won't take blame for what you are not." She nodded grudgingly. "That is a good start, since I feel the same way." She closed her eyes. "Let us begin."

About fifteen minutes later everyone opened their eyes. Stardust got up and got a pitcher of water and some glasses. "Well, that was a waste of time."

Shikarou had a thoughtful look on his face. "I disagree. Oh, we didn't find a hint about the key or why I think my black sword is normal, but I learned something very interesting."

"What?" Circe stretched. "Oh great master, what did you see that these poor mortals could not?"

Shikarou ignored the theatrics. "Circe, you don't have a lot of telepathic powers, right?"

"That is correct."

"Stardust, on the other hand, you don't have a great deal of telekinetic ability, do you?"

"I don't have any."

Shikarou smiled mysteriously. "How's your back?"

Stardust blinked at the sudden change of topic. "Fine."

"It doesn't hurt or anything like that?"

"No." She gave him a suspicious look. "Why?"

"You should be in agony most of the time. Alaka-Whams use a low level of telekinesis to support their breasts, and without any telekinesis you should be in a lot of constant back pain."

Stardust gave him a startled look. "That is absolutely correct." She frowned as she twisted her spine slowly. "No, it doesn't hurt. Why didn't we think of that?" she asked Circe.

Shikarou answered first. "Easy. All of you were tested before puberty and you 'knew' that you had no TK before your body started to develop and therefore you presumed that nothing had changed."

Stardust gave him an annoyed look. "All right, Mr. Expert, what do you think is going on?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I have a suspicion, but I'll need your help to prove it."

"Ok. This is becoming interesting and I'm willing to help. What do we need to do?"

"We need to perform a careful examination of Circe's mind with your power and my knowledge."

Stardust made a face. "That's sick. My own sister? No way."

Shikarou looked interested. "Now that is an interesting response, and well in line with my theory. Were you raised to believe that going into a sibling's mind was wrong or is this something that you experienced?"

Stardust shrugged. "It just is."

"Why?" Shikarou sipped at his water. "It's not an academic question." He frowned. "Let me explain."

"Heaven forbid," Circe said in an amused voice. "You explain something. We might as well expect you to grow wings."

"Ha. I have had you two in my mind at the same time and much about you appears identical."

Circe shrugged. "Of course it does, we're sisters. I mean we are from the same egg and it was duplicated before we developed. I guess that makes us twins."

"And yet your powers are almost diametrically opposed."

"What are you getting at?"

"Your mothers can't seem to not meddle. I'm wondering if they didn't meddle with you." He frowned. "I think, considering Circe's telekinetic strength and your telepathic abilities, that the Pleiades would have taken one look at your individual power levels and blocked some of your abilities away to keep you from being able to access them, thus removing the possibility that you would become a threat."

Stardust frowned. "You actually think they would do something like that?"

"That's what they do."

Circe frowned. "He's right. That is what they do, especially to perceived threats. And making us believe that being in each other's minds is abhorrent would make sense then. They don't want us to find out what's in each other's minds."

Stardust frowned at her sister. "You really want me in your mind?"

Circe looked frustrated. "The thought still makes my skin crawl even though I now have an idea why, but if having you in my mind can make me a stronger telepath, I'm willing to give it a shot."

Stardust looked at Shikarou. "What makes you think you can find anything that they might have done?"

"I am the only person on this world that I've found to actually have had formal training in psychic powers and techniques, which includes systematic methods of identifying tampering. I know what to look for."

"Why were you trained?"

"My father discovered that I have a tiny bit of both telepathy and telekinesis and insisted that I undergo formal training." He smiled. "Part of that training gave me the knowledge I use to build my shields."

Stardust sat upright. "Your shields are incredible. Will you teach me how it's done?"

"Yes, I will. After we investigate for Circe's and your full abilities."

"All right, you convinced me. We'll do Circe first; if something goes wrong and we fry her brain she might not even notice."

Shikarou sighed. "Could we please dispense with the sniping? This is going to be difficult enough."

Stardust nodded. "Sorry. I want to see what you are talking about. Let's get started."

The three of them closed their eyes again and another half hour passed. Circe groaned and held her head as she opened her eyes, followed a few seconds later by Shikarou and Stardust.

"That was incredible." Stardust sounded like a teenager who'd seen her idol. "Not only have I never employed a technique like that, I've never even heard of one like that."

"And without it, we would have never found the tampering in Circe's mind." He took her hand. "How do you feel?"

Circe smiled. "My head feels like I've been beaten by a Legendary, but you were there when I touched Fumiko's mind. I've never been able to reach that far."

Stardust grabbed Shikarou's other hand. "When can we do me?" she asked eagerly.

"As soon as Circe gets a clean bill of health, we'll schedule it." He frowned. "We may want to conduct your survey outside." A smile appeared. "The surge of power that happened when we unlocked Circe's true power was bad enough when it was telepathic, but if your telekinesis does the same thing, I'll have to rebuild the clinic and bury some bodies."

Stardust shrugged. "What was so bad about it?"

"I went along for the ride." He grimaced. "I did not need to know that my brother is taming Svetlana right now and I really didn't need to experience it from Svetlana's point of view." He shuddered. "Ick."

Stardust started laughing and finally collapsed against Shikarou as she howled with glee.

(03/21/99 0730 Blue Continent)

Shikarou looked around. Circe, Branwyn, Lorelei, Stardust, Elizabeth and Pythia looked back at him. "We're here because I want to train all of you in the psychic techniques that I learned. The normal range of lessons usually takes about a year, but we are going to use dream time to shorten the absolute time, although the subjective time should remain about the same. I've already explained to each of you what I have in mind and Elizabeth has kindly agreed to help put people to sleep and stand guard until we are done. Are there any more questions?"

Lorelei nodded. "If these techniques actually improve my telekinesis or teleportation a great deal like you said they might, mother is going to be very interested. May I tell her about what happens?"

Shikarou thought for a moment. _She'll inform Sexmet no matter what you tell her, so you might as well give her permission._ Branwyn's thought whispered through his mind. Sadly, he agreed with her.

"I guess you can." Lorelei looked pleased at his response.

"Anyone else?" He nodded when there was no response. "Very well. Elizabeth, Pythia, please begin."

About ten minutes later, everyone's nap was over. Branwyn shook her head. "That Willow was a stone bitch, wasn't she?"

Shikarou shrugged. "She had the unpleasant job of taking a minor psychic and teaching him a whole lot of stuff he would probably never use. It's just a good thing that she did so I could teach you."

"I don't care what she had to do; if we ever meet she's in for a serious ass kicking." She glared at nothing in particular. "No one treats you that way." She smiled. "Well, I can, but nobody else." Stardust managed to turn her laugh into a cough.

Circe sighed. "Anyone care to try what we've all learned?"

Branwyn grinned. "Me first." She cocked her head and suddenly chuckled. "Mother is going to give you a call, Shikarou, wanting to know where we are."

In turn, each of them tried out the techniques he'd taught them and in each case there was a marked improvement.

Shikarou gathered them around. "Ok. Now we need to learn to use our enhanced powers in a combat environment. Branwyn will be assigning teams and training will commence at 0530 tomorrow morning in the arena. Pythia, Circe, Stardust, a moment please. Everyone else; today is a free day. Branwyn, they're all yours."

Branwyn grinned. "Ok, he said it's a free day. That means you belong to me instead of him. The assignments are…"

Shikarou tuned her out as he touched the minds of the three pokegirls he'd mentioned by name. Even for him this was becoming easier, although his power increases were of a much more modest nature than anyone else's. His telepathy was up to a couple of kilometers and his telekinesis could now move buttons instead of BBs. Small buttons. Large ones tended to wobble and stay in place. _Ladies, I want to get you together sometime in the next couple of days and conduct an experiment. It shouldn't hurt any of you and might be of more than just academic interest. With your telepathic powers added to Pythia's dream time, I want to experiment to see if the effects of a level five conditioning cycle can be reversed._

Stardust blinked. _Ambitious, aren't you. That will be quite a challenge._ She smiled. _Fortunately for you, you're cute and I like challenges._

_Will you be helping us?_ Pythia gave him a curious look.

_If you three powerhouses think my modest telepathic abilities will be of help, I will place myself at your disposal._

_You have a knack for seeing things that we don't and for thinking so far outside the box that we can't even see it._ Circe sent him a feeling of affectionate amusement. _We will need a pokegirl to experiment on. Can you get us one?_

_I already have a test subject lined up._

(03/21/99 0930 Blue Continent)

_I think you have a problem, Shikarou. Svetlana just stormed into the tent looking for you and she took Dorothea with her when I told her you were near the pier._ Branwyn's touch was getting smoother each time she contacted him.

_Thanks for the heads up, but couldn't you have lied to her and told her I was somewhere else?_ Shikarou slid off the piling he'd been sitting on and looked around. _Damn. She can see me._

_Sorry, dear one, she caught me off guard and I didn't have time to come up with something. Besides I think I'm spending so much time around you I don't think about lying anymore._

_All right. I've got Pythia, if I have to she can teleport me away._

Svetlana didn't look pissed, she looked like she thought she should be pissed but wasn't completely sure. Dorothea looked confused.

"Shikarou, I need to have a word with you." She gave him a stern look. "What did you do when you were in Edo?" Dorothea vacillated between standing next to Svetlana and standing next to Shikarou. He gave her a tiny smile and she relaxed slightly.

"Is it really any of your business?"

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth firmed. "Do you know why the former head of the Yakuza in Tomakomai is in a hospital?"

Ah. Shikarou knew this was going to go badly; the only wild card would be Dorothea. This could be interesting, but why not make it fun? "Do I get three guesses and is there prize if I guess right?"

Oops. Now Svetlana was angry. "Don't play games with me!" She stepped up and poked him hard in the chest. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer."

Shikarou grabbed the finger and twisted it backwards, driving the Megami-sama to her knees in pain and surprise. "Don't ever invade my personal space when you are upset unless you want an immediate fight." His voice was an angry growl and his ears were flat. "And never, ever, presume to treat me the way you might treat my brother. I am willing to tolerate your behavior, but only to a point." He let her go and she got up and backed away, rubbing her finger.

She mollified her tone slightly. "Did you or did you not do something that might have resulted in the former head of the Yakuza ending up in the hospital alive but without a soul."

Might as well get this over with. "Yes."

She froze. "What did you say?"

"I took Suzuki Tadao's soul."

The Megami-sama paled slightly. Interestingly enough Dorothea looked pleased. "What, what did you do with it? I demand you return it right now!"

"I cannot."

Svetlana's voice became shrill. "And just why not?"

"It is gone. Suzuki Tadao's soul is forever lost." He eyed her briefly. "He paid the price for his crime."

"Did you blind his son, too? His eye won't heal!" Her voice rose.

"I did not blind him. I left him one eye, that he might see the error of his ways." Shikarou was calm now, with a slightly amused look.

"How dare you decide to do those horrible things to people?" Her voice was almost a shriek.

"I am kami."

She stopped in mid tirade. "What?"

"You asked how I dare to do these things. I dare because it is my right as a kami. They violated a protection that I had laid on the Yoshihara family and I responded as is my right and my responsibility." He smiled humorlessly. "I actually chose the more moderate response."

Her mouth twisted sardonically. "Blinding a man and taking another man's soul was moderate, was it? What would you consider an extreme response?"

"Others would have left nothing in that building alive, not even the vermin in the walls."

She glared at him. "And why didn't you do that?" He noticed Dorothea perk up.

"There were people within the Suzuki building that were innocent of the crime I came to punish, and not recognizing that fact would have meant that I had failed in my duty. In my role as a guardian kami I only bring harm those who harm what is under my protection, none else." He watched out of the corner of his eye as Dorothea nodded slightly.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Svetlana's voice was shrill.

Shikarou cocked his head curiously. "Why do you think that you can give me orders? I know that I have never given you that impression. I hope that my harem hasn't given you that impression either because it is a false one."

She glared at him. "Fine, I want you to promise that you will never do that again."

"I can't do that. I can assure you that I will only use it on those who deserve it, but I won't make you any promises that limit my options." A haunted look slid across his eyes. "I did that once and it was a mistake."

"Then you leave me no choice. I will have to speak to Faelan."

He nodded. "You will do what you must." Svetlana vanished as she teleported.

Shikarou waited a moment and turned to his Seraph. "Yes, Dorothea?"

She hesitated. "My lord, did this man deserve what thou did to him?"

"I believe so. He ordered a young man killed because the man's brother, a policeman, wouldn't take his orders. That young man was living with the Yoshihara's and was therefore under my nominal protection." His voice was bleak. "I couldn't prevent his death, but I could avenge it."

"Did thou make this decision lightly?"

"No. It was not an easy action to take."

"Thou were very firm with Svetlana."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "She deserved it."

Dorothea returned the smile. "Yes, she did and I was surprised that thou showed such restraint." She slipped her arm through his. "Thou are not what she thinks."

"And what do you think I am?"

She flushed slightly and glanced at Pythia, who was busy pretending she wasn't there. Dorothea leaned forward and whispered, "I think that thou are very admirable and that thy actions were just." She hesitated. "And I would like to ask if thou would tame me."

Shikarou didn't hesitate for an instant. He smiled and put his hand over hers. "Let's go for a walk."

She smiled and her flush deepened. "I would like that, my lord."

The walked off the pier and into the nearby trees as the golf cart rolled onto the pier. Helen got out and looked around. "He was here a minute ago." She gave Pythia a look. "Where is he?"

The G-Spliced smiled. "He's in the woods with Dorothea." Her ears canted sideways. "She asked him."

Helen stared. "You must be mistaken."

"Nope."

(03/21/99 1400 Blue Continent)

Faelan sat down in the spare chair at the table as Dorothea glanced at him and then went back to observing the other people in the inn. Shikarou chuckled suddenly. "This is the reverse of when we met at Wick. Well, you didn't bring a bottle of cheap wine, so not quite."

Faelan got straight to the point. "Are you going to kick me off your island?"

Dorothea gasped quietly and returned her attention to the table as Shikarou gave his brother a curious look. "I wasn't planning on it, why?"

"Svetlana told me what happened. I know you don't like being touched by strangers and she was out of line." He sighed. "I can't promise that it won't happen again, you know that."

"Aye, I do. She's a Megami-sama and believes that the universe will fall apart without her Celestial duct tape." He gave Faelan a hard look. "Next time she does something like that she and I are going to fight."

"I'll warn her. Hopefully it will help. Thanks for letting us stay."

"Faelan, you are my brother and I want you to stay here. Your harem, too." He sighed. "I didn't think about what Svetlana's reaction might be." A slight smile. "It wouldn't change what I did; I'd have just been ready for the whole angry Megami routine. I really hope she calms down once she gets pregnant."

"So do I." He glanced at Dorothea. "Thanks for not being mad."

"This is our home." Shikarou shook his head slowly as he stressed the word 'our'. "We are the only existent members of our family and the last of our clan and for better or worse, Svetlana is part of your family, which makes her part of mine as well, by proxy if nothing else. It will take a lot more than her invading my personal space to really make me angry." He smiled softly. "Until Dorothea joined me, I thought that you having Svetlana was a mistake on your part, but they do have their benefits. My Celestial is kind of soft and cuddly." He grinned.

Dorothea turned bright red.

Faelan bit off a laugh. "Yeah, they can be that way." He frowned thoughtfully. "I never knew you could touch souls, at least not before the whole Mantis thing took place. I'm surprised you don't use it more often."

"I'm kami and you are Sidhe, but we are both Tirsuli, thanks to father. Taking someone's will and reshaping it to yours has to be one of the worst things that can happen to someone, but I will do it if I think it's necessary."

"All right." Faelan stood up. "I'll talk to Svetlana." He sighed. "Order is more like it." He snorted. "I'll order to Svetlana."

"Good luck."

(03/21/99 1900 Blue Continent)

Shikarou dropped the cloth wrapped bundle on the table in front of Dorothea with a clank. She looked from it to him curiously as he smiled. "While not exactly what you asked for, apparently no one makes small shields these days. Even Yushiko is stymied."

The Seraph quickly unwrapped the gift, revealing a matching sword and dagger set. "It is wonderful, my lord." The sword was 105 cm long with a blade 85 cm long with a heavily ribbed basket hilt commonly known as a mortuary sword. The parrying dagger was from the same period and matched the sword. There was also a sword belt and scabbards for both weapons.

Dorothea looked like he'd given her diamonds. "I will wear thy gift with pride, my lord."

"Good. You can use it in training in the morning." He watched with amusement as Dorothea had to belt on her new equipment immediately and then went looking for Yushiko in order to show it off.

"She seems happy." Branwyn watched the Seraph with an amused expression. "Sometimes it's hard to remember just how young they are." She glanced at him in time to see his smile. "Don't give me that look just because you are five times my age." Her expression changed to curiosity. "When is your birthday?"

"Fall." He shrugged. "That's as close as I can tell you, kami don't celebrate birthdays."

She nodded. "We'll work something out. Here we give a small gift, if anything. Most pokegirls don't care."

"If you think it's necessary." He seemed distracted.

"What is it?" She touched his arm and he blinked. "Shikarou?"

"Sorry." He slipped an arm around her and Branwyn nestled against his side. "Starting tomorrow after training, Circe, Stardust, Pythia and I are going to run some tests to see if we can reconstruct the personality of someone who's been through a level five conditioning program and I've been thinking about that."

She nodded. "Eventually you'll need a pokegirl to work on. Will she be hard to find?"

"No, I already know where there's a suitable test subject and Aggie will change the records to indicate that I'm her Tamer when I need to get her. She's been through the conditioning and then was placed in long term storage. Her owner never reclaimed her."

"When will she be ready for adoption?"

"Technically, never. Someone set her up with a loop that periodically changes the records indicating when she was placed into storage, so she never becomes available."

"My god, how long has she been in storage?"

"Aggie found the original records which indicate she's been in there since 226 AS."

Branwyn choked. "That's over seventy years. That's even before Mao's rebellion. Good lord, go get her now."

"There's no reason to get her now, in fact if I do then I'll have to tame her. The conditions are supposed to be the same as with Maeve, so I want to do this without her being bonded to me or else I'll have to do the same thing when we rescue Devon's Mini-Top."

"All right, but she stays even if the procedure doesn't work."

Shikarou eyed her firm gaze for a moment. "Agreed. She'll join the harem no matter what."

"Good. She'll need a caring Tamer after all of this." A glint of humor appeared in her eye. "Since we don't have one of those, you'll just have to do."

(03/22/99 0530 Blue Continent)

Branwyn blinked. "You're up early."

Candace smiled as she settled down at the breakfast table. "I wanted to catch Shikarou before training started, and I know that to do that I have to get here before your breakfast ends. Is he around?"

"He's in the kitchen, taking care of Helen. He'll be out in a couple of minutes."

"Master fuck!"

Branwyn chuckled at Candace's sudden shocked expression. "That's right, Kebi. Now eat your breakfast." She waved a hand over the table as the Ria cheerfully went back to shoveling shredded potatoes and eggs into her mouth. "Care for something to eat?"

"No thanks; I believe that eating before sunrise is unhealthy."

"Does tea count as eating?"

Candace grinned. "Of course not. Tea is one of the things that helps to keep the spirit going." She poured herself a cup and made an inquiring gesture in the direction of Branwyn's cup with the teapot.

Branwyn nodded. "Please." As Candace poured she buttered a slice of toast. "So what do you need him so early for?"

"We got the results of his bloodwork back and there were some irregularities."

"Of course there were, he's not human."

Candace shook her head. "It's not that simple. When he took his Tamer's exam I drew a blood sample for DNA analysis, per standard procedure. His new sample is different from the original and some of the new results are, um, disquieting."

Branwyn gave her a flat look. "Explain." When the NurseJoy gave her a stubborn look back, her eyes narrowed. "I'm his alpha and if you think you can keep secrets from me about my Tamer, you are wrong. You will tell me what is going on if I have to hold your feet to the fire myself."

"He needs to know before or at the same time you do." Candace still looked stubborn. "He's my patient, not you."

"Fine. I'll be there as well."

"That is his call to make." Candace sighed. "I know you love him, but you aren't his wife and legally you have no right to the information unless he allows it. Torturing me isn't going to change that."

Branwyn started to answer when Shikarou popped out of the kitchen. "Candace? I thought getting out of bed before eight would kill you unless there was an emergency." He frowned. "Is there one?"

Candace looked at him over her tea. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Your bloodwork came back and something odd seems to be happening. I wanted to catch you before training and talk to you about it." She glanced at Branwyn. "You might want to continue this in private."

The Unicorn's eyes narrowed. Shikarou nodded. "You are probably right. Branwyn, have Pythia start the training after breakfast, I want you and Circe to hear whatever is going on."

Branwyn blinked. "Ok, I'll talk to her."

"Candace, does anyone else need to be involved?"

"Poppet knows already and she's at the clinic waiting." The NurseJoy ignored the sudden angry look that appeared on Branwyn's face. "She did the analysis and brought me the results, now she would like to be in on the discussion." She glanced at Branwyn. "She has some specialized information that may be very useful."

Shikarou frowned slightly. "Well, that makes sense since she's got an emotional investment in me and hates being left out." He gave Branwyn a quick smile. "Kind of like you. So, were you threatening her?"

Branwyn flushed slightly. "Maybe a little."

"I really wish you would stop that. Candace was only doing her job."

"She said I didn't have any right to know because I'm just your alpha and not your wife." Branwyn glared at the NurseJoy.

"That is the way the Blue League's law is structured," Shikarou admitted. "Maybe we'll have to do something about that."

Branwyn transferred her glare to him. "You can't change Blue League law." She snorted. "You'd have to use Scottish law and marry me."

"That's about how I figured it too."

Branwyn turned white and then red and suddenly stared at the tabletop. "That's not funny," she muttered quietly.

_I am not teasing you. I will marry you someday and perhaps someday should come sooner than later. I love you and I am going to spend the rest of your life with you._

The Unicorn stared at him, her heart in her eyes. Suddenly she crawled into his lap and started crying softly. Shikarou wrapped his arms around her and cradled her gently. "Candace, we'll be along in a little bit. Thank you for the information." He watched the NurseJoy as she nodded and quickly left. _Pythia, I want you to supervise training today. Circe, meet me and Branwyn at the clinic._

Pythia touched his mind gently and he could feel Circe's presence at the same time. _I'll take care of it. You've made Branwyn happy and confused._

Circe was more amused. _Emotional judo. I wonder if it would work for me?_

_Circe that is enough out of you. Meet us at the clinic. Twenty minutes._

_ I'll keep Poppet occupied while the two of you bond._

(03/22/99 0630 Blue Continent)

"Circe told us you said you'd be here half an hour ago." Poppet gave Shikarou an unhappy look.

Branwyn shook her head. "That's what he thought, mother. It's my fault we are late, but we're here now. Just let it go."

"I don't like being kept waiting while you two are off having sex."

"Mother, when you join the harem then you might be able to bitch at me. Until then, feel free to return home." Branwyn gave her a direct look. "And just this once I'll tell you that we were not taming."

"What were you doing?"

"Shall I get you a pokeball? No? Then why don't you tell Shikarou what this momentous secret is."

Shikarou turned to Candace. "Branwyn tells me that there is a discrepancy between the blood samples you took a couple of days ago with the ones you took," he frowned, "a hundred and eighty three days ago." His eyes widened. "I've been here six months." A smile. "Seems like six days in some ways and six years in others."

Both Unicorns dropped their argument to hear Candace. "Ok, I think a little review of procedure is needed here. In most leagues, when a Tamer takes his or her test, they get a blood sample drawn for genetic identification." She shrugged. "There is some archaic rule in the original league formation that required it to ensure that the Tamer who was going out was actually the one taking the test. These days that sample is used to program the pokedex with the Tamer's ID and it's also used to set up his accounts when he becomes a Master Tamer or Breeder. We also use it to screen for blood gifts and curses since in many cases this may be the first bloodwork that someone from a farm has ever had."

"Being nonhuman, your bloodwork had some special considerations and so I sent it to the Thornton Biochemical Institute in Ireland. It's one of the premier blood analysis centers in the Blue League and has the facilities for a complete workup. They are used to do genetic workups on new pokegirl species and I hoped they could do something useful with your blood." She gave Shikarou an amused look. "You don't even have the same number of chromosomes that we do, did you know that?"

"Yes, I did."

"However, they were able to provide me with a genetic map that was sufficiently detailed that I could use it. They also determined that you showed no blood gifts or curses."

"When I took more blood for your baseline workup, I sent another sample to the Institute and a sample went with Poppet." Poppet looked surprised. "You didn't know because I didn't think it any of your business. He is my Tamer and my patient."

"According to the Institute, your DNA has changed and you added another pair of chromosomes. If you were a pokegirl, I'd say you evolved." She shrugged. "As you can guess, I don't know what is going on, but I can tell you that there are some people in Belfast who would really like to study you."

"Noted." Shikarou did not look eager to rush to Belfast.

"I thought you'd feel that way." Candace chuckled. "Now, Poppet did a genetic workup and she did a biochemical assay, the same as the Institute, and both of their results matched." She frowned slightly. "Is anyone else aware that your equipment is that sophisticated, Poppet?"

"No, and I don't want anyone to find out."

Candace nodded. "I won't tell anyone. Anyway, both analysis indicated that something fundamental had changed, so I had Aggie draw up a chart of your taming activities."

Shikarou looked surprised. "Why on earth would you want that?"

She smiled. "First, I'm curious as to how active you are." Dimples appeared. "You are my Tamer, after all. Professionally, however, I had another reason. The bloodwork indicated that you may have the Tamer's Disease, and I wanted to chart your libido."

"I can not have a blood curse." Shikarou shook his head. "I'm not human."

"No, but has anyone proven that kami can't be afflicted with either the same thing or something similar?"

Shikarou blinked and his ears flicked. "Of course not. Prior to this world, no one in Tirsul knew that Tamer's Disease existed and they still don't." He frowned and got a thoughtful look. "Which of course proves nothing. So, what did your work with Aggie show?"

"Some time in mid-December, your libido started increasing dramatically." She gave him a slightly anxious look. "It's still increasing, too, and I have no idea why."

Poppet nodded. "Your blood shows the same hormonal markers that Devon has, indicating that you carry the pheromones for causing a taming frenzy. I got a small sample of your original blood from Wick and it doesn't." She gave Branwyn a long look. "If he's like Devon, it'll be in his saliva and in his sweat as well, but as long as he gets tamings on a regular basis, he'll be fine."

Circe spoke up. "What could have caused this?"

Shikarou sighed. "What did the sperm sample show?"

Candace gave him a startled look. "It showed that if you were fertile you could get women pregnant merely by walking near them. If I had an earlier sample of your sperm, I could run a comparison."

"Talk to Poppet, I suspect she kept a sample when we first became lovers." He nodded. "You said things started to change in mid-December. That actually makes sense."

Branwyn squeezed his hand. "Care to explain?"

"That's when more women started praying to me to become pregnant." He sighed. "They're making me a fertility god and apparently they believe that fertility gods do it more often." A crooked smile appeared. "A lot more often."

Circe looked amused. "Care to explain further this time?"

He smiled. "Gods are beings that draw power from their worshippers and the price for that is the worshippers can shape their god in some ways, emphasizing certain aspects over others, making them wiser or more benevolent; things like that."

"The women in Edo are making you hornier?" Poppet gave him a disbelieving look.

"My worshippers are," he corrected, "and they are apparently making me more fertile." He shrugged. "It really won't be a factor for at least another two years and besides, I'm not exactly indiscriminate in regards as to whom I bed."

Branwyn nodded. "And as long as you keep your harem close, the Tamer's Disease won't be an issue either."

"I thought being a death god had problems." Shikarou rubbed his ears. "I never thought just killing people could look so attractive."

Candace looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"In two years I will become fertile. If I'm a fertility god, that means that before February, you and Lynn will be pregnant."

"Why us?"

"You don't go into a pokeball, so you don't have any birth control." He glanced over at Poppet, who had a stunned look on her face. "Yeah, you too."

Branwyn chuckled. "So, mother, can I interest you that pokeball we were talking about?"

Her mother smiled slightly. "I'm starting to consider it."

"So, in the short term I'm going to need to tame my women more, which is a tremendous burden, but I'll manage somehow; in the long term I'm going to have to consider alternative means of birth control." He sighed. "And with a bunch of horny, baby-wanting worshippers out there, I have no idea just how bad this is going to get."

"It's a good thing they still venerate my protective aspects too, I once knew a powerful fertility deity and all he did was have sex. Frankly, I have more things to do with my time."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Circe gave him a curious look.

"I'm not sure. I know that I'm finally going to have to visit my shrine and have a chat with my worshippers about how I want to be worshipped."

"What if we worshipped you as being less horny?"

He frowned. "I suppose it couldn't hurt, although if I hear anyone in the harem praying that I not want sex as much, it might hurt my feelings. How about instead you emphasize my other aspects." His frown deepened. "I need to talk to Yushiko and find out what they are here. I've been negligent in my duties and I guess I need to start acting more like the deity I'm supposed to be."

Branwyn giggled. "Bad god."

(03/24/99 1030 Blue Continent)

"Who the fuck are you?" The Bun-Bun gave him an angry look. Her shoulder length black hair set off her solid white fur and jade green eyes.

"Shikarou."

She waited. When it became evident that he wasn't going to add to that, she frowned. "Where's my Tamer?"

"I will be your Tamer now. Well, in a little while."

"So what happened to, to," she frowned, "to my previous Tamer?"

Shikarou smiled slightly. "You don't remember what his name was, do you?"

"Of course I," she paused for a long moment and her eyes narrowed, "don't."

"Whoever he was, he ran you through a level five conditioning program before abandoning you." He leaned back. "Now you are with me."

"And if I don't want to be with you?"

"If that turns out to be the case then later I'll find you another Tamer. First, however, we need to run some experiments on you."

The Bun-Bun clenched her fists. "And if I don't want to be experimented on?"

"Tough."

Her ears twitched and softly slapped against the backs of her knees as she digested his words. "Fuck you."

"That will be later, not right now."

Her right fist began to glow and she stepped forward menacingly. "I'm going to beat your ass and then go on my way."

Shikarou slid to his feet smoothly and the Bun-Bun froze, becoming completely still as the glow died away. Her breathing became quick and shallow.

He leaned forward and she stepped back quickly and glared as she realized what she'd done. His voice was low, almost a hiss. "Listen to me, _rabbit_, the fact that you are an extraordinarily pretty pokegirl will not allow you to threaten me. I will not put up with it, am I clear?"

She shivered. "How did you do that?"

He smiled and she started breathing normally. "Humans are often blind to the dangers that exist around them, but some part of you recognizes my true nature and knows what my kind does to rabbits."

She gathered her bravado around her like a tattered cloak. "Oh, yeah? What do you do?"

Shikarou stepped up to her and raised his hand. Her eyes widened as his claws slid out and he used the point of one to lift her chin as he rested the line of his body against hers and pressed his lips against the base of her ear. A whisper. "I eat them."

The Bun-Bun shivered again and he smiled as he whispered again into her ear. "I can smell your scent changing. You're getting wet."

Her voice was low. "You're dangerous. That's making me hot."

He smiled and stepped back. "I'll have to remember that, but I can't tame you right now?" He raised the pokeball.

"Damnit, I want…" She vanished into the containment beam as she reached for him.

He sighed. "So do I, but it will have to wait." He sat down in his chair. "Stardust?" She appeared as she teleported into the room. "Did we get the baseline?" The Alaka-Wham just stared at him. "Stardust?" he prompted.

She blinked. "Sorry, I was in the Mini-Top's mind when you did whatever that was. She's right, it was scary and shivery and hot." She frowned. "That was so weird."

"Did you get the baseline we wanted?"

"Oh, yes, I did."

"Come here." Shikarou gathered her into his lap and looked into her eyes. "We've got a little while, how about we go somewhere more comfortable?"

Stardust's eyes glittered. "Sounds good to me." They vanished.

(03/25/99 0830 Blue Continent)

The Mini-Top was laid carefully out on a comfortable couch and Circe checked her over carefully. "You will have to teach me that spell," she commented as she checked the pulse. "I know they can induce artificial comas with drugs, but I've heard of a magically induced one."

"Get in line," Shikarou replied. "Candace wants it; because of it Maude wants to be tested for magical ability; everyone wants this one."

Pythia chuckled. "Perhaps this is what happened to Sleeping Beauty and Snow White." She glanced at Shikarou. "Maude is now interested in magic? How does Faelan feel about his NurseJoy wanting to learn spells?"

"While he wasn't turning cartwheels over the idea, I did get the impression he was quietly pleased."

Stardust looked curious. "Her brain activity is minimal. Could this be used in the place of anesthesia?"

"Sure. It's used for that all the time on Tirsul."

"If it's so useful the medical profession is unlikely to want to use it," Stardust suggested in a voice that dripped contempt.

"You might want to pull your skirt down, your prejudices are showing." Shikarou smiled slightly. "Just because they were stupid enough not to let you attend medical school doesn't mean they are too stupid to be innovative."

Stardust gave him a lofty look. "I think it means they are too stupid to suck air and walk at the same time."

"Some say that the best revenge is just living well."

Stardust grinned. "Whoever said that hadn't just found out she had telekinesis strong enough to level the medical academy where they laughed at her."

He folded his arms. "Well, she'd better not do that."

The Alaka-Wham stuck out her tongue at him. "Nyah."

"So, how long will she be unconscious?" Circe tried to steer the conversation back to business.

"She'll be under for as long as I want. I remember one person being in a coma for a century, but I'm really hoping this won't take that long."

Pythia nodded. "Considering that I'm unlikely to live that long, I hope you are right."

Stardust settled down behind her desk. "Make yourselves comfortable. Please remember to keep your arms and legs inside the mental construct at all times."

There was a tired chuckle at the old joke and everyone closed their eyes. Two hours later everyone got up for a break.

Stardust settled down next to her Tamer. "If they pitched her off of a cliff, do you think they could have made a bigger mess out her mind?" She leaned against him comfortably. "You know, I'm getting used to this physical contact thing you insist on much more quickly than I thought I would."

"Have you realized what the problem is?"

She nodded. "Yeah, your bunny has been through at least two level five conditioning cycles and they were at different times in her life." She rubbed her nose against his shoulder. "Ah, that feels better. I'm not sure we can separate out the different lives she led and put them back together."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we shouldn't try." He smiled slightly. "The goal of this experiment is to integrate all her memories into a coherent whole from birth until now. Why should we care about when the memories took place or when they got erased? She'll reorganize them temporally as we piece them together which means we still just have to link them up to her active mind."

Stardust's mouth gaped and she closed it with an effort. "Out of the mouths of babes." She sighed. "I'm supposed to be the genius here. Hey, I just had an idea. It doesn't really matter when the memories got messed up, all that matters is that we uncover them. She should be able to do the rest." A grin. "What do you think about my idea?"

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "Sounds wonderful. You are a genius."

Stardust almost purred against him. "I know. It's a terrible burden for me sometimes."

(03/27/99 1430 Blue Continent)

"Do you think I should feel grateful for you restoring my memories?" The Mini-Top was on the couch with her arms around her knees and a pensive look on her face. "My whole life has been climbing out of one shit pit and falling into the next one."

Shikarou settle down on the couch next to her and offered a hip flask. "Drink?" She snagged it from him and took a long pull. "I don't know if you should be grateful or not. I do know that you've had your life taken from you twice, both times without your permission. I do know that you have all of that back." He took the flask back, which earned him a dirty look. "I also know that if you are convinced that you can't live with what we've done, I'll run you through another cycle." He frowned. "Or end your life, if that is what you would prefer."

The Bun-Bun twisted her head to look at him. "Do I have a name?"

"Nanu." He smiled slightly.

"Nanu." She seemed to roll it around in her mind and shrugged as returned to staring at the wall. "What happens to me now?"

"Two things. I want you to join my harem for one thing."

"What's the other thing?"

"We contact Guinness Book of World Records. You've set a record for being in long term storage and we need to document it." He glanced over to see Nanu staring at him. "It's true, you have."

"You are bizarre." She sighed. "Any chance I'll get another drink?" Shikarou offered her the flask. "Thanks." This time she drained it dry in one long drink.

"Why don't you give me your life in a thumbnail sketch?"

"Another test? Fine. I was born a human and thresholded into a Bunnygirl at age fourteen. At fifteen I got my first Tamer, a jackass named Robert Bates who was also a mage from Vale. He decided I was depressed over both leaving home and being a Bunnygirl and ran me through a level five conditioning cycle to fix my problems. At seventeen Rob evolved me into a Moon Bunny and later that year he acquired Donna, a Killer Queen. Donna murdered his previous alpha and took her place and over the next year systematically brutalized me until I finally evolved into a Mini-Top. After that I proved too much for her to handle and she made Robert put me through another level five cycle and dump me." She shrugged. "The next thing I knew I was facing some freak with dog ears who told me he was going to use me for an experiment. I argued with him and apparently lost. Now, I'm here with the freak."

"They're wolf ears."

She glanced at him with a tiny smile flickering around her lips. "Is there much of a difference?"

"There is to me."

The smile grew. "As you command, master." She reached over and rubbed one of the ears under discussion. "They're very soft."

"I suspect yours are softer."

She frowned. "Haven't you touched them yet? You had me asleep for several days."

"That wouldn't be right." His ears flicked. "I know, I know. I'm willing to dig around in your mind with a shovel but I won't touch you without permission. It's weird."

She twisted her body around to face him. "You really think you were helping me, don't you?"

He glanced away. "Yes. I also thought that once your memories returned, you'd be grateful for our help. I also hoped you'd be happy in my harem."

"I've seen some of your harem members; just what do you think I could offer?" She scratched at her nose. "I'm nobody. I'm a nineteen year old bunny and I'm seventy three years behind the times."

"Did you learn spells with Robert Bates?"

She blinked. "It was my specialization. I learned everything he knew and more."

"Most of my harem can use magic and so far I've been the only one parceling out spells. They'll be happy to learn from you." His voice fell. "So will I."

Her eyes widened. "You think I can teach you?" A grin appeared as he nodded slowly. "What do I get?"

"I'll teach you some of the spells I know. I'll also train you," he smiled thinly, "until you drop and then I'll heal you and train you more, until you'll be eager to fight because it'll be easier than the training."

"I'll also be your lover and your friend, if you let me."

She snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"So stick around and see."

"You'd really cycle me again if I want or let me go?"

"If that's what you really want."

She blinked. "What I want? What I want is a cheeseburger, fries and a huge chocolate milkshake."

Shikarou pulled out his wand and a trolley appeared. He reached out and pulled it in front of Nanu. "Enjoy." The air filled with the smell of cooked meat, potatoes and chocolate.

She stared at him for a moment and then started cramming food into her mouth. She eyed him as he took a handful of chips for himself and nibbled on them as she ate. Her shake looked to be about two liters in size and she drank most of if before settling back with a tremendous belch. "God, I'm stuffed." She rolled an eye in his direction. "I won't fight if you tame me now."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "I'd love to take you to bed and I know I'll have to tame you soon enough, but I don't want you to hurl in my bed." She gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I didn't think so either. So you sleep and I'll just keep you company."

Her eyes slid halfway shut. "What will you do?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

He waved his wand and a huge book appeared floating in the air in front of him. The cover was of some white rock and as he opened it, the leaves appeared to be made of beaten copper. "I'll do some reading while you sleep."

Only someone with hearing like his could have heard her muttered "ok." Shikarou snagged a couple of the leftover burgers and sent the trolley away. An hour later she shifted against him and began to softly snore.

(03/28/99 1200 Blue Continent)

"God's blood but that feels good." Nanu dropped slowly into the hot tub with a moan of pleasure and promptly shifted until a jet was pounding against her back. "This is almost as good as sex."

Pythia had slid into the water until her muzzle was just breaking the surface and she looked like a blue furry alligator. "You say that after last night with Shikarou?"

"Don't remind me. That was almost as intense as our morning workout." She smiled. "More pleasurable by far, but just as intense. Is it like that all the time?"

"Which, taming with him or training?"

She shrugged. "Either, both."

Pythia chuckled into the water. "Well, his libido is still increasing and we're holding back in the training until we can evaluate how much you can take."

"Fuck. How'd I stack up this morning?"

"Wait until this afternoon and watch us in the individual combats." Pythia sighed in contentment. "Today Circe goes against Branwyn. That's always a good fight."

"You didn't answer the question."

"You wouldn't like the answer."

(03/28/99 1300 Blue Continent)

Circe appeared in a treetop and dropped a fireball on Branwyn which missed as the Unicorn smashed the tree down with mach breaker. Steam exploded from the trunk and some of the smaller branches burst into flame as she used it to conduct a lightning spell at the Alaka-Wham who'd already teleported away.

The Unicorn turned and unleashed an ice beam spell at an empty spot a second before Circe appeared standing in it. The beam smashed her sideways as she teleported away again and appeared behind Branwyn as the Unicorn spun in place to face her, but too slowly as magic missiles splashed across her back and equine torso. Branwyn vanished as she used teleport.

Pythia leaned towards Nanu. "Precognition against precognition. So do you want to ask that question again?"

Nanu shook her head. "Not on your life." She jumped as lightning tried to burn its way through the force field protecting the stands in which the rest of the harem sat. "Why does he only have five badges?"

"We don't do this in gym battles." Elizabeth joined the discussion. "This is a no- holds-barred-take-no-prisoners fight and any gym leader would freak if we did this to his precious pokegirls." She snorted. "We save this for real battles."

The stadium seemed to rock as multiple fireball spells exploded one right after the other. "They are also some of our most powerful harem members. Circe's more powerful than Branwyn, but Branwyn wants to level up very badly." Elizabeth held up a paper sack. "Popcorn?"

Pythia frowned as Nanu grabbed a handful and started munching. "Elizabeth, why do you carry that around? You can't eat it?"

"I can chew it, I just can't swallow it." She shrugged at Nanu's questioning look. "I like the flavor. I ate it when I was a kid, but now it makes me projectile vomit."

Shikarou's amplified voice floated across the arena. "Time." The battle ground to a sudden halt. Both pokegirls were covered in sweat and had multiple cuts and burns. "According to Aggie, Branwyn is ahead on points for this battle and when it's added to the cumulative total, she's almost even with Circe. Match to Branwyn." He checked a clipboard. "The next match is Pythia and Dorothea. There is no teleporting allowed in this match. Currently Pythia is ahead on points but Dorothea had a strong showing the last time they met." He checked the clipboard again. "After that is Elizabeth versus Helen and finally Yushiko versus Shikarou."

"Crap." Elizabeth grimaced. "I'll bet she's been learning more spells again and she's twenty freaking levels higher than me."

Nanu watched Pythia slip into the arena, followed closely by the Seraph. "Sounds like you're toast."

"Maybe, maybe not. I want to level up as badly as Branwyn." Elizabeth sounded thoughtful. "And I've been studying too." She sighed. "So has Helen and she wants so badly to be what she considers a contributing member of the harem." A grin. "She had to buy an Everstone to make sure she doesn't evolve to Minotaura and she's always badgering Branwyn for any T2s that can make her a better combatant."

"Why doesn't she want to evolve?"

"It would cut down on her personal time with Shikarou. She'd rather die than give that up." A warning look crossed her face. "And don't try to interfere with it, or we'll be eating gruel for a week." She shuddered. "She even convinced Shikarou to make me drink human blood for a couple of days. I went without."

"I thought that's what you drank."

"Nope. I am kami fed now and I don't want human blood unless I'm starving."

In the arena, Dorothea drew her sword and dagger as Pythia turned to face her from twenty meters away. Pythia got shield up just before Dorothea's wings shimmered into existence and she used feather shuriken. Dorothea advanced as Pythia hammered her with thunder bolt. The Seraph responded with another feather shuriken as Pythia took to the air, the chi bolts staggering the G-Spliced as she tried to evade. A power bolt slapped Dorothea's breastplate in reply.

Dorothea sheathed her dagger and used magic fist, the unavoidable attack smacking Pythia sideways as she climbed for altitude. Pythia responded with another thunder bolt, which struck the tip of the Seraphs sword and made the blade glow slightly as the electricity was conducted to her body, which jerked to the current as it flowed.

Dorothea spread her wings and climbed into the air as she used another magic fist attack. Pythia ignored the attack as she zipped forward, glowing slightly as she used absorb to channel the bolt's power into healing as she grabbed the end of Dorothea's wing and carefully kept the wing at full extension as she spun underneath the Seraph, sending her pinwheeling into the ground. Dorothea's scream was cut short as she hit.

Pythia summoned her energy blade and fell upon her opponent, only to be knocked flying as the Seraph hit her with Meteor punch from her prone position. She bounced to her feet as Pythia recovered and climbed to put some distance between them.

Dorothea glowed as she used heal on herself. Pythia growled and responded with hypnotize. A surprised look crossed the Seraph's face before she crumpled.

Shikarou sighed. "You'd think she'd learn that she really needs to try to take you out quickly. Match to Pythia. Aggie will update your points. Elizabeth and Helen, please report to the ring."

Elizabeth sighed and handed the popcorn bag to Nanu as she got up. "No rest for the wicked."

Branwyn dropped into her place with an amused look. "Good morning." Nanu gave her a wary look. The Unicorn smiled. "I wanted to take a moment to officially welcome you into the harem. Shikarou and I talked about you briefly." She grimaced. "He won't tell me about your past, he says that's your choice.

"I would think that was considerate of him."

Branwyn chuckled. "I do too, it just makes my job that much harder. Is there anything that you need or might want to help settle you into life here?"

Nanu frowned. "I'd like some weapons."

"Shikarou and I have already discussed that and we want to sit down with you tomorrow and see what your preferences are." She smiled. "We have some specialized access to military hardware, so ask for whatever you want and we'll see if it's available."

"Cool. What about clothes?"

"Pretty much the sky's the limit. We can either get it or have it made. Helen will be talking to you later about your food preferences and will want to make a list of your favorite and least favorite foods. Oh, I hope you can use chopsticks; Shikarou has forbidden forks."

Nanu blinked. "Is there a good reason for that?"

"Too many stabbings at the table." Branwyn gave her a sidelong glance. "Shikarou chooses the alpha in his harem, but I want to ask if we are we going to have to fight over who makes the decisions in the harem?" Her look wasn't challenging, but it was calculating. "I warn you, if you tell me no and later start ignoring my instructions, I'm not going to be happy."

Nanu grinned. "I just watched you fight and until I get a lot better, you're the boss."

Branwyn nodded. "I know what the general entry for the Mini-Top says about their personality, but I also realize that you are an individual and you've had some unique circumstances, so I'm willing to cut you some slack. However, if you try to stab me in the back, only Shikarou's unwillingness to let me kill you will save your life." She smiled slightly as Nanu started to bristle. "I'm not saying this because you're a Mini-Top and I expect you try something, this is a general warning I give to every pokegirl who enters the harem. This is my harem and I'm the boss. I don't expect presents or burnt offerings, but I do demand timely obedience and you'll find that while I prefer to solve interpersonal problems within the harem, Shikarou is disturbingly well informed as to what happens and so far he's been willing to back me up as long as I don't kill anyone." She gave the Mini-Top a direct look. "Even if you managed to defeat me, I will come back, and this time I will bring help. I will enforce my will on the harem; fortunately for everyone involved, I'm usually pretty easygoing. Only one person outranks me in the harem and he's the one with the dick." She settled back. "Any questions?"

"How is taming organized?"

"I set up who sleeps with him. He chooses various partners during the day. If you come on to him and says no, I'd recommend listening to him. His claws are sharp and he bites. As far as tamings within the harem, if someone tells you no, then you take it as no until you know everyone here much better. If someone is forced to have sex, it's rape." Her voice became hard. "I will not tolerate rape and neither will Shikarou. Even if the pokegirl in question fights off her attacker, I will still punish whoever did it, whether they are in the harem or not. Shikarou?" She sighed. "He will go berserk and it's very likely that whoever attacks a member of his harem will suffer a very messy end. He's killed humans before and is willing to do it again."

"That includes you, by the way. You can tell anyone, including me or Shikarou, no. I'd recommend telling him no once in a while, just to keep him on his toes. He hasn't been inattentive so far, but let's not let him get complacent. If, in the middle of sex, someone does something you don't like, let them know. That also includes our Tamer."

Branwyn frowned. "There are former members of his harem working here on the island and one of them is a Venuswhore. I know what the entry on the Mini-Top says, and if you are unhappy with your bust size, I do have access to permanent bloom powder." She smiled broadly. "Shikarou likes women of all shapes and sizes and he'll appreciate you no matter what your breast size is, so if you are unhappy with it, we can make some changes. Oh, and be careful about the milk. Most of it comes from Helen and if you drink it, you'll lactate." Her smile became a lecherous grin. "He likes taking if from the tap and while I've not been able to prove it's deliberate, sometimes the milk gets mislabeled."

Nanu blinked. "Do you think he's doing it?"

The Unicorn shrugged. "I have no idea, but I would be more inclined to suspect Helen. It lets Shikarou sample other milk, which reminds him just how good Helen's is and forces other members of the harem to feed him, in theory preventing everyone else from resenting the extra time she gets with him. If the milk is heated, the enzymes that make us lactate break down and become harmless." She grinned. "However, I can tell you that Helen's milk is much better straight from the nipple and she's more than willing to share."

(03/28/99 2200 Blue Continent)

"So how is Nanu doing?" Shikarou leaned back in the hot tub and sipped at his wine.

"She's still got a lot of settling in to do, but she's bright and adaptable. I don't see any real problems outside of the standard ones expected from a Mini-Top." Branwyn settled her legs across his lap. "It will be interesting to see how the memories from all of the different evolutions will mingle in her personality."

"Yeah, Stardust is concerned about that causing trouble with Maeve. Her memories of what happened after Devon lost her may color her perceptions of him."

Branwyn poured herself some wine. "What do you think?"

"I think it's not my problem. I agreed to find Maeve, retrieve her and attempt to give her back her memories. Nothing was said about trying to make her just like she was before." He grimaced. "I'm not going to restore her memories just to turn around and erase some of them again."

"Have you started looking for her?"

"Viridick. Her pokeball was registered in a gym battle there this morning and the Tamer, one Jacob Kraft, is staying at a hotel there tonight."

"How are you going to approach him?"

"I'd prefer to do this someplace quiet because if he won't battle for her I'll have to take her by force." He refilled his glass. "Are you still keeping in touch with Devon's harem?"

"Just with Bellona. Kathryn is normally too busy to chat and I suspect she doesn't like me because I look like Poppet. Bellona is much more rational and right now she's got the time to chat."

"Give her a call in the morning and let her know we're going after Maeve."

Branwyn nodded. "Ok. Who are you sending to Viridick?"

"Pythia loves this traveling stuff and she's already volunteered to go, so I'll send her."

"So are you going to challenge for a badge at the Viridick gym?"

"Not right now. Let's get Maeve taken care of first and then we may start hitting more gyms here." He sighed. "I'd really like to get my hands on Marcus." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Mary might want to hope I do so soon, or I may have to use her as a substitute. One way or another I suspect we are going to want to know a lot more about the Order of Pendragon and we are going to want that information soon. However, Maeve comes first."

"So when do we leave?"

"0700."

**Author's note:** The time and location stamps will be included in the paragraph subsections from now on because in the possibly near future things will be happening in different locations simultaneously.

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 63

Milktit Helen 55

Unicorn Branwyn 55

Seraph Dorothea 46

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 44

G-Spliced Pythia 41

Sphinx Lorelei 40

Vampire Elizabeth 37

Mini-Top Nanu 33

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**MINI-TOP (aka BUN-BUN), the Excessively Violent Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Normal/Fighting  
**Frequency**: Very Rare/Rare (on the rise in some areas)  
**Diet**: alcoholic (mostly beer)/vegetarian (mostly alfalfa)  
**Role**: discipline, assassination, intimidation, wanton violence and destruction  
**Libido**: High (demanding-often the ones doing the Taming)  
**Preference**: Bi-sexual

**Attacks**: Slap, Double Slap, Hyper Slap, Backhand, Nipple Cripple, Pummel, Headbutt, Uppercut, Bicycle Kick, Mega Punch  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x5), Enhanced Speed (x5), Enhanced Hearing (x5), Retarded Aging, High Intelligence  
**Weaknesses**: increased susceptibility to electrical attacks, and to attacks from Dominas  
**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Bunnygirl, Beach Bunny, PlayBunny, MoonBunny, March Hare, Snowbunny (all evolve by emotional trauma caused by abuse, or witnessing highly frequent and/or extremely excessive acts of violence)  
Woe the Tamer who unexpectedly finds himself with one of these in his Harem, for Mini-Tops are an excessively violent and aggressive breed, second only to a Mousewife defending her master's life. Upon reaching this stage the Pokegirl goes not only through the standard physical change but also a marked personality change. Physically, the Pokegirls breasts become noticeably smaller, the ass becomes rounder and firmer, and the ears become longer (down to about knee level) and rather "floppy." Personality-wise the change is much more extreme. The Pokegirl becomes highly interested in switch-blades, .45 caliber Glochs, Tripod-mounted chainguns, high-yield explosives, and causing pain. Mini-tops are highly aggressive and dominating; this combined with a markedly increased sexual appetite makes for an extremely demanding Pokegirl who refuses to take "No! God No! Somebody Help Me! PLEASE!" for an answer. The foolish Tamer who refuses the Mini-Top's advances is typically beaten and battered into helpless submission and ridden for all he's worth. Those tamers who accept their advances are treated in much the same way. Mini-tops will use any excuse to perform acts of violence, cruelty, or (their favorite) violent cruelty. Being highly aggressive and competitive they constantly seek the position of Alpha. Because of this, they have a strong rivalry with those of the Domina family. Add to this the Mini-top's lack of concern for the lives of others (save for their master's) and this provides for an extremely dangerous and potentially lethal rivalry. It should also be noted that Mini-tops have a particular "dislike" of Electric types; causing them to focus on abusing, torturing, trying to kill, and (oddly enough) trying to bite electric types(in particular, trying to bite the tails of those that have them) Despite their thin, frail, and cute appearance; the Mini-top is surprisingly strong. All in all a very combat oriented breed. An increased level of intelligence means that this breed is also very sneaky and conniving; one should not place much trust in the words of a Mini-top, unless of course they happen to be threats against your life. They are a verbally cruel, abusive, and insulting breed; and they will constantly point out the faults of their master and insult him, "nerd-boy" being a particular favorite insult of theirs.  
Yet for those brave (or stupid) tamers who wish to master the Mini-Top, there is hope. Because of a peculiar quirk of their metabolism, Mini-Tops become easily inebriated (drunk). When in this state, the Mini-Top is a much more laid-back and friendly Pokegirl. Often expressing their strong affection for those around them, and being all-around a very sociable breed; but only when drunk beyond human comprehension. One should also mention that Mini-Tops hate breast jokes of all kinds (for obvious reasons), and will severely "punish" anyone who utters such jokes in their presence. Also, Mini-Tops hate telemarketers (not that we blame them but...) to the extent of hunting them down and killing them, also bombing their office buildings, and doing all-round slaughters of such individuals on sight, and using their victims' spleens to decorate the walls. The reason for such violent animosity is as of yet unexplained, the research team investigating this were all found mysteriously disemboweled with shampoo in their eyes.  
It must also be noted that only domesticated Bunnies can evolve into a Mini-Top, the reason for this is as of yet unknown.  
Despite their being discovered only recently, Mini-Tops enjoy a large and avid following. Their fans affectionately refer to them as Bun-Buns, an obvious reference to their well-shaped derrieres and a slight preference for anal intercourse. There is debate as to whether this following has sprung up out of love for the breed, or out of fear for it.


	18. Chapter 18

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 18: Maeve

(03/29/99 0530 Blue Continent)

The holographic Bellona gave Branwyn a sour look. "You are aware that not everyone gets up at this hour, right?"

"Yes and I'm sorry if I woke you up, but Shikarou asked me to call before we went to Indigo."

"I was awake." She shrugged. "Guard duty."

"So what are you unhappy about?" Branwyn gave her a curious look. "Is it something I can help with?"

Bellona's mouth moved like she had a nasty taste in it. "Only if Shikarou needs a slightly used Beta in his harem."

Branwyn blinked in surprise. "Why would you want to leave Devon's harem? I thought you were happy there."

"Was is the operative word. I was his Beta, his confidant and the primary trainer in the harem." She did spit this time. "Until you rescued Tess."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Without so much as a by-your-leave she took over every job I had." Her eyes narrowed. "I went to Kathryn and she told me to live with it. I went to Devon and he told me that I could be Tess' assistant. I went to Tess and she told me that she doesn't need one." She sighed. "I'm not being mistreated; the problem is that I'm not being much of anything."

"Will Devon release you?"

The Dragon Queen snorted. "I asked him about it and he told me that I was too valuable to leave and then he trotted out that whole wife thing. Then Kathryn caught me alone and told me that I'd get used to it, after all I was just supposed to be subbing for Tess until she returned." Bellona frowned. "I'd have been happy with just one of my previous jobs, but no, we have to keep Tess happy." She stared into the camera. "If I'm not used to it by the next Sadie Pokens day," she sighed, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Branwyn nodded. "Is that likely that you won't get used to the new situation? These sorts of things happen all the time."

"I went from being number two in the harem to being number zero. What do you think?" She smoothed her features. "So, why are you calling so early? I know it's not to hear me bitch."

"I wanted you to tell Kathryn that we have a lead on Maeve and we're leaving this morning."

Branwyn could hear the DragonQueen's teeth grind. "Lovely. I just slid into negative numbers. I'll tell her. Do you have a timetable?"

"No, not right now. When we're in Indigo I'll be too far away for realtime communications, but I'll send you daily updates." She frowned. "That is, if you want me to."

"I don't. However, my disgust at what's going on isn't going to keep me from doing what's best for my Tamer." Bellona rubbed her chin. "No matter what the personal cost happens to be."

"You are a credit to pokegirls everywhere." Branwyn knew it sounded pathetic, but there was nothing else she could say.

Bellona knew it too. "Thanks. Maybe – oh, never mind. Keep me informed and I'll let Kathryn know." She smiled suddenly. "Maybe I'll disobey her and let Devon know what's going on. Do you think that would be best for him?"

"Not until we know if her memories can be recovered. Until then there's no reason to raise his hopes."

Bellona snorted. "Right. And the chances for that are what?" She spread her hands slowly. "Slim and none?"

Branwyn made a decision. "Promise to keep secret what I'm about to tell you. I assure you it won't hurt Devon." She smiled. "I'm not supposed to reveal this."

Bellona looked curious for the first time. "A secret? All right, I promise not to tell."

"Shikarou found a pokegirl who'd had two level five conditioning cycles at different times in her life to experiment on and they managed to recover all of her memories."

Bellona's eyes widened. "That's supposed to be impossible." She nodded. "I can see why you want to keep that a secret. I suspect that the leagues wouldn't be happy to find out you could do this. Memory wiping is supposed to be one of their biggest threats."

"Exactly. If we recover Maeve's memories, I'm going to lie to Devon about how it was done. It may help to keep him out of trouble. You may want to suggest to Kathryn that everyone play this very low key."

Bellona nodded. "What are you going to tell him?"

"Shikarou thinks we shouldn't explain how we did it and he may hint that powerful and rare magic was used. I agree with him, but I'll arrange for one of the harem to explain it instead of him, since his inability to lie could be inconvenient."

"I won't say a word." Bellona smiled. "I seriously doubt that anyone would believe me anyways."

"Good. I'll be in touch. You take care."

"You too."

(03/29/99 0600 Blue Continent 03/29/99 0100 Viridick)

The chime made a soft sound in the pokecenter. A minute later it made a louder chime. A minute after that it switched to a raucous buzzing noise. The Bunnygirl sleeping at the desk jerked and fell out of her chair. She flailed as she tried to get up and managed to overturn her desk in a cascade of paper and pens. As she struggled to get up her powerful leg muscles kicked the desk halfway across the room. Metal shrieked as it slid across the floor. "Shit." She looked around guiltily as she managed to climb to her feet as her heart pounded and massive amounts adrenaline in her bloodstream made every move hazardous. "Hope nobody heard that."

Fortunately the commotion had woken up the duty NurseJoy, who stuck her head out of the treatment room where she'd been asleep in on a gurney. Bleary eyes read the clock as the loud buzzing became a strident alarm. "What the?" She staggered over and slapped the disconnect. The alarm instantly died.

The NurseJoy stared at the monitor set safely in the wall. An animated Whorizard blew flame out her mouth and farted a large green cloud at the same time. "Damnit, Carol, I told you to never use this screen saver again. I'll have it removed in the morning." She rolled the trackball to cancel the screensaver.

"Aw, Tammy, it's cute." The Bunnygirl grinned. "Please don't get rid of it, I like it."

Tammy ignored her. "Priority transport with immediate release?" She stared at the screen for another minute. "Why can't this wait until morning?" She sighed and tapped in an authentication code. "Carol, clean that mess up." She looked up suddenly. "No, don't try to move the desk. Just get a broom and a dustpan and sweep all the crap that came off your desk into a pile. Then get me some coffee. Wait, get the coffee first."

"Yes, Tammy. You want it like normal right? Two sugars and four creams?"

Tammy shut her eyes for a moment. "It never changes, Carol. One sugar and one cream."

"Oh, right." The Bunnygirl headed off, muttering to herself. "One sugar, one cream. One sugar, one cream."

The NurseJoy shook her head and muttered beneath her breath. "It can't be helped that she's so stupid. You are what you eat which makes Bunnygirls cum and carrots."

She snorted and turned her attention back to the monitor. "Arriving in two minutes." She spent the time scrolling through a newsfeed. "No Widows, no nothing. What makes this one so important?"

The monitor flashed and the computer beeped. "Ok, we got it." A pokeball materialized on the stand.

Tammy picked it up and looked it over. "Nothing special, just a standard pokeball. Well, it ordered immediate release." She activated the pokeball.

A blue furred figure coalesced. Pythia nodded as she read the pokegirl's nametag. "NurseJoy Tammy, thank you. I'll take my pokeball." She tucked it into a pouch and turned to leave.

Tammy frowned. "Hold up, there's some paperwork but it won't take long."

Pythia gave her a small smile. "For what?"

"For the priority transport. Under Indigo League rules every one of them has to be logged."

"What priority transport?"

Tammy pointed at the monitor. "That – what the hell?" The monitor showed nothing out of the ordinary. "Hey," she turned to see that the strange pokegirl was gone. "Shit."

Carol came into the room with a steaming cup of coffee. "Here, two creams and three sugars, just like you wanted." She stopped dead in the doorway. "Hey Tammy, thanks."

Tammy gave her a sour look. "For what?"

"My desk." It was where it belonged and everything was back on it. "Thanks for cleaning up."

The NurseJoy took a deep breath. "I'm going back to bed."

"What about your coffee?"

"You drink it." Tammy disappeared back into the treatment room. "This has got to be a dream. I'm still asleep and you got that coffee for yourself."

Carol stared at the door Tammy had entered. "But I hate coffee." She took an experimental taste. "Yuck. God, I must be stupid to get myself coffee."

(03/29/99 0615 Blue Continent 03/29/99 0115 Viridick)

Outside the pokegirl center Pythia appeared and let Shikarou go. She grinned. "I wish I could have stayed long enough to see the NurseJoy's face when Aggie got through resetting the systems."

"It's probably best that you didn't." He shook his head. "We need to find a place to wait until Kraft gets on the road. I certainly don't want to challenge him here in Viridick."

"What if he decides to wait for a few days before moving on? He might have some shopping to do and the weather report called for rain."

"We cultivate the virtue called patience." Shikarou reached for Branwyn's pokeball. "Of course, I've always had trouble with that one."

A couple of minutes later the three of them were ensconced in a booth in an all night diner. Branwyn smirked. "I see they've done the obligatory credit check to make sure you aren't some stupid Tamer who wants to spend the night here for free instead of going to the pokegirl center."

Shikarou grinned and picked up his tea. "No, I'm a very intelligent Tamer who wants to spend the night here instead of going to the pokegirl center. However, I'm willing to pay for the privilege."

"What do we know about this Jacob Kraft?" Branwyn looked over the menu at her Tamer.

"Surprisingly little. He took the badge here with Kinesha and Bess. Bess is a Pumara and Kinesha is a Mini-Top who incidentally is using Maeve's pokeball." Shikarou sipped at his tea. "Actually it's kind of odd. He doesn't appear very often and from looking at his Tamer record you'd think he spent a lot of time in the wilderness."

"What's odd about that?"

"Kinesha and Bess show the same activity levels that Jacob does, but Aggie ran another search and both of their pokeball serial numbers show a different story. The pokeballs seem to have spent a lot of time in various towns and cities. They were always associated with a Pumara and a Mini-Top, but the names are always different."

"What do you think it means?"

"Traveling under an alias is one thing, but they apparently have access to tech which allows them to change the names of pokegirls well enough that the pokegirl center systems didn't catch it. They don't normally track the pokeball serial numbers, so no one knew." He frowned. "I wonder if Jacob could disguise his Tamer record the same way."

"There's a best case and worst case in such a situation, at least as far as we are concerned. Worst case for us is that he's an agent working for some government. That would make robbing him problematic at best. Best case for us is that he's some kind of high tech criminal. Then we can do a simple smash and grab."

Pythia frowned. "So how are we going to do this?"

"You and I will walk past his room and you'll get a feel for his mind so we can track him at a distance. If you are willing we may do a little eavesdropping and see who he works for, if anyone. When he leaves town we follow and challenge him for Kinesha. If he gives us too much trouble we bop him on the head and take her. If he works for a friendly government then we go to plan B. I really wish I had one."

"What about Bess?" Branwyn looked curious. "In either case."

"Taking a man's last pokegirl is just mean." Shikarou shook his head. "Unless of course he's an asshole. Then he'll be lucky if I leave him pants."

"What if he's a criminal?"

"Then we see if there is a reward."

(03/29/99 1400 Blue Continent 03/29/99 0900 Viridick)

Jacob dropped the towel on the floor as he left the bathroom and glanced out the window to watch the rain run down the glass. "Bess, Kinesha, get your lazy asses up out of that bed."

His Pumara rolled out of his bed and glanced at the window. "The weather sucks. How about we stay another day?"

"The bank is likely to find out they were robbed today and I really want to be somewhere else at that point." He leaned down to the pile of blankets on the bed and said in a pleasant voice. "Hey! Boozebunny. Get your butt up."

The blankets groaned. "Crap." A hand appeared and dragged a half empty bottle of whiskey under the blankets. "Ah."

Jacob put his foot on the pile and shoved. The air suddenly smelled of alcohol. Cursing preceded the appearance of Kinesha as she threw the blankets off and tried to suck the spilled whiskey out of the sheet. She glared at him as he smiled. "Now that you've finished breakfast, go clean up. We leave in an hour."

"Stupid prick." She clutched the mostly empty bottle and headed for the bathroom.

Bess watched her go. "Tell me again why we kept the alky when we sold off the rest of the harem?"

"She's almost as good a fighter as you are and keeping her half drunk keeps her out of trouble. Besides, all Mini-Tops are borderline alcoholics." He patted a pouch on his belt fondly. "The money for the harem financed this little baby and it managed to net us a cool fifty million from the bank." A grin. "And the trail will lead them right back to the gym's computer system." The grin widened. "That trail will tell the police that the bank was robbed from the gym sometime during the night, right about the time you and I were dragging Kinesha away from the jukebox. Hell, I even paid for the damage she did to it."

"What happens when the boss finds out about it?" Bess looked doubtful.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Giovanni is yesterday's news. He isn't our boss any more." He snorted. "If I'd had this purpose built AI when we were with Team Rocket, he'd be a lot poorer right now."

"As for finding out about this, the only thing in his mind is Legendary pokegirls and that Ranma fellow. Good riddance to them all."

Beth smiled back. "You're right. And for fifty million credits I'm willing to suffer a little rain."

"That's the spirit." He shrugged and glanced at the bathroom before lowering his voice. "I'm only willing to tolerate that bitch for a little while longer and then she gets a deep and shallow."

Canines glinted in the light as Bess grinned. "Deep cut across the throat and a shallow grave sounds good to me, but I get to cut her."

"Done."

(03/29/99 1515 Blue Continent 03/29/99 1015 Viridick)

Shikarou disagreed. "Circe, I think that saying the food here sucks is doing them a kindness." They were sitting in the tiny restaurant that was built into the lobby of the hotel where Kraft was staying. The attempt to wander the halls the night before had been stymied by an alert desk clerk, so now Shikarou and Circe waited in the lobby for them to pass so she could scan Kraft's mind.

She picked at the eggs. "Helen has really spoiled us, hasn't she?"

"I agree with that statement." Shikarou poked at a piece of toast. "They even scorched the toast. Remind me to ask our next target to stay in a higher class hotel."

They chuckled at each other. Circe frowned. "There he is." She motioned with her chin behind him. Shikarou turned his pokedex slightly and Aggie put the view up on his screen.

Jacob Kraft was one of those people who could disappear into a small crowd almost anywhere in the world. Shikarou supposed that would be of benefit to a spy.

Circe watched him check out at the main desk with an idle expression. None of his pokegirls made an appearance, but they could be in his pokeballs. She absently stuck a piece of bacon in her mouth and made a sudden face. "Yuck." _Interesting, until recently he belonged to Team Rocket, but now he's gone freelance. He's very pleased with something that happened at the Viridick Bank and Trust, but I'd have to go deeper than I really want to in order to find out._ She blinked. _He's planning to kill Kinesha sometime in the next couple of days and is looking forward to it._

"Good thing we came along when we did. Aggie, any sort of news from the bank?"

**Nineteen minutes ago there was a phone call made from the president of the Viridick Bank and Trust to the Mayor of Viridick which lasted for four minutes. The mayor then called the chief of police and they talked for ten minutes. Two minutes ago a radio dispatcher contacted two teams of detectives and ordered them to the bank but they are supposed to go discretely, with no lights or sirens.**

Circe sipped at her coffee and made a face. "Sounds like someone lost something important."

Shikarou glanced at the pokedex screen to watch as Jacob Kraft walked out the door. "I wonder if he found it."

**I can access the bank records but a detailed study of them would take some hours.**

"Oh, there's a much easier way to find out." Shikarou's smile was predatory. "He's a bad guy so we can do unto him before he does unto others. While we're doing unto him, we'll just ask."

"And if he has acquired a large sum of money from the bank?" Circe put her fork down and watched her Tamer closely.

"We'll make the arrangements for Dorothea to return it. I suspect she'll find some kind of information on his body, once we discover it. If not, I'm sure something can be worked out." He pushed to his feet and dropped some coins on the table. "Shall we follow, at a suitable distance, of course?"

Circe smirked. "Of course."

They were almost out the door when a voice yelled at them. "Hey!" Shikarou turned to see the surly Catgirl who'd served them the food. "You forgot my tip!"

He regarded her for a heartbeat. "Don't eat the eggs. You could be saving your own life." He followed Circe outside into the drizzle as she laughed quietly.

(03/29/99 2330 Blue Continent 03/29/99 1830 Indigo Plateau)

Jacob peered sourly at the overcast sky as Bess made an angry sound at the still falling rain. "When are we going to stop for the night?"

He shrugged. "Another half hour or so. You heard the news report that the bank figured out they'd been robbed, and much faster than I'd figured. At this point every kilometer we put between us and Viridick only helps."

Bess grunted and suddenly sneezed water. "Crap." They moved on.

Twenty minutes later Bess frowned and sniffed the air. "Something smells good." She padded off into the growing darkness.

"Shit." Jacob sighed and followed. "Damned cat listens to her stomach more than she listens to me."

Soon he saw where someone had tied a tarp between some trees to make an improvised canopy. Under it an Oriental woman dropped some wood next to a fire as a Milktit stirred a pot of something that smelled wonderful. Bess was chatting with the woman and turned when he appeared. "There he is." She grinned. "We've been invited to dinner with them. Kinesha too."

"Great." Jacob looked the place over and decided that with his two fighting types there was no threat here. "Kinesha can stay in her pokeball." He moved into under the tarp and dropped his pack. "Thank you. I'm Jacob."

She bowed slightly. "I'm Yushiko." A nod towards the Milktit. "Helen."

Jacob cast an expert eye over Helen, who gave him a shy smile. "You must be a good Tamer, she looks nice and healthy." He glanced at Bess to see the same thoughts in her eyes that he was having. This had possibilities.

Yushiko grinned. "Yes, she does." She glanced at Helen. "Is it time yet?"

The Milktit cocked her head thoughtfully. "Not quite. It should only be about another two minutes or so. Why don't you get out the bread?" She turned to Bess. "Do you have any bowls?"

Bess nodded and dug two camp plates out of their pack to hand to Bess as Yushiko pulled a loaf of bread out of her pack and started slicing it with her wakizashi.

Helen glanced at Yushiko. "I think it's about time." She started filling bowls as Yushiko offered some bread to Jacob.

He grinned. "Thanks."

In a smooth motion Yushiko put the point of her blade against his throat and smiled. "Move and you die. If the cat moves you die. Return her to her pokeball now."

As his eyes widened in shock Jacob watched as four other figures appeared, two behind Bess and the other two between him and the Pumara and one of the ones behind Bess was A FUCKING SPHINX AND THE OTHER WAS AN ALAKA-WHAM!

"Bess, don't move, there are psychic pokegirls behind you."

Shikarou stepped away from Branwyn and smiled as he plucked the pokeballs from Jacob's belt. "If both of you behave, you have my promise that we won't kill you." He put Bess into her pokeball. "Sit."

Yushiko stepped away and sheathed her wakizashi with a smooth motion before going moving to stand guard near her Tamer.

Helen moved around next to Shikarou and handed him a bowl. "Eat." She gave the other bowl to Jacob and returned to get more food.

Jacob stirred when Helen moved within reach of him but relaxed when both Shikarou and the blue fox pokegirl gave him almost identical looks, ones that hoped he'd try something. He took the bowl and settled down.

"What happens now?" Jacob sighed as he ate. "This is excellent." Helen beamed. "Who sent you, Giovanni?"

"No. I'm here on my on. I want your Mini-Top."

"What the hell do you want with Kinesha? She's nothing."

"That is not important to you." Shikarou ate quickly. "The question is what do I do with you and your Pumara?"

Yushiko smiled. "Her name is Bess, my lord."

"Thank you. Bess."

"You could always let us go." Jacob grinned.

"Actually, I'm considering doing just that." Kraft looked surprised at his words and then his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What do we have to do?"

"Just exactly how much money did you get from the bank?"

Jacob's eyes brightened in understanding. "How about I give you half? That would be 25 million credits."

Branwyn gasped. "You got fifty million from the bank? How?"

Jacob looked mysterious. "I'll give you half and you ask no questions."

"Going to be difficult, are you?" Shikarou sighed and sank his hand into Jacob's chest. "We'll just see about that."

A little while later Circe settled down next to Shikarou as he watched Lorelei flying by on her guard circuit. "I've gotten just about everything I can from Jacob's mind. What about Bess?"

"She's too independent to leave on her own and she wants to stay with Jacob." Shikarou shrugged. "She's already been done and I want you to sieve through her mind next."

"And Kinesha?"

"I'm not letting her out until we get to Caomh Sith. Bess told me she's got a lot of problems and we really need Candace to deal with them." He turned to the Alaka-Wham. "If she's not a full blown alcoholic, then she's well on her way to becoming one. I want Candace to give her a full medical workup and then she's going to have to be completely sober before we start work on her." He smiled grimly. "Several days sober."

"So she goes in a cell?"

"I'm going to be putting her into a coma for our work on her and I'm thinking about just keeping her in it until we're done with her. I've seen someone go through delirium tremens and it's not pretty. This way we can not only avoid having to deal with her, but keep her deep enough that she has no memory of it."

He shrugged. "DTs can actually kill and keeping her under the whole time will help us treat her."

Circe nodded. "Ok. Are you aware that Nanu wants to see her? She's curious about the Mini-Top that got her rescued."

"I don't see any problem with that as long as we continually stress that I never had any intention of keeping Maeve and that this was done for Kathryn." He frowned. "Speaking of which, I need to talk to Branwyn about her next message to Devon's harem."

Circe nodded. "Helen had fun with the subterfuge." She got up. "I thought you might like to know."

"I know she's determined to prove her worth to the harem and I can't convince her that she doesn't have anything to prove." Shikarou sighed.

"I got fighters out the ass but only one cook and I really wish she'd realize that fact." His eyes suddenly gleamed with amusement. "How about I use her in gym battles?" He gave Circe a thoughtful look. "Niamh was going to be my sexbattler and she didn't want to stay with the harem. That may be a good use for Helen, since I know she knows some sexual techniques and no one else has trained for it."

Circe smirked. "Are you sure this isn't just so you can spend more time taming her?"

"Oh, it won't just be me. Everyone will get to help. However, upon due consideration, it may take some personal training to teach her a couple of the spells I have in mind."

"That wouldn't happen to be one-on-one training, would it?"

"Now that you mention it, I think you are right."

(03/30/99 0800 Blue Continent)

"Well, Branwyn, this is better but still kind of early." Bellona wiped sleep from her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face.

The Unicorn shook her head and pulled her heavy gold braid around where she could stroke it. "Damn, I hoped that this would be late enough. Just what time does your harem get up and around?"

Bellona grinned. "Our Tamer is human and has to get some sleep after he spends a night taming. Kathryn tried getting us up early, but that is another thing that didn't survive Lamya's return. Now we get up when he does, usually around nine." She grimaced and glanced around. "I don't think anyone can hear me, but hold on for a minute." She vanished as she put Branwyn on hold.

The DragonQueen appeared again a full minute later. "I'm away from camp and now we can talk."

"You can't say bad things about Lamya?"

"Sure you can." Bellona shrugged. "And somehow it comes back to bite you on the tail." She grimaced. "Lamya is one of the first ones and can get away with more before Kathryn will step in. It's never anything overt, just a witch's curse here or there."

"I didn't realize that it was that bad in Devon's harem."

Bellona shook her head. "It's not, I'm just unhappy because I used to be someone and I don't think Devon is living up to some promises he made me. He disagrees. He has kept one promise and protected me from Tess' wrath over my doing her job while she was gone but…" she broke off. "I'm just bitter and I shouldn't be airing harem business to you."

Branwyn nodded. "Do you have anyone you can talk to?"

"No, to be a good trainer I had to isolate myself from the others and they haven't been willing to overlook that. Of the ones I knew as part of Team Viper, I've never liked Rhiannon and Siobhan worships the ground that Devon floats over."

"As for Morgan and Xifeng, they are in a different harem and Lamya has taken steps to ensure that everyone knows it." She smiled slightly. "Actually, I can admire that. Being a nominal Tamer lets her outrank Kathryn, and if anything will anger that Ladyien, I think that would be it."

Branwyn nodded. "Have you considered joining Lamya's harem?"

"No. They are second class pokegirls and they know it. Besides, while I won't turn down some nice pussy, I definitely prefer dick and Lamya has shown little inclination to share her harem with Devon. I think she's worried that Kathryn would use the opportunity to fold her entire harem into Devon's and put Lamya in her place." A slight smile flitted across her face. "And she's right. Kathryn wouldn't miss that opportunity to consolidate her power."

She shook her head. "There I go talking harem business again. So, you are back in Caomh Sith. Does this mean that your search for Maeve goes on?"

Branwyn smiled. "We got her. She's a mess and her care is going to take a while, but she's in our possession." She cocked her head. "I know it's probably a source of mixed feelings for you, but I'm pleased that things went as smoothly as they did."

Bellona's face was expressionless. "Yeah, that's great."

"I've talked things over with Shikarou and I want you to do something for me."

"What?" Bellona looked wary.

"I want you to go into Devon's tent, roll him off of whomever he's with and give him the news."

"But you haven't, you don't know if you can bring her back."

Actually, Shikarou was pretty sure they could and Stardust made it sound like it was already done, but Branwyn didn't feel that Bellona needed to know that. "Shikarou thinks that having Devon watching over her couldn't hurt and may actually help her recovery."

Bellona thought briefly. "Ok, but it's up to Kathryn."

"I want you to tell him. Be excited and when he asks remind him that Kathryn has been foisting me off on you. Maybe you can get some extra time with him."

"I'm going to pay for it later." She nodded to herself. "But the time would be worth it and hopefully would piss both her and Tess off." She grinned suddenly. "I'll do it."

"Have fun."

(03/30/99 1000 Blue Continent)

Dorothea frowned. "So what happened to the money that these criminals had taken?"

"I had Aggie return it to them and put in a software glitch that made it seem like they'd misplaced it. So when they did their next audit, the money turned up." Shikarou leaned back against Dorothea's legs. "As far as they are concerned they were never robbed."

"My lord, that is was an ingenious plan and very humble of thee to return the money without them even knowing that it was gone, much less knowing that it was thou that returned it." Dorothea stroked his ears. "So thou have Kinesha and now the villains work for thee. What are thy plans now?"

"We've already got Maeve sedated and are starting the process of purging her body of toxins." He sighed. "Candace was mad enough to chew brick when she found out that Kinesha hadn't been treated at a pokegirl center for some time. She'd lost a chunk of one ear and her liver was starting to rot from all of the drinking."

"What did thou do?"

He smirked. "When Candace left the room, I removed all of the diseased portions of Maeve's liver and Candace had to regenerate the healthy parts. It was faster than waiting for it to partially heal on its own."

"My lord, I didn't know that thou had a spell that would do that."

"I don't. I used a knife and cauterized everything as I cut. She was still going strong when Candace got back and started healing her."

Dorothea gave him a penetrating look. "So how long is it likely to be until Candace speaks to thee again?"

"I'm working on that." He shrugged. "It _was_ faster and it _did_ help and hopefully as long as I look suitably guilty and show some signs of obvious suffering she should forgive me soon."

"Thou art a terrible man, my lord." She frowned prettily. "And probably right. Candace has a forgiving heart and she knows thou would not have done such a thing unless it was for the best."

"Thanks, but I'll keep suffering just to be sure."

"When do thou expect Devon to arrive?"

"About an hour after Bellona tells him." He looked around. "In fact, I'm surprised he's not here yet."

(03/30/99 1100 Blue Continent)

_Devon has arrived._ Circe's mind touched his. _He's come out near the inn._

"Thank you. Inform everyone else, including Lynn and ask Branwyn to meet him for me. I'm a little busy right now but I should be free in less than ten minutes."

Candace gave him a look. "Problem?"

"Devon arrived." Shikarou sighed. "I think you are right. According to what I was able to find, Maeve probably has reached the point of thiamin deficiency in her alcohol use, which often results in the degradation of the myelin sheathe which allows nerve transmission. Can you fix it?"

"I can, but alcoholics at this level seldom want to stop." The NurseJoy shrugged. "I can't do anything about that."

"I know a spell that causes severe allergic reactions when the person enspelled comes into contact with a particular substance and I can tailor it to alcohol." Shikarou frowned. "It's commonly used on people who commit crimes while on a drug, so using it on Maeve should work." He took Candace's hand. "I have to go greet our guests, but I will probably end up bringing them right back here."

Candace smiled. "Remember, no surgery on anyone without anesthesia."

Shikarou rolled his eyes. "Cut out one liver and people never forget." He grinned at her wink. "Gotta go."

Devon was talking quietly with Branwyn. Paulette and Kathryn stood with them as Shikarou came up. He glanced up and smiled. "Kathryn gave me the wonderful news. So you are sure that this Mini-Top is Maeve?"

"Everything matches with your journal archives, including the pokeball serial number."

"What about her mind?"

"It's what we figured." Devon nodded without surprise. "She's been physically mistreated and malnourished and Candace is working to clear that up before we attempt to recover her mind."

Devon blinked. "You know as well as I do that is a waste of time, you can't restore the mind after a level five conditioning cycle."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "I've heard that."

Branwyn cocked her head. "I want you and your harem to stay with us, in the tent again like last time."

Shikarou glanced at her. _I don't want them there._

_Humor me this once, beloved. I want to be able to keep a close eye on them._

_Once? Just once? All right._ "Why don't you take Kathryn and set things up while I take Devon to see Maeve, if he's interested." Branwyn nodded and led the Ladyien away.

Devon sighed. "You know, I made my peace with her death a while ago. I'm not even sure why I'm here."

"Humans have this propensity to want to see the body."

"Huh?" Devon frowned.

"You lost Maeve without ever really losing her. She just disappeared one day and you never got a chance to say farewell." He shrugged. "You don't like that, so when you heard that she might be here, you had to come find out for yourself."

"What are you, some kind of therapist?"

Shikarou chuckled. "No. I've just seen a lot of grieving families who don't have a body to mourn. Monsters tend to eat their prey, often whole. So, do you want to see her?"

"How is she?" Devon looked nervous and Paulette started giving Shikarou an unhappy stare, making him realize that he normally didn't have a bodyguard when on the island.

"Unconscious. She's been through a lot and I'm keeping her in an induced coma while her body heals in order to prevent additional mental trauma." He hesitated. "She probably doesn't look good. Are you sure you want to see her?"

"Yes. No." Devon sighed. "I don't want to, but I have to."

"This way then."

A few minutes later they were standing next to Kinesha's bed. Devon looked at the supine form and grimaced. "She's so thin." Tears glittered in his eyes. "Where did you find her?"

"That's not important. What you need to know is that she had become an alcoholic and before I'm willing to do anything else, I want her purged of all of the toxins. That's going to take a few days and then I'll reevaluate her. I also want her to put on a few pounds before we consider any sort of work." Shikarou motioned to the glucose drip. "She's well taken care of and you can spend as much time with her as you want." He frowned. "You know, I have no idea if Candace has visiting hours but if she does I'll talk to her about getting you an exception."

Devon nodded slowly, his eyes on Kinesha. "I'd like that."

"Devon." The young man looked up. "I want you to understand that we _are_ going to try to recover her memories. We've run some tests and had some success, but I'm not going to make you any promises." Shikarou glanced at Paulette. "Even if we do accomplish something I will have your vow not to reveal anything that you see here. I want the vow of everyone in your harem as well, before I will proceed."

Devon nodded. "You'll have it."

Paulette stirred. "Why is it important?"

"Over the years the leagues and Tamers have used this as the final solution for dealing with problem citizens, both human and pokegirl. No matter how difficult the procedure might be, if word got around that there might be a way to undo an L5 conditioning, the leagues might take steps to ensure that the knowledge of how it's done stays in responsible hands, since they would be afraid that it would loose a lot of its deterrent ability if there was a procedure to undo it."

"Governments tend to believe that they are the only responsible people around and since I've started putting down roots, I'm not quite ready for a life on the run. In addition, the worst case scenario has the leagues trying to eliminate everyone who's ever heard there might be a recovery process, which would include you and your Tamer."

Devon shook his head firmly. "I said you'll have our oaths." He glanced at Paulette. "Everyone will give them."

She bowed her head in a nod. "Yes, husband."

Shikarou's ears flicked irritably.

(04/01/99 0500 Blue Continent)

Helen presented the tray of biscuits with a flourish and Shikarou suppressed a grin as Branwyn took a couple. He helped himself to a handful and reached for the butter as his Unicorn watched with an amused expression. "Shikarou, I know Helen just gave you several liters of milk, how can you still be hungry?" She handed the tray to Circe who took one biscuit and sent it on down the table.

"I am." He bit into a biscuit with relish and frowned. "That's odd."

"What is it?"

"It's a little salty." Shikarou reached for the yellow pitcher of milk. The blue ones held the milk that was safe for everyone else to drink, but the yellow held unadulterated Helen.

Branwyn bit into hers and coughed. "That's a lot salty." She gulped down some milk to cut the flavor.

Complaints started floating up the table and Helen came out to see what the matter was. Everyone was complaining that the biscuits were too salty. She took one and blanched when she tasted it. "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened but I've got another batch coming out and I'll get those." She grabbed the tray and went down the table grabbing biscuits before fleeing to the kitchen.

Shikarou sighed. "It wasn't that bad." He loaded his plate with eggs and offered them to Branwyn.

She smiled and took it. "They were horrible." She handed the eggs to Circe and reached for the salt. "You don't have to make excuses for her, these things happen." The cap of the salt cellar came off when she tried to salt her eggs, dumping its contents over her plate. "Shit."

Helen appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, twisting her apron in her hands. "My lord, I am very sorry, but something is wrong with these biscuits as well. If you can wait ten minutes, I'll have more."

"It's all right Helen, I'm not upset. Like Branwyn was just telling me, these things happen."

"Thank you, my lord." She disappeared into the kitchen.

Shikarou handed Branwyn his plate. "Use mine." He refilled his glass. "The milk tastes a little odd today, but not salty."

Branwyn nodded. "Yeah, I noticed." She blinked. "But we don't drink the same milk." She frowned and then paled slightly before unbuttoning her blouse and gently squeezed a breast. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm starting to lactate. That was unheated milk."

There was a cry of rage from the kitchen and Helen appeared in the doorway once again. "My lord, could you come here?" Her eyes were angry and her nostrils flared with each breath.

Shikarou exchanged a worried glance with Branwyn. "Sure." He followed the Milktit into her private domain. "What is it?"

"Someone put salt in the flour. Not enough to keep the flour from doing its job, but enough to ruin anything I cook." Her voice was low and angry. "I want you to see whose scent is on the flour bin besides mine."

Shikarou gave her a long look and carefully sniffed the flour bin. He frowned and checked his watch. "Ah."

Helen touched his arm. "Please explain your ah?"

"It's April the first."

Helen's eyes widened in comprehension and then narrowed. "She thinks that she's going to pull that shit in my kitchen?" She snarled. "And just how do I go about getting recompense?"

"Let me make a call. Aggie, please call my brother."

**Just a moment.**

"Wolf residence. This is Svetlana."

"Shikarou. I want to talk to Faelan, right now."

"He's kind of busy, can it wait?"

Shikarou glanced at his Milktit. "Helen is about to come over and kill one of your harem, so you tell me."

The video feed went live and Svetlana appeared with a startled look. "You really believe that? Just a moment."

Two minutes passed and Faelan appeared. He wasn't fully dressed and didn't look happy. "What is it?"

"It's April the first and someone put salt in the flour, loosened the lids on the salt cellars and swapped the Milktit milk pitchers around so most of my harem is going to be lactating for the next week." Shikarou smiled unpleasantly. "And I have Amy's scent on the flour bin and Helen is ready to declare war on your Cheshire."

Faelan looked startled. "Crap. It's April Fools Day." He frowned for a moment and then nodded. "Amy brought this on herself and was stupid enough to get caught. Helen, she's fair game, just don't kill her."

Svetlana appeared. "Wait a minute, that's not fair."

Shikarou smiled. "Get any presents of milk last night?"

She blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"You're starting to leak through your gown."

She turned white and stared at her chest before pulling her gown out to look inside. Fire bloomed in her eyes. "That is one dead pokegirl." She left the video input yelling for Amy.

Shikarou gave Faelan a bemused smile. "Enjoy."

Faelan shook his head. "I have to go." He broke the connection.

Shikarou turned to Helen. "I'll take care of breakfast. You take Pythia and go Cheshire hunting." He considered. "Spanking sounds good."

"Ha. I'm going to have Pythia keep her from teleporting and hold her down while I shave her tail and any other part of her I can."

"Now that's cold. Have fun." Shikarou pulled out his wand as Helen left. "Now let's see. Waffles and strawberry syrup and fried ham."

Branwyn's mind touched his. _Devon's harem is up. Don't tell them about the milk. It'll be my April Fools joke for them._

"Bloody hell."

(04/06/99 0730 Blue Continent)

"She's put on a couple of kilos and with the techniques you showed me, I've removed her scar tissue and regrown the missing piece of her ear." Candace looked up at Shikarou. "If she were conscious I'd tell her Tamer to give her a lot of physical therapy to get her back into fighting trim and release her."

"Does Devon know?"

She shook her head. "He brought in Letitia to take a look at her but she doesn't have the information you gave me and I didn't share, as per your request." She shook her head. "I'm sorry you missed her, she's huge now and I think she's due in just a few days."

"I'll ask Branwyn to get an appropriate gift. Letitia delivering would get him out of here for a few days at least."

Candace gave him a dark look. "It had better. Of course, she could come here for the delivery."

"For a pokegirl with the word joy in her name you are not bringing me any today."

"Don't like babies?"

"I adore my own. Human babies are too fragile."

She chuckled. "I still like them."

"Fine, you like them. Now is Kinesha physically ready for us to start work on her mind?"

"I've repaired the damage to her body." She gave him a wry look. "While I don't like the way you did it, the damage to her liver has been entirely repaired. If you ever do that again, do not throw the pieces in the rubbish bin. Maude was a little frantic when she found, as she put it, bits in the bin."

"She's started putting on weight, which is a very good sign.

Shikarou suppressed a chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind. So as far as you know, she's ready."

"I can't come up with a reason to not allow it." Which of course wasn't the same thing, but it would do.

"Even with their oaths, I do not want any member of Devon's harem in here once we start. I'll talk to him this evening. Thank you, Candace, your help has been crucial and I really appreciate it."

Candace slipped her arm through his. "If you'll come back in a couple of hours, I'm free for lunch."

"Sounds good."

(04/06/99 1900 Blue Continent)

"You wanted to talk to me?" Devon stepped into Shikarou's office.

The kami looked up from the Grimoire of Danu, the reflected light from the copper pages giving his face a reddish cast. "Just a minute. There's tea on the trolley." He glanced at Hatsumi as she glided silently to the wall near Devon's chair. "There's blood if you want it."

Hatsumi blinked. "Thank you, lord kami, but Hatsumi has Devon duty and cannot eat."

Shikarou read another page before carefully closing the book. It evaporated into smoke as he got up and poured a cup for himself. "Sorry, doing some preparations for tomorrow." He settled back in his chair and leaned back. "Picked out a name yet?"

Devon blinked. "I don't understand."

"Candace told me that Letitia is due in couple of days and I was wondering if you'd decided on names. For the baby."

Devon brightened. "Yeah. Christine if it's a girl and Christopher if it's a boy."

"Good. Fatherhood can be frightening, but it does have rewards."

Devon sighed. "I get to do it again in a month with Florence. Did you ever have kids?"

"Two daughters." Shikarou smiled in fond remembrance. "And I helped to raise some of my half siblings." He gave Devon a direct look. "I've seen you with your harem and if you apply yourself you can be an outstanding father."

"I'm terrified I'll end up like Cameron."

"You won't. Poppet's told me a little about him and that man hated too much. You aren't anything like him or you wouldn't have names already picked out. You also wouldn't be here for Maeve." He snorted. "That is one man the world is better off without."

"Thanks."

Shikarou gave him an odd look. "Tomorrow we are going to start work on Maeve's mind. I know you've been to talk to her every day, but starting tomorrow her room is off limits until we are done."

"I want to be there."

"No." Shikarou watched Devon start to get angry. "I'm glad for your oath, but you have no business there while we are working and you might even be a distraction."

Devon shook his head. "Ming Die then. She can help."

"Anyone other than me and my pokegirls could cause irreparable harm." Shikarou shook his head. "I can't allow it."

"She's my fucking pokegirl." Hatsumi gasped as Devon spoke. "You don't make the rules in this case, Shikarou."

"Without meaning any disrespect to you or your past, right now Kinesha is my pokegirl and I do make the rules here." Shikarou watched him evenly. "Perhaps you should spend some time with Letitia while my harem works on Kinesha because you are not going to be with us and neither are any of your pokegirls."

Devon growled and half lurched out of his chair. "I challenge you for her."

"I reject your challenge." Shikarou put his tea down and sat up. "Until I say otherwise, Kinesha is mine."

"You can't do this to me." Tears flowed down Devon's cheeks. "I can't lose her again."

"I never said you wouldn't have the opportunity to claim her, I said you will not be with her while we are working on her mind. I don't want her. Trust me; you will have the chance to take her back into your harem."

Devon stared numbly at him for a moment. "All right."

"So why don't you go to visit Letitia for a few days? If I can I'll give you frequent updates and if I can't, Branwyn will."

"I want to be here in case Maeve needs me."

Shikarou's ears went flat but Hatsumi spoke before he could. "Master, Maeve may need you but Letitia does need you. She is as frightened as you are and you are of great comfort to her. Hatsumi thinks you should rethink your wants against Letitia's needs."

Devon blinked and turned to look at Hatsumi. "Sometimes I forget that you are not just a fighting pokegirl." He sighed and turned back to Shikarou. "She's right. Letitia needs me and right now Maeve doesn't." A deep breath. "I would like constant updates."

"If you don't feel they are coming often enough, feel free to call Branwyn." He smiled. "You can call me it you want, but Branwyn will have my phone."

Devon nodded and wiped his face. "I will."

(04/11/99 1000 Blue Continent)

Shikarou opened his eyes and reached for pitcher of iced water. Stardust beat him to it and drank from the pitcher, her eyes dancing as she watched him. Pythia stretched and twisted her neck. "Five days of this. I'm going to hurt at the next training session."

Circe plucked the pitcher from her sister and filled two glasses before levitating it over to Shikarou. "You aren't alone in that. We're all going to be out of practice." She handed a glass to Pythia, who grunted her thanks. "When are you going to wake her up?"

"In a couple of minutes." He drank deeply from the pitcher. "I just hope everything works."

Stardust frowned. "We did what we set out to do and now it's up to her." She looked at the still unconscious Maeve. "That is one fucked up pokegirl."

Shikarou shook his head. "Not nearly as much as Nanu and she's fine." He smiled. "Ok, her room is an armory and now she wants grenades, but otherwise?"

Pythia kissed his cheek. "You can't win that one, please stop while you are still even."

"Do you want us to wait outside while you wake her up?"

"Yes, I do. She will probably respond violently no matter what, but I can talk to her more easily if she's not trying to keep an eye on you three. Stay close though."

Soon Shikarou was alone with the unconscious Mini-Top. He sighed and pulled out his wand. A couple of minutes passed and the pokegirl started moaning. Shikarou poured some water in a glass and stuck a straw in it. She sucked hungrily at the water and slowly opened her eyes.

"Devon?" Her voice was weak.

"My name is Shikarou. You're in a clinic and when I'm sure you are better, I'll contact Devon and let him know. What is your name?"

"I'm Maeve." She nodded slowly. "Where is Jacob? He's my Tamer now."

"Actually you belong to me now and if things work out, you'll never see Jacob again. However, I'm going to give Devon the chance to take you back, if you are interested."

She winced. "My head hurts."

"You were subjected to an L5 conditioning cycle not long after you left Devon. Your memories have been put back together so you remember what happened."

"Do you know how I got taken from Devon? I never knew." She was watching him closely. "Are you going to tame me?"

"No. If you have to be tamed I'll make the arrangements for a pokegirl to tame you, but I was hoping that the next harem you belonged to was Devon's." He smiled. "As for what happened, I can tell you, or do you want Devon to?"

"Tell me." She looked around the room. "You're alone."

"I have some guards outside the room, but I was hoping you would be more comfortable with just me." He blinked as a quiet knock came from the door. "Excuse me."

He came back with a tray of food which he placed in front of Maeve and for the next several minutes she ignored his presence for the food. "You know, while you are eating might be the best time to tell you what happened to you. Devon was misidentified as a member of Team Viper and arrested and some overzealous police put you and the rest of his harem up for adoption. You were taken by Jason Thornton and you attacked him when he attempted to tame you into his harem, so he had your brains scrambled."

"From there Jason took you to the Indigo Plateau and there he died and you were taken by Team Rocket. You went to Jacob and he lost you to me almost two weeks ago."

"I was asked by Kathryn to find and rescue you and frankly she was a bitch about it and so I took it as a challenge."

She looked up and wiped gravy from her face. "Why didn't Devon try to find me?"

"He knew that you had been killed and couldn't deal with the idea of a new personality living in your body. He tried to mourn you, but it didn't work."

"I was happy with him. I want to go back to him." She watched his eyes warily as she spoke.

"Ok, I'll see what we can work out." Shikarou hesitated. "You've been gone from his harem for nearly a year."

She blinked. "That long. How large is his harem now?"

"He's got eleven pokegirls in his harem."

"Who is his alpha now?"

"Kathryn is."

She smiled slightly. "That bitch. She and I have a long overdue reckoning." She frowned. "Are you a Tamer?"

"Yes, I am."

"Is that how you know Devon?"

"I met Devon through Poppet."

"How do you know her?" She looked faintly curious the first time.

"We are lovers."

She blinked. "You don't look like you have an Ice resistance bloodgift. I thought it would be needed to keep your dick from freezing off if you put it in her."

Shikarou smiled. "Yeah, you are one of Devon's. She asked me to do him a favor and I've been helping him out since. I helped him get Lamya back when she got arrested."

She gave him a weak smile. "I've got a lot to learn, don't I?"

"Yes, and I want to let Devon tell you most of it." He frowned. "Do you want a drink?"

She frowned. "I was a boozer, wasn't I? No, I don't."

"Good. I, uh, cursed you. It made you violently allergic to alcohol, but while we were scampering around in your mind, we tried to cure your alcoholism."

She chuckled and started coughing. "Scampering, huh? I suppose I should be grateful." She looked directly into his eyes. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome."

"How did you fix my mind?"

"You don't need to know that. The knowledge could get you taken away from Devon again."

She nodded slowly. "Then by all means, don't tell me. When can I go back to Devon?"

"Let me send in Candace, she's my NurseJoy and is probably fretting right now because she hasn't examined you yet. I'll contact Devon and try to arrange a meet tomorrow, but it may be a couple of days. Yesterday he became a father and that's a little unsettling."

Maeve's eyes widened. "Father? You weren't kidding about me having a lot to learn."

"Let me get Candace."

(04/12/99 1300 Blue Continent)

Shikarou smiled. "Congratulations on Christine and happy birthday."

Devon smiled. "My cup runneth over." Paulette watched Shikarou carefully. "Thanks for the baby blankets."

"Branwyn picked them out."

"So when do I get Maeve?"

"As soon as all of the arrangements are complete." Shikarou smiled. "Shall we?" He smiled amusedly as they walked. "Remember what I was going to try to do?"

"Recover her memories? Yes, I remember." He shrugged. "I knew it wouldn't work."

They came up on Maeve, Branwyn and Circe. The Mini-Top looked up. "Devon." She threw herself into his arms and the two of them cried on each other.

Paulette's eyes narrowed. "You succeeded."

Branwyn smirked. "That's right. Once again, we did the impossible."

Devon looked up. "I don't know what to say. I would have given anything to have Maeve back and now you've given her back to me."

"Hold on to that thought."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't do this for free." Shikarou shrugged as Devon looked shocked. "I want something. Well, actually two things."

"Whatever you want, if it's in my power to give you, you can have it." He held Maeve tightly. "What is it?"

First, I want you to say thank you. I've done a lot for you and you've never told me that you were thankful for my help."

Devon stared. "I." He frowned. "I thought I did."

"No, you never have."

"Easily fixed. What is the other thing?"

"I want Bellona, if she'll have me." Branwyn stared at him in shock and she wasn't alone.

"But she's a member of my harem?" Devon started to look unhappy.

"And you gave your word. Anything in your power to give. If she doesn't want to go with me then so be it."

"She's not going to." Devon shook his head, "However, I'll let her tell you that." He frowned. "Paulette, go get Bellona's pokeball." He pulled out a pokeball and released Zelda who took up a guard post.

"Devon, I shouldn't leave you alone." Paulette really didn't look happy. "You might not be safe."

"Paulette, if Shikarou wanted me dead, I'd already be dead. Now go." She sighed and vanished.

Devon cradled Maeve. "I've missed you so much."

She cocked her head up to look at him. "Enough to make me alpha?"

He chuckled. "We'll see." Maeve cuddled against him.

Branwyn exchanged a look with Shikarou. _She's smart. Already she's trying to manipulate him. Why do you want Bellona?_

_I think she'll be a good addition to the harem and you need a beta. Nobody wants the job, so maybe Bellona will._

_She told me she was unhappy in the harem since she lost her jobs to Tess, but I don't know if she wants to leave._

_Then all she has to do is tell me no._

Paulette appeared with Kathryn and the Ladyien stepped away from the Neo Iczel with a frown. "Ye shouldn't have let Paulette leave ye alone," she chided Devon. "It's not safe for ye." She blinked at the Mini-Top. "I knew that Maeve had been found, but what are ye doing with her?"

Maeve smiled nastily at her from within Devon's arms. "Hello, bug. You and I need to have a chat about that fight at Loch Ness."

Kathryn turned white. "Ye have yer memories."

"Damned right I do."

Shikarou cleared his throat. "I hate to break up the reunion, but we have unfinished business."

Devon nodded and held out his hand to Paulette. She handed him a pokeball and he released Bellona. She looked tired. "Bellona, Shikarou has asked for you in exchange for Maeve. He said if you tell him no then he'll drop the subject."

Bellona gave Devon a curious look and then swung her gaze to Shikarou. "Why would you want me?"

"I need help training everyone and Branwyn needs a beta."

The DragonQueen gave him a disbelieving look. "Who's your beta now?"

Branwyn barked a laugh. "No one. No one in the harem wants the job. I've never had a beta."

Bellona stared at her. "No beta? Why not?"

Shikarou answered. "Everyone has seen the work she has to do and no one wants that kind of responsibility. I'm a hard taskmaster and Branwyn is sometimes even worse."

"What about your Armsmistress?"

"Yushiko is busy being the priestess of a kami and that takes up the vast majority of her free time." Branwyn shrugged. "Circe doesn't want the job and no one else is qualified."

Bellona shook her head. "And yet your harem fights well together."

"That's Shikarou's doing. He's single-handedly done most of that. I help, but we need a beta." The Unicorn smiled. "Apparently, he wants you."

"All I have to do is say no and you won't be angry at Devon?"

Shikarou smiled. "Of course not. I'm offering you a demanding, unrewarding job for the unforeseeable future. No one in their right mind would want it and I won't blame you if you say no."

Bellona looked at him for a moment and then looked at Devon. "Yes."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 63

Milktit Helen 55

Unicorn Branwyn 55

Seraph Dorothea 46

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 44

G-Spliced Pythia 41

Sphinx Lorelei 40

Vampire Elizabeth 37

Mini-Top Nanu 33

Alpha Branwyn

Beta None

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England:

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**PUMARA (aka CATAMOUNT, aka COUGROWL), the Mountain Lioness Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Anthromorphic Cat  
**Element**: Fighting/Ground  
**Frequency**: Uncommon (solitary to pairs)  
**Diet**: carnivorous  
**Role**: wilderness survivalist (mountains and forests), night-fighter  
**Libido**: average, seasonal peaks  
**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Electric, Fire, Normal, Poison, Rock, Steel, mouse Pokegirls  
**Weak Vs**: Flying, Plant, Psychic, Water, some canine Pokegirls  
**Attacks**: Mountain Claw, Slash, Growl, others  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Olfactory Sense (x4), Enhanced Strength (x10), Enhanced Agility (x3), Nightvision (x5), Claws  
**Disadvantages**: Rebellious Nature, Wild Streak  
**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Merrowl (Diamond Stone)

Catamount, Cougrowls, or Pumara. It is all the same. It's simply a regional variance of the name. (Found in the Johto (Cougrowls), Crescent (Catamounts or Pumara), Indigo (Cougrowls bordering Johto and Catamounts towards Crescent), and Tyroon Leagues (Pumara).) This branch of the Merrowl is similar to Tigresses. That is to say that they are superb fighters and combat Pokegirls. They are not as passionate about loving and fighting as Tigresses are. They prefer causing trouble and exploring; living life to the edge.  
Grey to tan fur, white bellies and black markings on the end of their tails, around their muzzle and black spots above the eyes distinguish this cat-type evolution. Strong sleek builds, extra powerful claws capable of harming Rock-types. All are characterized by a wild nature that tends to make domesticating them difficult. Those that are were born domestic and tend to be rebellious trouble-makers, wild cards, and smart-asses. They are more at home in the wild (though this can include certain city areas - like the underground and bad parts of town) than in the city. They don't make very good pets at all. Though if one can gain their loyalties Pumara can be very loyal, affectionate and obedient (most of the time).

_**DRAGONQUEEN, the Disciplined Training Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Dragon/Dark  
**Frequency**: Extremely Rare  
**Diet**: meat  
**Role**: this Pokégirl makes a good Alpha as she knows how to bring out the best in others with training  
**Libido**: Average  
**Strong Vs**: Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fire, Ghost, Plant, Psychic, Water  
**Weak Vs**: Bug, Fighting, Ice  
**Attacks**: Tail Whip, Rage, Dragon Rage, Harden, Blur, Shadow Shot, Wingover, Gust  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x9), Enhanced Speed (x9), Prehensile Tail, Enhanced Hearing (x15), Armored Form  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Domina (Dragon E-Medal)  
The DragonQueen is one of the newly discovered E-medal evolutions. She has pure black skin with long flowing hair that comes in reds, greens, blues and pinks. Their lower arms and legs are covered in hard scale like armor that matches their hair. Their tails tend to be about 5ft long and they stand at 6ft tall. Their breasts tend to be between large B cups to a small D cup. They have more of the armor like scales along their spines and coming around to cup their breasts. They can summon or dismiss their powerful wings at will. Their fingers end in powerful claws they can use for slashing damage. They also have the power to armor up, making their scales cover their bodies like a suit of armor leaving only their eyes to be seen.

DragonQueens tend to be less into S&amp;M then they were as Dominas but they understand using both pleasure and pain in training Pokégirls for combat. They tend to be able to figure out the limits of any Pokégirl and help them reach those limits then move beyond them. They are loyal to their Tamer and always obey him or her in battle.  
They like to use their Dragon Rage attack to weaken enemies and then move in and use Tail Whip on them.  
They enjoy spending time with their Tamer and when they feel in need of a Taming then tend not to care where they are or who might be watching.


	19. Chapter 19

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 19: Changes

(04/12/99 1315 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"What if I told you that you couldn't have her?" Devon's eyes were angry as they glared at Shikarou.

Shikarou paced over to stand next to Bellona, who gave him a faintly curious look. The air seemed to grow heavy as he drew himself up. "Then, Devon Jamie Harris, you would stand before me a man foresworn," he intoned formally. "I would have no choice at that point but to seek satisfaction."

The statement hung in the air between them and seemed to vibrate with energy as time suddenly stood still. Even the insects went quiet. Branwyn turned white as the blood drained from her face and Kathryn stared at Shikarou as her mouth dropped. Paulette's mouth firmed and she moved up next to her Tamer.

Devon paled and then flushed a violent red which stood in stark contrast to his bright blue hair and for a brief second he looked terribly young. He stared at Shikarou as he visibly gathered his thoughts, but his next words were for Bellona. "Are you sure that this is what you want to do?"

Bellona was looking from Devon to Shikarou with a puzzled look. Devon was staring at her with eyes full of pleading while Shikarou was coolly watching her. She turned to Devon. He gave her an anguished smile. "Please change your decision and stay with me. I need you with me."

The DragonQueen glanced at Shikarou. "Do you have anything to say?"

"No. This is your choice and yours alone."

She blinked. "That's it?"

He gave a tiny shrug. "I await your decision."

She stared at him for an instant before turning back to Devon. "I wish to join Shikarou's harem."

Devon sagged for a heartbeat and straightened. "I release you." He gave Shikarou an angry glare that was echoed by Paulette and Kathryn. Meanwhile, Maeve watched Kathryn.

Shikarou pulled a pokeball from his pocket. "Here is Maeve's pokeball. I'd like Bellona's now, if you please."

Devon stared at it for a moment before taking it. He frowned and handed over Bellona's. "Here."

Shikarou took it gracefully. "Thank you."

Devon gave him a flat look. "Kathryn, we are leaving." He hugged Maeve close. "I need to put you in your pokeball for the trip."

She frowned. "Can't Kathryn go up instead?" The Ladyien's eyes narrowed and she gave the Mini-Top a speculative look.

"No, you still need the rest."

"Oh, ok. When are you going to tame me?"

He smiled slowly. "Soon, I promise." He put the Mini-Top into her pokeball. He turned to Shikarou and said stiffly. "Sir, I do not believe that we need to be in contact again."

Branwyn grimaced. "Stop that, Devon. Don't go burning bridges just because you are angry."

He gave her a hard look. "Perhaps you are right." He nodded to Shikarou. "I'll be in touch."

Shikarou inclined his head slightly. "You will do as you will."

"Paulette?" The Neo Iczel gathered Devon and Kathryn into her arms, her eyes watching Shikarou until they vanished.

Shikarou took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "And once again you forgot the thank you." He turned to Bellona. "I want to welcome you into my life and I hope I can be what you are looking for."

Branwyn chuckled. "I hope you'll forgive him, he's never poached a pokegirl before. He's taken them in combat, but not this."

Bellona nodded slowly. "This has never happened to me before either. What happens next?"

"I'll set you up with a room and then I'll let Lorelei know that she's been bumped in the rotation. You'll spend tonight with Shikarou, getting formally brought into the harem." She gave her Tamer a broad smile. "And you will keep it in your pants for one day so she gets a proper induction."

Bellona's eyes widened as he chuckled. "As you command, my alpha." He grinned at Bellona.

She gave him a thoughtful look. "Are there any rules I need to know right away?"

"My name is Shikarou. Since I can't seem to stop certain behaviors, I also answer to master or lord. I am not your husband and you are not my wife."

Bellona nodded. "Very well."

Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "When you get her settled in, I would like Bellona to go through a healing cycle and then get some sleep, so I am giving her a free day today." He smiled. "That means actually free; that does not mean that you get to tell her what do to."

Branwyn returned the smile. "Very well. Bellona, this way please."

"Just a moment." Shikarou handed Bellona her pokeball. "Normally the pokegirl who owns it keeps it around here. It prevents misunderstandings."

The DragonQueen looked into his eyes for a long moment and then smiled. "Thank you." She leaned over and licked his cheek. "Interesting. You don't taste like evil incarnate."

"Who's been saying I am?"

"Paulette. She does not like you."

Shikarou shrugged. "Damn, now I'm going to lay awake at night, worrying about what I can do to change her mind. Oh, wait, all I need is a bone saw and a spoon." Bellona blinked at his sarcastic tone. "Now, please go with Branwyn. I don't want you tired tonight."

She blinked at the sudden anticipation in his tone. "Ok."

(04/13/99 0345 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou chuckled quietly into Bellona's neck as her hair fell over his face in an emerald cloud. "It's a good thing I have magic or we'd be sleeping on the floor." She pressed back against him, but didn't awaken. Before he'd repaired it the bed been ripped open from her claws and the headboard, already heavily scarred from previous bedmates, had received massive damage from her grip during some of their couplings.

He shifted slightly and winced once. "It's a good thing I regenerate or my back would look like that headboard. Next time you go on your hands and knees." A wry grin flitted across his face. They'd done that too, that was when the mattress had been shredded.

She'd been astonished and apprehensive at the idea of being tamed without restraints, but in the end he'd convinced her to give it a try. A lot of the blood drying around them as a result of that was his, but she'd done something while riding him, and he wasn't exactly sure what, that had resulted in him clawing her back up. He'd been mortified, but Bellona had been quietly smug about the whole thing, at least once he'd healed her up. She also had enjoyed much more pain during their taming than any of his other pokegirls and he was looking forward to exploring how far her limits ran.

He sighed into her hair and closed his eyes as he composed himself for an hour's meditation.

_ The room was of dressed stone that had been heavily carved over millennia of habitation and torches guttered in the corners. There was no exit, only a tremendous mirror in a simple silver frame that was hung on one wall. Shikarou moved to the mirror and saw in it the wolf creature that he had battled on two previous occasions. Its inky black eyes met his calmly and the hand he reached out to touch the glass was heavily muscled and covered in black fur. The monster reached out its hand to meet his at the surface._

_ Somehow he knew that this was as it should be and his muzzle wrinkled in a grin as he dropped his hand back to his side and spoke a single word in his native tongue. The mirror shimmered and the view changed. Now it showed a path with hedges bordering it on either side. Flowers sprouted in a tremendous explosion of color along the hedges and the path turned and went out of sight to the right._

_ He stepped through the mirror and onto the path and paused as his muzzle twitched and olfactory organs sorted through the riot of scents that suddenly filled the air. Satisfied, he strode rapidly between the hedges and suddenly frowned as he noticed that his balance was off. He stopped for a moment and thought before realizing that it was his digitigrade stance working in conjunction with his tail that was changing his stance and affecting his center of gravity. He swished his tail a couple of times to get a better feel for it and continued down the path, following the twists and turns until it ended at an open field._

_ "You are late." The man sat on a tree stump. Long silver hair was curled in his lap and silver furred ears flicked irritably. "Change form and sit down. We need to have a talk."_

_ The sensation of his bones twisting and muscles moving was uncomfortable as he resumed a more traditional form and settled on a nearby log. "I am sorry, father, but I didn't know I had to come here."_

_ His father nodded once, an unreadable expression in his golden eyes. "The fact that we are here and having this discussion means that something has happened that I did not anticipate. I suspect that somehow I am unable to come to you to help and that we are out of contact."_

_ "That would be correct. I am on another world in a universe that you are unsure how to reach."_

_ "That means, my son, you have a problem and it's one that has the potential to be very serious both to you and to those around you."_

_ Shikarou's ears flicked nervously. "I do not understand."_

_ The man sighed. "I didn't think you would, but I still hoped that I was wrong. Listen well. Your mother was not pleased when you turned two and started manifesting your abilities and, after she threatened to abandon you and return home, I tried to mollify her by isolating the vast majority of your powers. I intended to return them to you when you were an adult and on your own and at that time I would train you in their use and control."_

_ "It didn't work. She still left when you were but a child and she told me before leaving that if your powers came back, she would never have anything to do with you again. I left your powers locked away so you would be able to have as much contact with her as possible."_

_ "Why did she do this?" Shikarou gave his father a puzzled look. "Her leaving hurt so much and I never understood why she did it."_

_ "Your mother is amatsukami and her people are fascinated to the point of obsession by racial purity. Your Sidhe blood offended her and your kami gifts are more in line with what they expect from the oni, which disgusted her." He shrugged. "Her worshippers are the same way, which helps to explain her feelings but doesn't excuse them, especially not in regards to her own children."_

_ "Before I could get together with you to unlock your powers, you married Pallaius and moved to your mother's lands. I knew that your abilities would cause you great distress there." He shrugged again. "I suspected that your marriage to Pallaius would not last very long, so I continued to wait."_

_ "Apparently I waited too long or we wouldn't be having this conversation within the confines of your mind." He straightened. "While I look like your father, I am actually a warning spell that was buried in your mind that would only activate if you reached 251 years of age, which is when my creator set your limitations on your powers to automatically end. The fact that I still exist and have activated tells me that for some reason my creator has not been able to activate your powers before now and that they have either started to manifest on their own or will do so very soon."_

_ Shikarou nodded. "My powers have been growing, but I put it down to having worshippers again."_

_ His father frowned. "If I was your father in truth I would be able to tell you if that is true, but that is beyond the knowledge that was placed within me. I can only tell you what I know."_

_ Shikarou cocked his head. "So, please tell me what you can."_

_ He nodded. "I would like to be able to give you a list of your powers and tell you what they will be like, but as you know, each of us is different and the powers you manifested as a child may be only the beginning of the powers you will hold as a full adult."_

_ "I can tell you that as a child you showed the abilities of shapeshifting, necromancy, and the manifestation and control of cold. These are the powers that your father locked away." He smiled wryly. "I think it was the necromancy that really bothered her. Her people want to pretend that death is not the nasty business that it actually is and so they try to act as if it doesn't exist." He gave Shikarou an amused look. "Of course she was also upset when you froze the milk in her breast while you fed."_

_ Shikarou chuckled quietly and then suddenly his ears drooped. Eagerly he asked, "Did I show that I could fly? I've always wanted to be able to fly."_

_ "No. I am sorry to have to tell you that you showed no signs of flying abilities. That doesn't mean that they won't manifest later in life, but it is equally likely that you may never develop any flying related magic."_

_ "I see. What else can you tell me?"_

_ "Not much. I can tell you what I am, in the hopes that it will help you to try to guess the extent of your powers." He frowned. "He is, I am, sometimes it's confusing to me. Anyway, I am a wolf forest spirit; while I could be considered part of the kunitsukami and not the amatsukami, my powers are much more like those of the oni and therefore most consider me to be in neither group. I can fly, transform into various wolf related forms and I can command wolves. I also have almost complete control over cold and can generate temperatures that approach zero degrees Kelvin without harm to myself. Because of my control of cold, I tend to maintain a constant temperature around myself and do not notice temperature variations of either hot or cold."_

_ "My Sidhe heritage is more problematic. I have powers in relation to death. I am a true necromancer and also have powers of healing and purification. I also have the ability to mimic any sound I have ever heard, which explains why I am such a good storyteller." He grinned and fangs flashed in the light. "Few others can make the sounds of a snowfall or the hiss of rain."_

_ "Your mother is a goddess of life and healing, and I have no empirical data to indicate how her blood will influence your powers, but I would expect something along the lines of increased healing abilities or fertility." _

_ He frowned. "Neither one of us has shown anything like your blood magic, although since it has appeared in several of my children including those from other wives, your mother accuses me of providing it to you. While I know that my creator has some theories as to how it might have manifested, apparently he didn't have anything that he thought significant enough to put into this spell's knowledge base."_

_ "Your ability to manipulate souls is not unique, but you have shown an unusual aptitude for it. It isn't one of my abilities, and I sometimes wonder if it came from your mother. She's never revealed the true extent of her powers and so I can only speculate." His ears flicked. "I asked her once and she became very upset and never answered the question. It is also quite possible that it manifested as an aspect of my necromantic powers and thus comes from me. Further research is required."_

_ "I would like to caution you that working with souls can be a tricky thing and could easily get you branded oni. In addition, while you have never manifested the ability to consume the power of a soul, should you develop it be careful. Sometimes the evil of a soul can taint someone who consumes it, and consuming the souls of the good can lead to your being hunted relentlessly by those that think themselves good." _

_ "I would urge that you use any soul related powers sparingly, if at all. However, don't let my warnings get in the way of your survival. "_

_ "Remember that you are a master of the Tsukiken School of martial arts and the discipline that allowed you to advance to that high rank can be used to help you master your new powers as they appear. Hopefully, they will manifest slowly and one at a time, but we both know that often we don't get what we want." _

_ "One other thing: when your new powers begin to appear, it might be prudent to isolate yourself as much as possible until you gain a measure of control. You have the signs of being a very powerful being and you don't want to accidentally hurt anyone important to you."_

_ "I know that I wish I could be there to help you during this time, but we must all walk our own paths alone. I have faith in your willpower and control and more importantly, I have faith in you, Shikarou. You have never failed to make me proud of you and I know that you will succeed in this as well." _

_ "I will continue to search for you, for only extraordinary circumstances could have kept me from your side at this time, and when we finally meet again I look forward to greeting you more as an equal than as a son."_

_ "I love you with all of my heart. Be strong."_

Shikarou opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling to his room for a long time as tears flowed down his cheeks.

(04/13/99 0922 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

**Marcus has healed his Demoness Lilith in the pokegirl center in Plymouth England. The report just updated and the timestamp is sixty three minutes ago.**

Shikarou bounced to his feet and grinned at Branwyn. "Training is over. Aggie located Marcus and we are an hour behind him."

Branwyn nodded. "Helen, get out the PPHU. Everyone else stand by for healing. Anyone feeling too slimy sluice off in the bathroom. Those using the bathroom have four minutes. Move."

Bellona came up to stand next to Shikarou as people started moving. "I never knew that you had an indoor arena. The fact that you can restructure it to different environments is incredible."

"You weren't supposed to know. This is for us only."

She nodded, her emerald green hair swaying slowly. "Who is Marcus?"

"There's a group called the Order of Pendragon that has been attacking us from time to time. I don't know much about them but I do know that Marcus Pendleton-Smythe is a member, he attacked us in Glasgow. I want to get my hands on him so he can give me information about the Order." He smiled slightly. "I need to know if they've given up on me, or if I can expect more attacks in the future."

"Do you think they've given up on you?"

"No, I don't. They still have agents here watching me and I think they are just biding their time."

She looked surprised. "Who?"

"Mary and Gwen."

"Why don't you get rid of them?"

Shikarou smiled. "Knowing who the enemy spies are can make life a lot easier and allow me to feed them disinformation."

Branwyn looked up. "Bellona. Pokeball. Now."

The DragonQueen smiled and offered Shikarou her pokeball. "Would you do the honors?" She vanished in the red beam and he handed the pokeball to Branwyn.

Branwyn started her healing cycle. "Have you decided on the team?"

"You, Circe, Bellona, Pythia, Elizabeth and Dorothea."

"We haven't trained with Bellona yet," she pointed out.

"This is a capture mission and I'm hopeful there won't be a lot of fighting. If I need to, I'll reevaluate the situation and my pokegirl lineup."

(04/13/99 0930 Plymouth, Blue Continent)

Branwyn and Shikarou appeared outside the pokegirl center and she let his hand go. "We need to be careful, he might recognize us."

He grimaced. "Then the little fuck runs and we chase him down. That'll get him out of town, anyways."

"What if the Demoness teleports?"

"Crap. I forgot about that." He shrugged.

A third voice interrupted them. "Damn, you are quick." Shikarou turned to see a cute olive-skinned brunette. "I only sent the message ten minutes ago."

Branwyn frowned. "What message?" Suddenly Shikarou's com started sounding a siren and a second later his pokedex started making the same noise.

The woman grinned as Shikarou juggled both pieces of electronics and finally shut them off. "Guess I spoke too soon."

Shikarou checked his com and looked up at the brunette. "An all Tamer callout? You have got to be kidding me."

"We've got a Widow. Does that sound like kidding?" The brunette frowned. "I'm Marisela Garcia, the leader of the Plymouth gym, and you would be?"

"Shikarou. This is Branwyn." His ears were half flattened. "What about Marcus?"

"Who?"

"Marcus Pendleton-Smythe. He was just here with his Demoness, Lilith."

"Oh, him. I remember the Demoness. He left almost an hour ago, before word came in about the Widow incursion." Marisela frowned thoughtfully. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"No, he's not. I just need to have word with him." His smile showed just a hint of teeth.

She gave him an odd look at his tone. "Well, you are going to have to wait. You need to check in at the pokegirl center and we'll set you up with some accommodations until more Tamers arrive. I expect that we will be leaving in the morning to hunt this Widow down."

_Aggie, park your satellite over this area and find that Widow, if she exists._

**Satellite arrival time is 345 seconds. She could be extremely difficult to locate if she is in the second stage of her life cycle, so you need to understand that my not being able to find her cannot be considered as conclusive evidence that she does not exist.**

Branwyn sighed as they headed inside to check in. "Bellona is our only Dragon type. Can you plan a strategy around her?"

"I can and I already am." He sighed. "I'm tempted to leave today and I'm tempted to wait and leave with the others tomorrow. Both have distinct and very different advantages."

They finished checking in and Shikarou was assigned a bunk in the pokegirl center. He politely turned it down, explaining that he had a tent.

Branwyn looked at him as they left the building and picked up where they'd left off. "Explain."

"Leaving now would mean that we don't have to worry about darkness knows how many idiots getting in our way. I'm not sure we can take a Widow, but if every Tamer in this area goes after her, the body count is going to be very high."

He shrugged. "On the other hand, leaving in the morning gives us a bunch of people we don't know traveling with us to suck up her attacks while we try to take her out. We also have to share the bounty with all of the survivors, but that is less important than us living."

Branwyn frowned. "Dorothea is going to want to leave right away, to keep the body count down."

"I know. Do you think Ms. Garcia would buy the idea that we want to head out now to provide her with a scouting element?"

"She'd probably jump at the idea. So how do you think we can destroy a Widow with only one harem?"

"First we have to find her. I'll explain everything else on the way."

When they tracked her down, Marisela was cautiously pleased at the idea of having a scout. "You are just going to keep an eye on her and keep in touch with me, right?"

Shikarou grinned. "I have no intention of ever getting into a fight I don't think I can win."

She nodded. "All right, but be careful. You seem moderately professional and I'm going to need platoon leaders for all the other Tamers who are going to be arriving."

"I'll keep that in mind. What's your com number?"

A few minutes later they were on the road with Pythia covering them at a much higher altitude than normal.

**I have located the Widow and I'm downloading map data to your hand computer. **

Shikarou pulled out his handheld. "She's about thirty kilometers north of here, near the ruins of a town." He made an adjustment. "Let's see," he said musingly. "Widows have enhanced strength and speed as well as 360 degree vision." He looked at Branwyn. "Ok, for this we're going to need you, me, Pythia, Bellona, Circe and Elizabeth. We'll keep Dorothea as a reserve. She can report back in case of total disaster." He adjusted the map and started releasing pokegirls as Branwyn called Pythia down. "Time for a preliminary briefing."

(04/13/99 1100 North of Plymouth, Blue Continent)

Shikarou looked around the slowly undulating field he'd picked as an ambush site. The whole area was open ground for over a hundred meters in all directions, and all of the undergrowth and trees had been hastily removed and were scattered around the periphery of the free fire zone. Three circles four meters in diameter were spaced fifteen meters apart in the center, forming a rough square in the center of the cleared area. "This should do nicely."

He turned to his pokegirls. "Ok, everyone has been healed and is at full strength. Remember, no battle plan ever goes exactly like we want it to, but I think we've prepared for all of the contingencies we can think of, including fleeing." He turned to Bellona. "Our plan rests on you, but this is a Widow and the risks are high. Normally I just give orders at this point, but I'm willing to come up with another plan if you don't want to do this."

The DragonQueen squared her shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. "I can appreciate the desire to keep the casualties to a minimum, but if Devon told me he wanted to attack a Widow and had a foolproof plan, I'd have worked with the rest of his harem to hold him down until the insanity passed." Her mouth firmed. "You had the beginnings of a plan and worked with your staff to refine it until it's as good as it can be in the time you have. Yes, it puts my life on the line, but if we are being honest, you are going to be putting yourself into just as much danger as I will be in since you are going to be the bait." She glanced at Dorothea, who was busy checking her gear once more. "Well, the primary bait."

"As you mentioned, you've got contingency plans in place to run before everyone is dying, and if the wheels come off you're ready to scrub the whole attack and retreat and regroup."

A tiny smile appeared on her face. "What I'm trying to say is you are being as thoroughly professional as I've ever seen a Tamer and I'm ready to do my part."

Branwyn blew air out her cheeks. "Next time, could we dispense with the speech?"

Bellona grinned. "Hey, it's my first time with you and Shikarou, please be gentle."

Shikarou turned to Dorothea. "What about you?"

"My lord, I stand ready to complete thy plan or die trying."

Her eyes opened in shock as Shikarou grabbed her breastplate and jerked her forward against him. "NO DYING, IS THAT CLEAR?" He dropped his voice. "If things go bad, you are to run to Plymouth. You know where the rest of the harem is stashed and if we fall your job is to get them to Faelan." He kissed her on the lips gently. "Do not fail me in this, Dorothea, for this is even more important to me than killing that Widow."

She wrapped her arms around him fiercely and kissed him hard. "I will not fail thee in my mission, my lord." Her eyes met his. "I will live, no matter what, in order to save thy harem. Do not die, my lord, I beseech thee."

He smiled slightly. "I don't plan to. Now you have the first phase. Go."

She nodded and took to the air, sweeping around to head in the direction of the Widow.

Circe watched her fly off with an amused look. "She kissed you in front of the rest of us. Just how corrupt do you intend to make your poor Seraph?"

Shikarou laughed. "As much as possible."

**Your spell is working. I have realtime contact with Dorothea and will guide her and provide tactical advice. Preliminary ETA of Widow to ambush site is approximately 900 seconds.**

Shikarou nodded. "We've got fifteen minutes. Action stations, everyone."

Dorothea winged towards the Widow's location, climbing as she flew. "So thou are the tiny voice in my lord's head."

**My name is Aggie and I am a person, not a voice. **

"I meant thee no insult."

**None taken. You will want to stay high enough to stay out of range of her hyper venom attack but close enough that she will follow you. What do you plan?**

"I will strike my foe at a distance with magic fist. My lord suspects that while the Widow is strong against all other attacks except Dragon, that perhaps the variability inherent in magical attacks may damage her slightly. After her attention is on me, I will drop and lead her a merry chase back to my lord."

**Risky. Widows are fast. Suggestion. Stay at extreme range and hit her occasionally with a ranged attack to keep her attention and infuriate her. She will follow you.**

"I disagree with thee. An enraged foe will strike out at anything, and if she comes across another pokegirl she will quite likely cease pursuit of me to chase easier prey. That possibility becomes more likely if she does not believe that she can reach me."

**Hmm. Your way is riskier, but with a commensurate higher probability that the plan will succeed. One moment. **A brief time passed.** I have contacted Shikarou and he is sending Pythia to meet with you in six seconds. She will be flying over you and attaching the stripped down pokedex that Branwyn possesses to the back of your armor. I will be able to use the scanner to watch behind you as you fly and feed you data on the Widow.**

Dorothea blinked. "Thy help would be of great benefit to me. I thank thee."

**Shikarou is my friend and while he had reservations about you joining his harem, he has since become rather fond of you, more so than you know. It is only fitting that I do what I can to help keep you alive.**

Dorothea blushed. "Thy words gladden my heart."

Pythia appeared on the horizon and flew quickly to slip above the flying Seraph. "I'll have this attached in minute." She worked quickly and moved around to where Dorothea could see her. "Be careful, sister."

Dorothea smiled. "I shall." She continued on as Pythia vanished.

**The Widow will be on the other side of that hill.** Dorothea banked and turned to avoid letting the Widow shorten the range by climbing the hill.

Her blood chilled at the sight of the dreaded black form. It was eating something and took no notice of her distant form.

"I hope that she knows of my presence."

**If not, I'm sure you can let her know you are here. Thunderbolt will give her eyes something to follow to you. But you will have to get closer. Stay with magic fist and see if she sees the attack.**

Dorothea fired a magic fist attack which struck the Widow on her abdomen and the pokegirl responded by hunching down to finish cramming her meal down her throat. Dorothea hit her repeatedly and the Widow ignored her to finish her meal before turning quickly to face the circling Seraph. Her mouth opened and a glow began to emanate from her gullet.

**I think she sees you.**

Dorothea hit the Widow once more and dove as the hyper beam ripped through where she would have been. "Does my lord get his tendency for understatement from thee or do thou get it from him?"

**The Widow is giving chase. She is quite fast and is currently closing. Speed up. **

** I think I get it from him.**

Dorothea flew faster until the Widow began to fall back as she maneuvered through terrain Dorothea could soar over.

**I am going to try something, please do not panic.** Dorothea blinked as her vision dimmed and she saw an overlay view of the Widow behind her. **Point your hand behind you and summon your power for your magic fist. **A blinking crimson light appeared on the ground in her in the overlay. **That is the impact point of your attack. Guide it onto the Widow or at least nearby and attack her.**

Dorothea tried it. The bolt smacked the ground in front of the Widow, who screamed in rage and responded with another hyper beam, which Dorothea evaded with Aggie's help. **Excellent. Now we can tease her if she starts to lose interest without you having to make yourself an easier target.**

"Good. My lord awaits her on the field of battle and I would not want her to miss her appointment with destiny."

**It is now official. You are strange.**

Shikarou heard Dorothea's laughter as she came over a slight rise and flew overhead. "MY LORD, THY VICTIM APPROACHES."

Branwyn snorted. "Victim, huh? I hope she's right." She tightened her grip on his hair. "I'm ready." They stood in front of one of the circles, Shikarou ready to release a spell as Branwyn was ready to teleport. Bellona and Pythia waited inside the circle directly behind them. Elizabeth and Circe were nowhere to be seen.

**The Widow will come into view in ten seconds.**

Shikarou started his spell and energy began to swirl around him. Suddenly a black nimbus burst into existence around him and Branwyn and seemed to feed energy into the spell he was casting.

"Beloved, be careful," the Unicorn warned.

The Widow appeared as he released the ice beam spell. Normally an ice beam creates a beam of ice that is only about four or five centimeters in diameter, but this beam was a meter or more wide. It smashed the Widow flying and her screams of rage could be heard for a kilometer. She rolled to her feet and charged her new prey, her clawed hands extended to fire hyper venom as soon as they got in range.

Branwyn teleported into the circle with Pythia and Bellona, taking Shikarou with her.

The Widow used her hyper venom attack as soon as she could and the venom ran down the hemispherical force shield to soak into the ground. Shikarou glanced over his shoulder. "Move to another dome so as to avoid the poison before beginning. Don't use this one."

Pythia nodded and wrapped her arms around Bellona from behind before teleporting to one of the other circles which denoted the force field domes. Bellona smiled at Shikarou as they faded from sight as Pythia turned them invisible.

Shikarou dropped his voice as he shot the Widow the finger. "We didn't think about the hyper venom in the dirt around the force domes. Tell Circe that Elizabeth is no longer viable as backup."

"I'm on it."

The Widow screamed and used her hyper beam on the forcefield. Shikarou watched the energy coruscate centimeters in front of him and waved at the Widow, sweeping his arms from side to side in an exaggerated motion. The Widow charged, bellowing her rage as she closed.

The Widow pounded on the force dome with her claws, trying to reach the prey that she could see but not reach as Shikarou capered in front of her wildly. Branwyn stayed behind him, ready to teleport them to safety if something went wrong.

The enemy pokegirl backed suddenly and stopped as she opened her mouth to fire another hyper beam. Shikarou grinned. "Now."

Energy enveloped the Widow and she tried to scream around the developing hyper beam as Pythia phased partially out of the ground underneath her and Bellona hit her with a point blank dragon breath before they sank back into the ground. They had phased into the ground beneath the force dome and quickly traveled to get beneath their foe.

At the same time Branwyn teleported Shikarou in front of another circle and he used his lightning attack on the Widow. It bounced off, but got her attention as he'd intended. Branwyn teleported them back to the safety of the force dome as the Widow vomited the hyper beam at where they had been and Pythia and Bellona repeated their attack before teleporting to a circle for a quick breather. Circe appeared at the end of the field behind the Widow and cast flare, which detonated three meters behind the Widow and blinded her rearmost eyes. She screamed and spun in a circle as the Alaka-Wham teleported away.

Shikarou cast imitate on himself and again on Branwyn as the Widow rounded on the last motion, which was Pythia and Bellona appearing. "Ready?" She nodded and they waited until the Widow had committed to another hyper beam attack before teleporting behind her, coming out ten meters away. Both of them used Bellona's dragon breath on the Widow, who never saw the attack coming from her blinded eyes. The mortally wounded Widow crashed to the ground and began dragging herself towards them as they teleported back to the safety of their force dome. She continued to claw and bite at the force dome around them until Pythia and Bellona hit her a third time from the rear.

Finally she stopped moving. Shikarou took a deep breath. _Pythia, you and Bellona hit her again and again until she's in pieces. I want to make sure she's dead._

A short time later everyone stood and watched as Circe and Pythia used their telekinesis to gather up the pieces of the Widow. Bellona took his arm. "Is this a typical day in the life of my new family?"

"Blood and darkness, no. This was easy. Sometimes someone actually gets hurt." He grinned at the expression on her face. "All kidding aside, I am very pleased with your performance today. You did well."

Her tail twined around his ankle and rubbed it gently. "Thank you." She cocked her head and licked his cheek. "What kind of reward do I get?"

Branwyn grinned. "Down, pokegirl. We have needs too."

Bellona's eyes went wide at his response. "As a reward for a good job how about a million credits of your own?"

Everyone turned to stare at him and he grinned at the stunned looks on their faces. "I think each pokegirl in my active harem should get a million credits to spend as they please. We'll take ten percent of what is left for the group fund and let Lynn use the rest for Caomh Sith." He looked smug. "Now we can afford that containment equipment and transporter for the clinic and the police station." His ears flicked as a thought struck him. "The only other restriction is whatever you buy has to fit in your own room or in the armory. No meter long rubber ducks that someone tries to keep in the hot tub."

Branwyn smiled slowly. "So, when do we go after our next Widow?"

Shikarou blanched. "They aren't worth it. I could have lost several women who are important to me today and that's not worth the bounty. If we never have to do this again, I'll be perfectly happy."

"Marisela is not going to be pleased." Elizabeth grinned within her hood.

"I hope she'll be glad we kept the body count down, but frankly I don't give a fuck. We saved at least fifty lives today and she can have all of the screaming fits she wants, but that makes it worth it." He raised a hand defensively. "I realize that killing more Widows could save more lives, but we got lucky today and we won't get lucky every time. I'm not sacrificing my women to save someone else's."

He shrugged. "I'm also going to do my best to not encourage other Tamers to try this. Because of that, while I'll show Marisela the video of the takedown if I have to in order to collect the bounty, I'm not going to let her have a copy of it."

Circe nodded. "It reveals too much about our capabilities and wouldn't help anyone else prepare to fight a Widow."

"That's right." Shikarou sighed. "We got a 900 million credit bounty and missed Marcus. I'd rather have Marcus."

Bellona's hand tightened for an instant on his arm. "What I saw today was incredible. If you want Marcus that badly, it's only a matter of time before he's yours."

Branwyn nodded. "She's right. He'll be in our hands eventually." She smiled. "So now we return to Plymouth and quietly inform the authorities as to what happened so they can search for any other problems out here and then we go home."

Elizabeth frowned. "Shikarou, since we defeated a Widow today, can we skip afternoon training?" Everyone laughed.

Shikarou made a show of stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It was only one Widow, so I'll have to think about it. If it had been two, then yes, but since it was only one, I don't know."

There was more laughter.

(04/13/99 1800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"So, can I presume you are buying dinner?"

Shikarou gave his brother a sour look. "I'll buy if you only order tea and cheese sandwiches."

"Such a big spender." Faelan grinned. "How did Marisela take you going cowboy on her?"

"Going cowboy?"

"It means going off on independent ops in violation of orders." I'm not sure what a cowboy is, but I have heard it applied to the people working at a Milktit ranch. It's a saying in Indigo."

"Ah."

Svetlana swept into living room of the tent and came up behind Shikarou to give him a big hug. He stiffened in surprise as she settled down next to her Tamer and gave him a broad smile. "I just heard the wonderful news. You took out a Widow! So how much of the bounty are you giving to a worthy cause? I don't think you should limit yourself to less than half, you could never use all of that money."

Shikarou gave her a look that suggested she'd just offered him a plate of feces. He recovered quickly and tried to make light of the situation. "I've made a healthy donation to the Shikarou Urufu Betterment Foundation."

Svetlana laughed. "Now, that just won't do. I've got a list of worthy charities that could make very good use of that money and whenever you have time today we'll sit down and figure out who gets what."

Shikarou's ears went flat and a low growl began to issue from his throat. Svetlana ignored the signs. "So when will you be available today?"

Faelan pulled out a pokeball and put Svetlana up. "I was really hoping she wouldn't try that with you. We had that particular fight after the Giantess bounty came in."

The growl died and Shikarou took a deep breath as he pulled his claws out of the table slowly. "What happened?"

"I gave her some of the bounty and told her to do whatever she wanted. The rest I banked for school." He grimaced. "She didn't get nearly as much as she thought she should and we had a terrible row over it."

"You know, Faelan, I would strongly suggest that she not talk to me for a couple of days."

He nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you. Where were we?"

"Marisela."

"Right. She was a little annoyed, but once I explained that I only did it to keep the inexperienced Tamers from being mowed down like grass, she calmed down. She even gave me the badge to her gym as a bonus."

"She must have mellowed. So what's next, oh great conqueror?"

"I need to visit my shrine and see what's going on there." Shikarou smiled. "I hope there's nothing that I disapprove of, but if there is, then I need to stop it before it gets out of hand."

Faelan nodded. "What are you going to do if Svetlana comes around with the collection plate again?"

Shikarou sighed. "I know you love her, which kind of limits my options. I don't want to kill her and I don't even want to beat her senseless. Well, sometimes I do." He glanced at Faelan. "I am growing very tired of her treating me like some appendage of hers or like I'm her Tamer." He looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes. "I suppose I don't know what I'm going to do. That usually means that if I figure I'm going to get preached at, I might as well do something to deserve it." A slow smile spread across his face. "Now that could be fun."

"No banging my Megami-sama."

Shikarou grinned. "If I can avoid taming her ever again, I will." He smiled. "She was ok, just not my type."

Faelan grinned. "Details?"

"Why not. What is it?"

"Did she play the helpless maiden game with you?"

Shikarou grinned. "No, I think that one is something special for you two. Most of the time she was more 'Let's get this over' then anything else." A smirk. "Since I felt about the same way, it worked for me."

"What kind of games do your pokegirls like to play?"

Shikarou looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Are you trying to offend me?"

"No, I'm curious. I didn't have a whole lot of experience with Tirsuli women before coming here, just my first and a few others."

"Ah. Every woman plays games. They vary from woman to woman, and none are quite the same, but they all do, just like we do."

"What if I have to tame your harem?"

Shikarou smiled. "Branwyn has taken steps to ensure that unless I am killed, she won't have to be tamed by you and I suspect she's made the same arrangements for the rest of the harem. They'll take care of each other until I'm back on my feet."

Faelan looked slightly disappointed. "Oh."

"Little brother, enjoy the girls you've already got and if you want more, go out and catch them. Stop sniffing around mine."

"I'd like to point out that most of the ones around here are yours in one fashion or another."

"Right across the channel is a whole bleeding continent full of horny feral pokegirls as well as horny domesticated pokegirls with crappy Tamers. Get off your butt and go catch some and if Svetlana gives you any shit, tell her that if she was a good alpha, she'd be helping to make the harem stronger instead of being a bitch." He blinked. "Did I say that with my outside voice? I usually say that only with my inside voice when you start whining."

Faelan stared at his brother, his ears flicking up and down. Finally he shook his head. "You are such an ass." He sighed. "Still, even asses can be right. Maybe I need to take a trip."

Shikarou smiled. "No, what you need is to take a short Tamer's journey. You've never been on one. You went from a Giantess to Vale to the PLC. Take some time and fuck the scenery. Take your harem and let them help. I'll talk to Molly about letting Amy have time off."

Faelan started chuckling. "That actually sounds like a good idea." He nodded. "Elder of the Tsukiken clan, you have convinced me. I'll leave in the morning, if you'll talk to Molly today."

"I will. Have a good time." Shikarou stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to my Denmother." He stopped. "We could use some water types."

"I'll stick my rod in the water and see what nibbles."

"Oh, that's bad."

(04/14/99 0700 Blue Continent, 04/14 1600 Edo)

Bellona slipped back to stand next to Branwyn and Circe as they watched Fumiko apparently trying to crawl inside Shikarou. "Do we always get around so early?"

The Unicorn nodded. "Yes. Breakfast is at 0530 every day and when we are on the road, we strike camp at 0700." She smiled slightly. "You get used to it and I must admit we do get a lot done. Shikarou explained to me that he believed that the limiting factor for most harems was the Tamer. Most pokegirls get plenty of opportunities to sleep in their pokeballs, so, since he doesn't sleep and only requires an hour of meditation a day he decided to test the theory. So far he seems right."

"But the other night when he was with me, he slept."

"No, he meditated until you were asleep and then he got up." She glanced at the DragonQueen. "I'm fond of good cuddle and his getting up is something I don't particularly like, but it gives him some alone time and he seems to need that."

"What does he do?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe you can help me find out. He's been very secretive about his activities." Branwyn frowned. "Well, that's not exactly true; he just won't talk about it. I know he often spends time in the arena and he hangs a sign warning everyone to stay out. It usually says something about hazardous conditions. So far no one has been curious enough to find out if it's true or not."

"I thought he couldn't lie."

"He can't. But that doesn't mean that the sign isn't incorrect most of the time. As long as it's correct when he hangs it, he's not lying."

Bellona blinked. "Sneaky."

"Get used to it," Branwyn muttered in dry voice. "But he's even sneakier to his foes than he is to us." She gave Bellona a look. "By the bye, that was a good job you did with the Widow. Frankly, I didn't expect everyone to make it back from that one, but as much as I didn't like it, Shikarou was right. We had the experience to make the most of our advantages and we couldn't wait and hope someone better came along; and while I hate to admit it possible loss of some of us was better than a definite forty or fifty dead if the groups of Tamers had engaged her."

Shikarou finally peeled Fumiko off of him and looked her over quickly. She gave him an amused look. "What is it?"

"I'm just checking on something. It seemed like there were an unusual number of arms clutching at me and since you can actually do things like that, I figured I should check."

She laughed at him. "So what brings you here today? You aren't due for another couple of days."

"I came to see this shrine I keep hearing about."

She sobered instantly. "Oh. It's down the road about a kilometer."

He frowned. "What is wrong?"

"There's been a problem at the shrine. Some people have been coming by to steal out of the offering box."

"Maybe I can do something about that." He frowned. "Why do I have an offering box?"

She shrugged. "It's traditional."

"Can you get away to take me there?"

"No, I've got a lot of work to do." She gave him a sad smile. "Sorry."

"That's ok. Right now your work is supposed to come first." He hugged her tightly. "We'll find our way to the shrine."

"Yushiko can take you to it."

"Good idea." Shikarou released Yushiko. "Fumiko thinks you can take me to my shrine."

The Armsmistress nodded. "Yes, my lord, it is just down the road."

"All right, let's move out." He gave Fumiko a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

As the shrine came into sight Shikarou ground to a halt and stared at it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly and Branwyn heard him muttering to himself. "I'm in Edo. I'm in Edo. Edo is a conglomeration of the various Asian countries and I have to keep that in mind."

She touched his arm. "What is it?"

He chuckled slowly. "Sorry, I just got a shock. My shrine is built in a mix of Chinese and Korean styles and I was expecting Japanese."

"It's pretty."

"That it is." He smiled. "Come on."

Yushiko smiled proudly. "My family commissioned the shrine's construction and used a local feng shui priest to ensure everything is perfect. That's why it's so far from the shop because this place has the best chi flow."

Inside the pagoda there was incense burning and a collection box next to the stone that represented the kami. Two women and a Titmouse were praying at the rock that apparently represented the shine's kami. They would pray for a moment and then clap twice before going back to their prayers. Two young men stood nearby watching. Shikarou watched for a moment and then emptied his pockets of change and dropped the coins into the collection box. He shrugged as Branwyn gave him a curious look.

Yushiko did the same thing and smiled at his wink.

One of the young men nodded and walked past them to open the collection box and remove the coins, which he swept into his pocket. Shikarou frowned. "Why are you doing that?"

The man smiled. "I am the keeper of the shrine and it is my duty."

The Titmouse came up and bowed to Shikarou. "Master, he lies. He steals from you to buy food and drink for himself and his friends."

The man glared at her. "Shut up, you fuzzball. You have no idea what you are talking about."

Shikarou gave the Titmouse an amused look. "I know you are telling the truth and that he is lying to me. The question I have is how did you know who I am?"

The pokegirl smiled back at him. "You came to me in my dreams and guided me here that I may serve you." The two women broke off their prayers and turned surprised faces towards them.

The man scowled. "I don't know who you are, but leave this place and never return."

Shikarou glanced at him. "Yushiko."

"My lord?" She almost quivered with eagerness.

"What is the customary penalty for theft?"

"Jail time, my lord."

"Pity. The last time someone robbed my shrine, I took his arm. Still, I suppose I should make some nod in the direction of the law. Take him into custody and you and Circe deliver him to the police and press charges. Oh, and the money should go back into the box. Take his friend, too, if he interferes."

Yushiko spun the man around and smashed him face first against the wall while he was still trying to protest and his friend stood stunned. Circe watched him alertly.

"Gently, Yushiko. He's young and probably still has uses for his teeth." Shikarou turned to the man's friend. "Jail or leave." The man fled.

After the money had been returned to the offering box and Yushiko and Circe were gone with the prisoner Shikarou turned to the Titmouse. "How can you serve me?"

"Let me serve you as the keeper of your shrine, Master."

"Very well." Shikarou placed his hand on the Titmouse's head. "I charge you to keep my shrine and instruct those who come to worship me and desire instruction." He dropped his hand as she began to glow. "Oops."

When the glow faded, the Titmouse had changed substantially. She had grown almost fifty centimeters and changed to an almost completely human form, losing the fur, the ears and the tail. Her hair was waist length and a shiny black which matched her eyes. She now wore a red hakama and white kosode while a katana graced her belt. "Thank you, Master." Even her voice had changed, becoming deeper and more melodious.

**Shrine Maiden, the amateurish summoner,** Aggie supplied.

Shikarou nodded. "This will allow you to more easily perform your duties. What is your name?"

"Echiko, Master."

"Echiko, see to your duties."

The Shrine Maiden bowed happily. "Hai, Master." She turned and headed off to check on the two human women, who were standing stock still and staring at Shikarou with huge eyes.

Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "Before you ask, I have no idea how that happened, but that's sometimes how magic works."

He had to explain what happened to Yushiko when she and Circe returned and once more when they returned to the Yoshihara residence for dinner. He suspected that unfortunately this would only enhance the reputation of the shrine.

04/15/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"I'll be fucked. Look at that." Gwen smacked Mary on the shoulder, almost catapulting her out of her seat. She gripped the table to save herself.

"Watch your strength, damn it."

"Balls to that. Look over at that bastard."

Mary looked at where Gwen was carefully not pointing. Shikarou was eating breakfast in the inn, unusual enough, but she didn't see anything odd. She looked closer. He was reading as he ate and her heart skipped a beat, no, several beats, as she realized it was a large book with copper pages. "Fuck," she breathed. "The Grimoire."

"Out in the open and everything." Gwen grabbed her arm and pulled. "Let's go say hi."

Mary gave her a slight glare, but she knew the old saying that having a Neo Iczel was kind of like having a zebra on a string. It usually went where it wanted, taking you with it, and if you fought it too hard you got bitten. As she did each time she remembered that saying, she wondered what a zebra was.

Gwen almost dragged her over to Shikarou's table. He glanced up at them and then around at the nearly empty dining room. Only the barmaid was visible behind the Inn's bar. "Merry met." He smiled and shut the book, putting it to his left, on the other side of the table from them. "Care to join me for breakfast? I'm having eggs Benedict." He uncovered a tureen and the rich smell of hollandaise sauce filled the air, making Mary salivate.

"Thanks," Gwen dropped into a chair and grabbed a plate as Mary sat more sedately.

Shikarou shook his head and smiled at Mary. "I had a Neo Iczel for a while. Headstrong is a good word for them, but they usually mean well."

Mary smiled and helped herself to the food. "That is an understatement. May I ask why you are eating here?"

"Helen has the morning off and breakfast was kind of light, so I'm having a second one." He smiled gently. "I didn't get my morning milk."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine. Candace is giving physicals to my entire harem and it involves an overnight stay at the clinic." He shrugged. "If I didn't allow it and someone came down with some rare condition, I'd never forgive myself, so I guess the time it takes is worth it." He sipped at his tea. "However, it means Helen won't be getting out until this afternoon."

Mary stared at the Grimoire as she ate. He had his teacup and saucer sitting on it and it was just out of reach. She noticed Gwen staring at it as well. The Neo Iczel almost quivered as she considered options.

Shikarou watched them for a couple of minutes as everyone ate and smiled slightly. "I owe you an apology for being a sorry host."

Mary blinked. "Why?"

"For teasing you." When Mary still looked confused, his smile widened. "With the Grimoire."

Gwen froze as Mary's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

"I mean, it's right there. All Gwen has to do is lunge across the table, sending plates and cups flying and grab it up. Then she grabs you and you teleport to wherever you intend to run to and the Order will reward you handsomely." He put down his fork. "That's quite a temptation."

Mary's mouth worked and finally words came out. "You _knew_?

He nodded as his smile faded. "It's my job to know things. I've known since you came here who you worked for. What I don't know is why they sent you. I've been reading the Grimoire and it wasn't written by humans and it cannot be used by them." He met her gaze. "I don't know why the Order thinks they want it, but it's useless to them."

Gwen's mouth firmed. "So why can you read it?"

"It's common knowledge that I am not human." He glanced at her. "I wouldn't." Gwen lunged. The Grimoire faded to smoke and dissipated. Shikarou looked amused. "Fancy that." Gwen glared. He shook a finger at her. "Now that would be a real mistake. I've been patient with you so far, but don't push it. I'm starting to get very annoyed that I can't find Marcus Pendleton-Smythe and if you push, I will take that annoyance out on you."

Gwen blinked at his words. "I don't see any pokegirls to protect you," she stated flatly.

"Which means that either I don't need them or you just don't see them," he responded as he rose from the table calmly. "I think I'll leave you to ponder which it might be."

He stepped out into the street and chuckled. "Aggie, I think they've been primed enough. If they respond as Stardust says they will, be ready to respond."

**As thou command, it will be mine honor to obey.**

"You know, it's cute when Dorothea talks that way." Pause. "At this point I should point out that you are not Dorothea."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 64

Unicorn Branwyn 56

Milktit Helen 55

Bellona DragonQueen 49

Seraph Dorothea 47

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 44

G-Spliced Pythia 42

Sphinx Lorelei 40

Vampire Elizabeth 38

Mini-Top Nanu 33

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**WIDOW, the Run For Your Life If You See One Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Tauric Inhuman (arachnid monster)

**Element**: Bug/Poison/Ghost

**Frequency**: Not Rare Enough

**Diet**: carnivore

**Role**: Boogieman and ultimate terror

**Libido**: no one wants to know

**Strong Vs**: any except Dragon

**Weak Vs**: Dragon

**Attacks**: Poison Sting, Paralyze Sting, Poison Bite, Web, Phase, Invis, Acid Spray, Slice, Armor Punch, Hyper Venom

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x12), Enhanced Speed (x15), armored chitin, 360 degree vision, web spinners, poison sacs, hypnotic attack, ability to bite off and digest almost anything organic, extra arms

**Evolves**: Dryder (special; ejecting all poisons from itself)

**Evolves From**: Arachnae (extreme pain or Tamer's death)

**Bounty (for confirmed kill)**: 900,000,000 SLC

**Bounty (for reporting sighting &amp; getting out alive)**: 40,000,000 SLC

**Recommendation if you see one**: Run the fuck away, dumbass!

Behold a nightmare made flesh.

This is not exaggeration, this is not a mistaken comparison to the NightMare breed of Pokégirl, this is the truth, plain and simple. Widows are the worst, the deadliest Pokégirl alive that's not a Legendary. They are destruction incarnate, the worst aspect of almost every sin made into spidery flesh. They are hateful creatures, and no one who has encountered them has anything good to say about them.

The problem is, no one really knows WHY they appeared. There are several theories that have arisen from this. The most common one is that Sukebe created them. When his original home was destroyed and his first anamorphic creatures slain, he created Widows to gain his revenge, creating the more cute and cuddly breeds later on. Another theory, mainly put forward by Crimson League officials, state that the dreaded Pokégirl General, Athena, created them out of her rage against mankind. No one knows for certain, but everyone IS certain that they are among the most reviled of all Pokégirl breeds.

Widows are truly monstrous to behold. From the waist up, they are humanoid in appearance, however their skin, dark black in color, is laced with a chitinous armor that can take immense damage from nearly every type of attack. They have blood red, compound eyes all around their head, the back ones sparsely hidden by wisps of hair, allowing the Widow full three-hundred and sixty degree vision. Their jaws can split open at the chin, revealing razor-sharp mandibles and fangs that drip constantly with saliva. They have four arms. Two end in normal, five-fingered hands, but the lower pair end in long, curved blades that glisten with poison. Their cunt, just at the base of their waist, is lined with spikes around the labia, which inject a paralytic venom into a victim, making it easier for the Widow to do as she pleases with them. From the waist down, they are spidery in appearance. A massive spider's abdomen serves as a Widow's lower body, supported by four thick, powerful, hairy spider legs. On the back of the spider-abdomen is a prominent red hourglass, standing out clearly against the black fur of the Widow. The spider-legs are long and strong, and a Widow can balance herself on the two back legs to shoot webs or streams of acidic Hyper Venom. All who have reported seeing a Widow and are still alive tell of the nightmares they had for days afterwards upon seeing such a horrible creature.

Widows are horrible monsters of the worst sort, made all the more horrible by how they form. When an Arachnae, a perfectly innocent breed of Pokégirl, suffers extreme agony that turns into terrible rage, or suffers the pain of losing her Tamer, she morphs into this despair-bringer.

(Addendum by Professor Stroak: The knowledge of a Widow's pre-evolutionary form must not, repeat, MUST NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES be revealed to the public. The backlash against Arachnaes, who's only crime would be a connection to this horrible breed, would be terrible, and many innocents would die. At all costs must the secret of a Widow's pre-evolutionary form be protected.)

Widows in combat are fierce, deadly fighters. Most attacks simply bounce off of their bodies, the only ones capable of affecting them being lightning and fire attacks, which serve little purpose but to accelerate the life-cycle of a Widow (see attached entry), and dragon-element attacks, which are the only things which can hurt them. Combat against a Widow is to be avoided at all costs if encountered alone.

Seriously, just run away. No matter how good you are, how powerful your girls are, a Widow is stronger, faster, deadlier, and just plain meaner.

Thankfully, no Threshold cases of turning into a Widow have been reported. Only two instances of a Widow being tamed are on record, and in both cases the Widows showed evidence of incomplete transformations resulting from being experimented on. Both have since evolved to Dryder.

_**Hyper Venom**_

A Widow's deadliest feature is its Hyper Venom. The worst kind of death in a tiny-little sting. Even the tiniest amount can result in horrifying mutilation, if not death.

Hyper Venom consists of a mixture of toxic, highly corrosive acids, various cancer cells, and a mixture of heavily toxic poisons. This is a highly potent combination, and the only known cure is the Infinity Antidote used by Venom Mistresses and the powers of the Legendary Pokégirl, Sexebi. Infinity Antidote is inherently magical, and can heal even the acidic damage of Hyper Venom. However, Venom Mistresses are rare and encounters with Sexebi are even rarer, making this an unreliable cure. The best way so far to save someone if a Venom Mistress or Sexebi is not on hand is amputation of the poisoned part of the body before the poison can spread.

An agonizing death is almost guaranteed upon being poisoned by Hyper Venom. So potent is this chemical mixture, that even Widows eventually are killed by the toxic poison inundating their bodies...

_**The Life Cycle of a Widow**_

The life of a Widow is short, agonizing, and violent. Here is a breakdown of the three phases of a Widow's life.

_**Phase One **_][ _**Transformation**_

The first phase of a Widow, starting just after transformation, is the longest lasting one. The time it lasts varies, but at the most has been recorded at a month. In this phase, the Widow rampages around, destroying everything in its path, consuming Pokégirls it meets and generally causing havoc. It is at its most inhuman in this phase, its eyes glazed over with rage as it attacks everything in its way, stopping only to rest.

_**Phase Two **_][ _**Remembrance**_

The second phase of a Widow's life, also the shortest phase, occurs after the time of rampaging in its first phase is over. They regain the intelligence they lost upon evolving, in rare cases getting their memories back as well. Widows are possessed with a tremendous urge to find a place to make a web and breed, and seek out a suitable place, building their web with studious ease. They will then seek out people to mate with, preferring human males, as they have the best chance of inducing pregnancy, and then kill and eat their mates, taking several days at a time to do it in. Once pregnant, they will go into a hibernation state in their lair, her eggs growing to birth level in mere months.

If the Widow manages to control these instincts, they can also forcibly eject all of the poisons and toxins from their bodies, resulting in evolution...

_**Phase Three **_][ _**Life and Death**_

The final phase of a Widow's life occurs after they lay their eggs, two months after they are impregnated. Once the eggs are born, they organize them in a safe place. By this point, a Widow's body has lost its ability to fight off its own poisons and will be wearing down. They will have a haggard appearance, and act almost Feral. They will die shortly before their eggs hatch into Widow kits. So far, no reported nest of Widow's eggs has been allowed to survive.

_SHRINE MAIDEN, The Amateurish Summoner Pokégirl_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Magic

**Frequency**: Rare

**Diet**: human-like diet (likes strawberries and cheesecake the most)

**Role**: Summoners

**Libido**: Average (High after Summoning)

**Strong Vs**: Fire, Water, Grass, Poison, Ghosts

**Weak Vs**: Dragon, Rock, Flying, Ice, Normal

**Attacks**: Twister, Dragon Dance, Summon Esper, White Wind, Exorcism, Shield, Summoning Contract (*)

**Enhancements**: Low Sleep Cycle, Natural Summoning Ability

**Evolves**: Shrine Priestesses (normal, Level 30)

**Evolves From**: Unknown

Shrine Maidens appear to be no different than normal human women at first glance. Their height ranges from 4'3" to 5'2"; their breasts sizes usually start small (A to B-cup) when they're young, but grow steadily until they're 18-22, when they're larger (C to DD-cup); their eyes are usually blue, grey or red; their hair color tends to be black, but is sometimes pink. Their hair is rarely any other color. The Shrine Maiden's skin is quite smooth most of the time, but shifts to become tough and more like sandpaper when she is angered (which, Tamers should note, occurs ALL OVER, even in their vagina, so DON'T piss her off during taming sessions). If a Pokégirl transforms into a Shrine Maiden, they _USUALLY_, but not always, lose any blemishes or 'defects'.

Shrine Maidens traditionally wear a scarlet red hakama, either pants or skirt; a white kimono shirt with swinging sleeves; and white socks (known as Tabi). She can decide to add ribbons or ornaments at her own discretion. Undergarments are entirely by their preference.

Shrine Maidens have occurred in low, but steady numbers, since 198 AS. All that is known about Pokégirls evolving into a Shrine Maidens is that it's never quite the same Pokégirl nor is it the same stimulus. The few theories that exist that cannot be entirely denied usually indicate that a Pokégirl may be spiritually selected to become a Shrine Maiden when another Shrine Maiden is about to pass on or has already passed on; OR the Pokégirl may have reached some point of spiritual enlightenment that wasn't apparent prior to evolution.

Shrine Maidens only need 5 hours of sleep to be at tiptop shape, but require an additional 2 hours of meditation in order to use her summoning ability; another hour of pray, preferably at a shrine of their chosen faith, though she can use the symbol of her chosen faith for prayer (she just prefers a shrine); and at least twice a month, she must make an offering to her chosen faith, either in the form of food or money. Their partners are strongly encouraged to do the same, but it is not a requirement.

Shrine Maiden should not leave the shrines of their faith for prolonged periods of time, or else they will begin losing their powers (though they never lose access to their Summoning Contract ability because of this). There are two methods to sidestep this problem.

The first method is a lengthy ritual involving cleansing her body of bad luck and wicked thoughts, meditation, and drinking a special herbal tea. The ritual is only effective for up to two months, meaning that she must return to the temple before then or face the degradation of her powers until she does make it back.

The second method is for prolonged journeys which may go well beyond two months. Either the Shrine Maiden or their partner must bare a miniature shrine. The mini-shrine is specially made to resists all normal forms of damage, but is generally between 50 to 150 lbs. This is to symbolically represent the burden that the Shrine Maiden bears in leaving the temple, and their partner must understand the depths of the Shrine Maiden's faith. Tamers have found that the mini-shrine can also act as an early warning system as it magically lightens when trouble is within fifty feet, but only remains light so long as danger is around. The shrine is enchanted so that it cannot be lost and returns to the Shrine Maiden's side the next night, but the Shrine Maiden must pray to it as soon as she is able.

Some tamers may think to use the shrine as a shield, but doing so deliberately will incur the wrath of the Shrine Maiden, who will always instinctively know if the shrine is attacked. Unlike most other Pokégirls, it is deemed perfectly acceptable if a Shrine Maiden ditches an irresponsible tamer to head back to her home/shrine if she had proper provocation and few Leagues will even attempt to help a tamer try to get their Shrine Maiden back as it will result in a massive battle. The Indigo League attempted to return a Shrine Maiden to an irresponsible Tamer in 243 AS only to find two hundred badly injured tamers and five hundred sleeping Pokégirls on the battlefield.

The Shrine had only three Shrine Maidens and one Shrine Priestess to defend it, yet not one was injured or tired.

Since then, it's been a universal taboo for Leagues to interfere with a Shrine Maiden's business.

Perhaps the most useful ability of the Shrine Maiden is her natural ability to summon Pokégirls. This ability tends to grab the nearest Pokégirl, but if a Shrine Maiden spends an extra round (or even 2) on the summoning, she can choose from a variety of Pokégirls to summon rather than just grabbing the nearest available one, though it seems to stop at a radius in miles equal to her level, so 5 miles at Level 5, 15 miles at Level 15, etc. If an appropriate one isn't found, she has expended the energy fruitlessly, so she must be careful. She can also cut any summon short, but this automatically occurs if she is rendered unconscious, either through exhaust or damage. A strong-willed Pokégirl can stay upwards of a turn after her summoner has fallen unconscious. Any summoned Pokégirl is _generally_ willing to fight for the summoner, though any Pokégirl summoned via the Summoning Contract ability (more on that below) will always fight for the summoner.

Initially, she can only summon use Summon Esper once per day, but as she grows in power and skill, she can summon more often. At Level 15, she learns Summon Type, and at Level 30, she can learn Summon Pokégirl. It's important to note that summoned Pokégirls, even the ones summoned via her summoning contract, cannot be captured, even with a master Pokeball, nor do they 'die' if slain. If a fatal blow is about to strike them, the magic of the summoning dispels, healing them and teleporting them back where they had come from. A skilled Shrine Maiden can even have the dispelling create a shockwave to disrupt the attack.

Shortly after using a summoning, a Shrine Maiden becomes aroused. She can summon (or maintain a summon) a Pokégirl to help satisfy her, but a tamer who satisfies her after a summoning is _guaranteed_ a wild ride. She prefers any position where both she and her partner can equally gain pleasure and likes to ensure that neither of them is 'benefiting' too greatly for any position. She is often a very patient and understanding lover.

Most Shrine Maidens will become a genuinely nice Pokégirl, though some may take longer than others to become as nice as Shrine Priestesses and may require some 'verbal prodding' to correct their behavior. Once she's grown into her final personality, she can get along easily with most other Pokégirls and only the most hardened can resist at least becoming a good friend. She strongly dislikes violence, focusing heavily on her healing and defensive arts and will only fight for the sake of an innocent, herself or her loved ones.

She is extraordinarily strong against Ghost-type Pokégirls with her Exorcism ability, but through strange circumstances, Normal attacks do more damage than they really ought to. Perhaps it's a peculiar side effect of her genetics.

Evil Shrine Maidens, though a minority amongst the already rare Shrine Maidens, will never allow themselves to tolerate being corrected, regardless of punishment. They often flock to religions that allow them to be as wicked as they want to be and are usually seen accompanied by Vampires or Mazoku. Surprisingly, at least to those ignorant enough to confuse darkness with evil, most dark-type Pokégirls instinctively loathe evil Shrine Maidens and will do what they can to disrupt the evil Pokégirl's activities.

Evil Shrine Maidens never manage to live long enough to evolve into Shrine Priestesses as they always seem to make a lethally stupid move, either by challenging a Shrine Priestess for power; trying to make a contract with a very dangerous Pokégirl; or by pissing off all of their summons (who invariably come hunting for the evil Shrine Maiden in question on the summon is done).

One of the most unique abilities is the Summoning Contract. Tamers are not normally privy to the secrets of the contract, but most know it requires the Shrine Maiden to serve at the shrine for a year and one day to even get one (and no, her apprenticeship doesn't count towards this requirement); a pilgrimage to see a Pokégirl (usually one of a great power or standing); and the act of actually making an arrangement with said Pokégirl. The arrangement usually benefits the 'summon' Pokégirl in some way (it varies based on what the 'summon' Pokégirl wants), and allows the Shrine Maiden to call on the 'summon' Pokégirl in times of crisis. The Shrine Maiden may not abuse the 'summon' Pokégirl or break her trust, or else the contract will be broken and she can never summon that Pokégirl ever again, even with the other summoning magics. In order to activate Summoning Contract, the Shrine Maiden must bite her thumb and place at least one drop of her own blood on a stable surface (such as the ground, a wall, etc.) which then creates a magical portal through which the 'summon' Pokégirl will appear.

Summoning Contract allows the 'summon' Pokégirl to last as long as the summon Pokégirl has health. She cannot be put to sleep, rendered unconscious by normal means (other than health loss), stunned, paralyzed or frozen, though she can be affected by any other status ailments, both good and bad. The 'summon' Pokégirl, depending on her personality, will either extract payment before each summoning or afterwards.

If her trust or the contract is broken mid-summon, she can cancel a summons of her own will. The 'summon' Pokégirl can even refuse a summons, but without a valid excuse (such as a violation of the contract, her conditions for being summoned not being fulfilled, or if she is pregnant and/or giving birth), she faces dire possibilities, which are outlined in the Summon Contract. Of course, she cannot be summoned if she is dead, but the summoner is instantly made aware of their death. The summoning contract turns completely black ONLY when there is no chance of revival. A summon Pokégirl with a contract _can_ refuse a summon from an Pokégirl who does not have a contract with her.

A Shrine Maiden can make as many Summoning Contracts as she can effectively manage. It is not entirely impossible for a Shrine Maiden to have as many contracts as a tamer has Pokégirls, though she would likely be thirty years older before she had that many.

One unique thing to note about the summoning: The summoner cannot, in turn, be summoned while she is _actively _summoning. This means, that two Shrine Maidens cannot summon each other at the same time, though they could feasibly trade off. Researchers believe that is because the summoner becomes akin to a ship that has dropped anchor while the summoned is like a lifeboat. As such, it's impossible to get the summoner 'summoned' without negating or breaking her current summon.

When it comes to combat, Shrine Maidens will usually follow the style that their Shrine uses, but some will branch out and develop a unique style. If they learn a martial art or weapon style, it will usually be the one taught at the shrine or temple they serve at, though exceptions are allowed if the style or the instructor doesn't directly go against their religious beliefs. Pacifistic religions will often take up Akido or weapons that cause minimal lasting damage. Evil Shrine Maidens will seek out devastating or vicious styles.

Perhaps some of the kinkier aspects of Shrine Maidens is once they come of tamable age, they can choose to engage in a Ritual of Womanhood, where she is introduced to sex by any Pokégirl at their shrine. After she is no longer a virgin, she can join in ritualistic orgies which occur on special days to their chosen religion.


	20. Chapter 20

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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Chapter 20: Down Time

(04/15/99 0800 Blue Continent)

Mary looked up at Gwen as her pokedex chimed a priority mail alert. "We need to land somewhere so I can get a message."

Gwen shook her head. "You and your boyfriends." She turned and spiraled in to land in a clearing. "Remember, we just left Caomh Sith so keep it short in case there's some pursuit."

Mary opened her pokedex and pulled up the message. She was expecting something from Sir Derrick about her recent message and was shocked when Sir Gregory's face appeared on the display. The only messages she ever got from him were the occasional dressing down and a few blanket messages that went to all knights of her rank.

He wasted no time in getting to the point. "I have received your message that your cover has been compromised and that you are going to flee Caomh Sith." His mouth twisted angrily. "Once again, Dame Mary, you've screwed up. I am not pleased and more importantly, Her Majesty is not pleased." Mary turned white. This had come to the Queen's ears?"

Sir Gregory continued. "However, Her Majesty and I agree that you will receive one chance to recover from your mistake. If you fail, don't bother coming back. We'll find you." Gwen paled at the veiled threat. "Here are your new orders. You are to recover the Grimoire of Danu immediately and I don't care what it costs you." His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. "Her Majesty was most insistent that you understand this. Failure is not tolerated in a member of the Order, and especially not in one such as you." He gave her an angry smile. "Either you succeed or you might as well save us the trouble of hunting you down and send Gwen back to us. Or you can be thinking about what kind of pokegirl you'd like to be." The message ended.

Gwen stared at the empty display for a moment before turning to Mary. "What now?"

"Oh, so the bottom falls out and suddenly you remember that I'm supposed to be the one in charge?" Mary shook her head. "We've got two options here. Run and the Order will chase us down and capture you. I'll either be killed or turned into a pokegirl." She shivered. "I think I'd prefer killed."

"On the other hand, we can try to steal the Grimoire. That will very likely involve an attack on Shikarou. Everything we've learned about him suggests that's just another death sentence."

Gwen frowned. "We are damned either way. So we need to come up with an option three."

(04/15/99 1500 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Afternoon training was over and his harem had vanished; he suspected most of his pokegirls were working hard to figure out how to spend their million credits. So, with Dorothea as his guard for the day, Shikarou decided to take some sun and try to read some more of the Grimoire. It was difficult since Ogham wasn't one of the alphabets he'd studied and he had to learn it as he went. It didn't help that text was in Proto-Celtic, which he didn't know, so he also had to learn a new language at the same time as he learned a new alphabet.

Without translation spells it would have been impossible but after that he still had to go back and learn the text in the original language. Trying to use magic based on a loose translation was way beyond insane and Shikarou would much rather do something less risky, like throwing himself into an active volcano. At least that way his death should be quick.

He was resting against a tree with Dorothea standing sentry nearby when Candace showed up. She smiled and shook her head. "Working hard or hardly working?"

"Well, I was working hard, but now I shall stop that I may bask in the radiance that is you."

"That's nice." Candace settled down and leaned against him. "Please, don't let me stop the compliments." She peered at the book. "Ugh. Can you actually read that? It looks like gibberish."

Shikarou chuckled. "Some. I'm working on more; it's just very slow going."

"Ok." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I'm sort of here as a messenger. Mary asked me to come and talk to you." She cocked her head. "Why wouldn't she talk to you herself?"

Shikarou considered briefly. Candace didn't know much about the Order of Pendragon and he didn't see any reason to involve her any more than absolutely necessary. "I startled her with something and she's a little worried about it. What does she want?"

"Her words were that she wants to meet with you under a flag of truce."

He nodded slowly. "Quaint. All right, I agree."

"Flag of truce?"

"Aye." He sighed. "I was hoping you wanted to spend time with me."

She gave him an amused look. "You know I'd love to, but I can't. I am sorry about that, but face the fact that there are no counters out here anyway, and you seem to prefer them. And I have work to do at the clinic. Lynn's ordering supplies for the clinic and I need to be there so the order actually reflects what we need."

He grinned. "The counter is kind of traditional with you, but I'm not a stickler for tradition." His tone grew serious. "Is there anything you want personally? The harem insisted I take four million credits for myself and I have nothing I want to buy. Can I get you anything?"

Candace smiled. "You've already given me so much. I wasn't happy in Wick and this is a dream come true for me." She rubbed her cheek against his. "I can't think of anything I want more than what I've already got. Nobody calls me Joy and nobody takes me for granted." She dimpled. "Here, I'm one of the king's favorites!"

"That you are." He slid to his feet smoothly and offered her his hand, pulling her into an embrace. "So where is Mary hiding?"

"She's in the clinic." Candace took his hand in hers and led him away. Dorothea fell in behind them as she activated her com to call Branwyn.

Pythia, Circe, Yushiko and Elizabeth were waiting for them as they approached the clinic. Shikarou glanced back at Dorothea, who gave him a broad smile. "Branwyn's orders to me were quite specific, my lord."

"Ah." He looked around at everyone. "This is a flag of truce meeting, ladies, so don't start anything."

Pythia grinned. "We won't start any trouble, we'll just make sure they get all of the consequences should trouble happen."

He sighed. "I'm grateful for the support, but everyone except Dorothea will wait in a nearby room, ready to come to my aid if needed."

Circe gave him a smug look. "Should we wait with the others?"

"There are others?"

"Branwyn, Helen, Nanu, Lorelei and Kebi are in the room next to where Mary and Gwen are."

"Blood and darkness! We didn't need this much firepower for the Widow." His ears twitched. "Wait in the room on the other side."

"You are welcome," Elizabeth muttered darkly.

Shikarou gave her a quick kiss. "I am very thankful for you and for this." She perked up and smiled.

"I should probably go check my bandages." Candace gave him wink and headed off. "Leave my building standing."

Shikarou sighed. "Is anyone else standing by for World War 3?"

Circe looked innocent. "I think Molly is having some kind of chat with Alice and Misaki in the room across the hall, but that's probably a coincidence."

"Sure it is. Please don't forget that Dorothea and I'll be in there too." Shikarou glanced at Dorothea. "I don't want to have to be scraped off the wall." Muttering something about a comedy of errors he went into the room with Mary and Gwen.

Mary watched as Dorothea placed herself next to the only door out of the room. "Is she your only guard?"

"Officially, yes. Unofficially, you are surrounded." Mary blinked at the slightly disgusted tone. "I formally acknowledge the flag of truce and would like to ask why you wanted this meeting?"

Gwen stirred and looked at Mary, who smiled back at her pokegirl. "First, I have to ask if you would give me the Grimoire of Danu."

"No."

She nodded. "That's a shame. It would have made things so much easier." She took a deep breath. "I have a problem. Well, Gwen and I have a problem. I've been ordered to recover the Grimoire or die trying. If I fail and live through the attempt the Order is going to take Gwen and, if I'm lucky, kill me. If they don't kill me they will probably turn me into a pokegirl."

Shikarou waited silently.

Mary swallowed. "Can I work for you?"

"Didn't you take an oath to the Order?"

"Yes, but they just threatened to take Gwen and kill or transform me. As far as I'm concerned, that violates their obligations to me, which ends my allegiance to them." She met his gaze firmly. "I've been watching you for a while and while you might send someone into a situation where they probably would be killed, I don't think you would punish their failure if they tried their best." She started to say something else and stopped.

He cocked his head as his ears pricked forward. "Say it."

"I was going to say I also didn't think you'd treat me as badly as they have. I am, was, a full knight and because I don't have a dick I'm treated like a squire. You seem to give people the respect that they earn and you don't cheapen what they accomplish."

Shikarou watched them for several minutes. Gwen finally started to fidget and burst out with "well?"

Shikarou nodded. "I will back you fully in return for your full loyalty, liege lord to liegeman. If you break your oath to me, I will hunt you and your children throughout time."

Mary blinked as she digested his words and then nodded. "I will not break any oath to you as long as you keep your oaths to me."

"I will expect you to betray the Order of Pendragon."

She shrugged. "They've cast me aside. There is nothing to betray." She frowned slightly. "They will still come for me and Gwen."

Shikarou smile was hungry. "I hope so, for I will be waiting for them." His eyes sparkled. "In fact, I want you to help me to encourage them to do just that."

(04/17/99 1000 Order of Pendragon, Blue Continent?)

Sir Gregory frowned as he met Sir Derrick outside the throne room. "Why are you here?" he snapped.

"Sir, I was summoned just as you were." Derrick looked puzzled. "I don't know why, Sir Gregory."

Gregory thought furiously. Derrick only had one responsibility that could cause both of them to be peremptorily summoned by the Queen. "Your bitch must have screwed up again."

Derrick gave him a startled look. "Dame Mary? I haven't heard anything."

The doors to the throne room swung open and one of the Queen's Dragonesses looked at them with a face completely devoid of emotion. "Her Majesty will see you now."

The two knights entered the throne room and kneeled at the appropriate point, bowing their heads. "Your Majesty," they intoned together.

"Rise." The queen's voice was angry. "Gregory, did I not state to you that no action was to be taken in regards to the Grimoire without my express permission?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Then how do you explain the fact that I just received a private message from a knight I barely know with this attached." A screen built into the wall activated and played the message from Gregory to Mary ordering her to get the Grimoire.

Derrick sidled slightly away from Gregory as the message played.

The Queen's voice dropped and became heavy with menace. "You invoked MY NAME, Gregory, and threatened a knight with the ultimate penalty in spite of the fact that I did not authorize it and never gave my permission to try to take the Grimoire."

Gregory paled as the blood drained from his face. "Your Majesty, I never sent that message."

The Queen's eyes blazed. "You have a twin brother, Gregory?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know where that message came from, but I assure you that I never said that to Dame Mary." Gregory swallowed heavily. "I do not know what is happening here, but rest assured that I will find out."

"You will certainly help. Guinevere." One of the Dragonesses stepped forward. "Take him and find out if he is telling the truth."

"Yes, my Queen." She gestured an ashen faced Gregory to his feet and led him out the door of the throne room.

"Derrick. You will attempt to contact Dame Mary and find out what she knows about what is going on."

"As you command, Your Majesty." Derrick fled as quickly as protocol allowed.

"Morgan, send for the Templar." The Queen's eyes narrowed as she watched another Dragoness stride quickly from the room. "This needs to be resolved and soon."

(04/16/99 2200 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"I don't understand why I'm in here again so soon." Bellona gave him a quizzical look.

"Would you like some tea?" He created a tray of tea and biscuits as she nodded. "Did Branwyn explain how the lottery worked?"

"What lottery?"

"Oh. When the harem grew to a decent size, Branwyn and I sat down and worked out how women would get to spend time with me. The best way we could come up with is a kind of a lottery. Everyone gets their name put into the lottery and as alpha, Branwyn's name goes in one time for every four members of the harem. The beta gets her name put in once for every five members. That means right now, on a day one, Branwyn's name is in three times, yours is in two, and everyone else is in once, for a total of sixteen names."

"Remember, during the day I get to choose the ladies I'm with at various times and this is only for my bed. I make sure that no one is left out."

"Anyway, Branwyn put your name in after your first night with me, so this is your first time this cycle. The lottery doesn't refresh until the last name is pulled, so a new lottery starts every sixteen days." He frowned. "Or seventeen, I'm not completely sure. You should probably ask Branwyn."

"So everyone gets one night with me every sixteen days, Branwyn gets three and you get two. It helps to relieve the boredom of the same girls in rotation."

"I know Branwyn allows the harem to trade days, sell them, or bet them against each other. I don't know the details and as long as there aren't any fights over me, I don't care."

"However, unlike Devon, I do care if fighting erupts in the harem. Branwyn is not going to rule the harem like Kathryn does." He frowned and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said 'or like Maeve wants to'."

Bellona shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. Maeve was before my time."

"I suspect all you missed was some infighting. I'm happy enough with Nanu, she's not dumb enough to be that ambitious against Branwyn."

He shook his head. "Enough about them. How do you like it here?"

"It's been intense. We fought a Widow and you've got a bunch of wizards after your hide." She smiled. "With Devon, it's been pretty dull since the Dark Continent. I'm not putting him down; he's got a lot on his mind with the kids and everything else."

Shikarou settled down next to her. "So, did you want to spend the whole evening talking?"

The DragonQueen put her cup down. "No." She cocked her head. "I do have one more question, however. Where do you go when you get up in the middle of the night?"

Shikarou sniffed along her neck and she arched her throat. "Here and there. Is it important?" He kissed her throat and bit down gently. Her eyes closed and she hissed softly. He glanced up at her. "Problem?"

"There will be, if you stop." She hissed again as he bit down again and her hands wrapped in his shirt, fabric popping as her claws sank in. She tore sideways, ripping the shirt to shreds and leaving thin lines where her claws sliced his skin.

Bellona pushed him backwards on the bed and started licking the bloody scratches. "Mmm, you taste good."

Shikarou reached down and, grasping her by the armpits, dragged her up his body as he rolled to put her beneath him. "You were on top last time, now it's my turn." He pulled her arms above her head and held her wrists with one hand as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. She moaned in pleasure.

He took the nipple in his teeth and bit down gently and her body arched beneath him. "Harder," she whispered and struggled to free her hands. He bit down harder, slowly cranking up the pressure until she whimpered in pleasure/pain. "Oh, god yes." She jerked her arms hard and her eyes opened and she looked at him with wonder. "Are you stronger than me?"

"Perhaps." He bit her other nipple quickly with sharp teeth and she moaned. "Bellona." She looked at him. "The word is 'enough'."

Surprise filled her eyes. "You think I'm going to be the bottom tonight?"

"Yes." She began struggling again and Shikarou pinned her down. She snapped at his ear and he just chuckled and caught her lower lip in his teeth and bit down slowly, sinking his teeth into it.

She moaned and relaxed. "Maybe this once."

He grinned and let her lip go, watching her lick the blood from it. "Maybe?" Reaching his free hand up, he felt at the junction of the headboard and the mattress and pulled out a set of heavy manacles. He expertly fastened one around her wrist and quickly flipped the chain around a support for the headboard and captured her other wrist as well. "I think definitely." Her eyes widened and then narrowed.

She summoned her wings and tried to hit him with them as her tail wrapped around one of his legs and pulled. He reached awkwardly under the bed and pulled out a short heavy dagger. Grabbing one wing, he smacked it against the headboard and drove the dagger through the membrane, pinning it to the wood. She jumped and yelped and he quickly repeated the process with her other wing and a second dagger. "I have another one for your tail," he warned.

"Stop this right now," she yelled. "You bastard, when I get free I'm going to kill you!" Her tail unwrapped and lay limp. She tried to struggle, but the daggers in her wings pulled whenever she moved too much, limiting her motions.

Shikarou stripped off his clothes and kicked her legs apart. "Who am I?"

Bellona's eyes narrowed. "Never."

Shikarou grinned. "We'll just see about that." He leaned down to close his mouth around a nipple and paused as green scales spread over the DragonQueen's body as she summoned her armor.

She grinned back. "Never," she repeated.

"Wolves have one of the most powerful bites in nature." Shikarou kissed the armored breast and scraped his fangs across it as Bellona raised her head to watch. He carefully laid his teeth on it and slowly bit down, feeling the armor begin to flex against his bite. Bellona's eyes widened and she squirmed as he increased the pressure and she winced and jerked when his fangs punched through. He lapped at the blood with broad strokes as he watched her face. "I'll do the other one too."

She glared and her armor retracted. Shikarou pulled a potion from beneath the bed and held it up. "Want it?"

"Yes."

He leaned down and placed his lips over one of the puncture wounds and sucked hard. She arched and moaned. He licked his lips clean as he raised his head and her eyes locked on his tongue. "That's not a nice way to ask."

She hissed the word. "Please."

Her body writhed when he sucked on another puncture. "I don't think you are sincere." He slid down her body and licked her hip. "Say it."

"No."

His teeth pricked her skin. "Are you sure?" She just looked away and he sank his teeth into her waist.

She screamed and jumped. "Master, stop, please, I beg you!"

He chuckled. "Should I heal you?"

"Please, master." She sighed as he sprayed the bite on her hip. "Thank you, master."

Shikarou slid down her body and spread her legs, kissing his way down her belly. She raised her head. "What about my breast?"

Shikarou glanced up at her and nipped her inner thigh hard enough to bring blood. She jumped and hissed. "Master, I am sorry. My breast, master, please."

"No. I like the taste." She shivered as he licked her thigh and continued downward. She moaned when he kissed her mound and jumped when he blew gently on it.

Suddenly she jerked. "My wings. Enough."

Shikarou sat up and slid up her body to pull the daggers from her wings. "Hold on a second." He sprayed each of them with the potion, healing up the holes. "Are you ok?" He reached for her manacles.

"Shikarou, wait." Shikarou stopped and looked curiously down at her. "It was just my wings. Can we keep going?" Her wings vanished. "Please?"

Shikarou pressed a finger to her lips. "Hush. You never have to tell me twice to stop and never have to beg me to continue. What about your breast?"

"Uh uh, it hurts in a good way." Shikarou kissed her deeply. "Thank you," she murmured, "for understanding."

He chuckled and kissed her unwounded nipple, causing her eyes to close. "I actually have to be careful with you; most of my D&amp;S experience was with a woman who went from zero to agony almost instantly and was kami tough."

Bellona's eyes went wide. "Please, never make that mistake with me." A smiled appeared. "I like the warmup."

Shikarou shifted to her other breast and licked the bite wounds. Bellona moaned slightly and shivered. "Honestly, so do I." He glanced up at her. "Same word. Here we go." She nodded and he licked her breast thoroughly, cleaning it of the drying blood and glanced up at her once before carefully setting his teeth back into the bite. She hissed in pleasure/pain and her body arched when he slowly lifted his head, tugging with his teeth. Blood began to trickle from the holes once more and he carefully licked them clean before moving down her body.

"Oh, god that was good," she whispered/moaned as she clamped her legs together. Her voice strengthened. "You won't trick me again."

He chuckled and sank the tips of his claws into her inner thighs and she jumped and they fell open. He covered her mound with his mouth and she sighed happily.

He lapped at her and her moan became a sharp cry as he closed his lips around her clitoris and sucked before returning to his lapping. He continued lapping for a while and her moans slowly grew louder and louder and she screamed and convulsed when he slid two fingers inside her and stroked.

Bellona whispered something and Shikarou paused. "What was that?"

"Fuck me."

He smiled and stroked again and her body arched beneath his touch. "I can't hear you."

"Pleasemasterfuckmemasterpleasemasterfuckmemasterplease," Bellona whimpered as he slowly moved his fingers inside her. "PLEASE MASTER!"

Shikarou slid up her body and rubbed his head against her opening. She opened her mouth to say something and instead moaned as he forced himself into her, burying his length in one long stroke.

She orgasmed when he nudged the head against her cervix. "Oh, god! It feels bigger than last time."

"The way things are going, you never know." Shikarou began driving quickly inside her, his body battering hers with each stroke as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. She spread her legs wider and he drove harder; drove her up the bed until she met the headboard. Her claws scrabbled at it, tearing chunks from the wood as she crested and her back bowed. Her scream made his ears ring and urged him faster as he felt his orgasm building and his cry joined hers as his orgasm seemed to start in his toes to explode into Bellona's tossing body.

He rested on her as they came down and her labored breathing slowly returned to normal. She sighed, moved her arms and frowned. "Can I get released?"

Shikarou reached for the manacles and laughed quietly as he let her go. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back down to kiss him soundly. "What is so funny?"

"This." He showed her where the chain on the manacles had almost parted. "You almost got free and these things are rated for twelve times human maximum strength. You aren't supposed to be that strong."

She kissed him again. "That is probably your fault, you horrible man." A sigh and she nuzzled against him. "I had a good Tamer when I was a Domina and I thought he understood pain, but you," she shivered. "That was wonderful."

"With the right partner, it's easy," he replied, "and you are a darling to work with."

She chuckled sleepily. "So can I be your darling?"

Shikarou kissed her gently. "I think that would be nice. Um, should I heal your breast and your thighs?"

"In the morning. I like the way it feels right now."

(04/17/99 0130 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Bellona sleepily stirred and opened an eye. The other one joined it as she realized that she was alone in his bed and sat up and looked around, wincing and cupping her injured breast. "Ow." She fished the dropped potion bottle from the floor and healed it and her thighs before sliding out of bed. She idly picked wood from her claws as she checked for him and smiled to herself when she discovered that he was gone. "Now the hunt begins. Let's start at the arena." A quick stop to clean up in the bathroom and she slipped out into the hall and headed for the arena.

As Branwyn had said, a sign was now on the door announcing that hazardous conditions were inside and warning people to stay out. A second line noted that Shikarou had relaxed the psychic blocks and he could be reached via telepathy if needed, but not to disturb him unless it was an emergency.

The DragonQueen tried the door and grinned when it opened. She waited a moment for flames or clouds of poisonous gas to pour out and when nothing happened she peeked inside.

The arena was smaller, only a dozen meters across and covered with nothing but white sand. Shikarou was wearing a pair of tight fitting shorts and was working through a series of what she recognized as katas; she'd seen Devon doing them often enough. He was moving slowly and deliberately and she could see his muscles quivering as he moved smoothly from position to position.

She frowned. "Branwyn never said he knew martial arts. I wonder if she knows."

Carefully, she eased the door open enough to slip inside without being noticed. As soon as she broke the plane of the doorway with her body, she was sucked inside the room with a loud yelp. The door swung smoothly shut, cutting off the beginning of her cry of pain.

Shikarou heard the cry and smoothly turned to see a green haired black form plastered against the ground, trying to scream. "Multiplier to 1.0" He blurred across the ground and kneeled next to her misshapen form as her cries died to a keen of pain. "Hold still." He summoned his wand and cast a healing spell, straightening out her limbs as he did so.

Bellona took a shuddering breath as the pain stopped and he picked her up to cradle her against his chest. "Didn't you see the sign?"

She sighed, her breath warm against his skin. "Branwyn told me that it might only be true at the time you put it up and I wanted to see what you were doing. What happened?"

"I was working out and you made the mistake of entering a gravity field that was set at twelve times stronger than Earth's. You snapped several bones in your legs immediately and more when you hit the ground." He nuzzled the top of her head. "But you're ok now." He smiled. "Darling."

She chuckled quietly. "I like the way that sounds. Should I ask why you can even move in that, much less exercise?"

She heard the laughter in his voice. "Well, my darling Bell, I am much stronger than you know and my working out in a higher gravity field lets me get a good workout in an hour or two as opposed to most of a day in your gravity." He glanced at her. "I've been thinking about boosting the gravity for the harem workouts as well, what do you think?"

"I don't think anyone but Pythia or Yushiko could move in that," she replied honestly, her beta responsibilities coming to the fore. "Can it be set for anything else besides that strong?"

"Yes, anywhere from zero gravity and on up to one hundred gravities in increments of a tenth of a G." He smiled. "I've never been able to go over fifteen gravities yet, but I'm getting closer."

She thought hard. "I'll have to try it for myself, but it sounds like it might be useful." The DragonQueen gave him a hard look. "Does Branwyn know you can do martial arts?"

"We've never talked about it specifically, but I haven't been trying to keep it a secret." He shrugged. "I've tried to let my harem do most of the fighting, as is proper here. You know, she might not know."

"She's going to be pissed."

"Not really. She understands me better ever since we," he broke off. "Never mind."

Bellona reached up and touched his cheek gently. "Since you and Branwyn did what?"

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Bell, darling, I'll need your oath of secrecy on this."

She gave it without hesitation. "What?"

"Before you joined the harem, I was undergoing some medical testing and that and some other things that were going on were making Branwyn worry about her place in my life. To put her mind at ease about how I felt about her, I asked her to marry me. I love her and it was a natural next step in our relationship."

Bellona blinked. "She said yes."

"She said that she would only if we got married right away, so we went to Wick and bribed a priest to marry us then and there." He grinned. "It made me late to a meeting with Candace and Poppet. Poppet was bitchy about it, but Branwyn knows that our lives will be mingled forever and she's much happier because of it."

"You do realize marriage to pokegirls isn't accepted across the whole League and most of the other leagues don't recognize it."

"She's my wife and that is that. I don't give a fuck what other people think." Shikarou smiled. "She realizes that I'll have other wives, but she's much more self assured now and I want her to be happy."

"Who else might you marry?" Bellona cursed at herself as the question slipped out.

Shikarou stood and settled her on her feet. "That question I will not answer." He watched a flicker of sadness pass across her face and sighed. "All right, but I still have your oath." She brightened and nodded. "I won't tell you of anyone else but I will say that you are on the list of considerations, even though I've only known you for a short time."

Even with her black skin he could see her flush. "Thank you," she whispered.

(04/17/99 0900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"You know what the coolest thing about having a teleporter is?" Faelan took a long swig of his beer.

"Enlighten me." Shikarou waved to the Elf behind the bar and she gave him a smile and started drawing him another beer.

Faelan pointed with his mug at the plate window as rain streamed down it. "Even when I'm out on the road during my pokegirl journey, I'm not in that crap." He grinned. "Nice and dry, I might add."

"It might be good weather to catch water types."

Faelan snorted. "Then get out there and show me how it's done." The shared a chuckle. "Have you found anything out about the Grimoire?"

"Other than it's annoying and hard to read? Yeah. I've read almost the whole thing." He sipped at his beer as Faelan waited expectantly.

"Well?"

"Oh, you didn't ask me to tell you what I'd found." Shikarou grinned at Faelan's glare. "It covers a wide range of topics from magical transformation to temporal magic. There's even some combat stuff in there that's kind of frightening. I'm talking level mountains and raise land from the seas sorts of magic."

"So you could dispense with that ferry?"

"Don't give up your day job for comedy. The tidal waves might be a slight drawback." Shikarou frowned. "The only problem is that as far as the Order is concerned, it might as well be filled with blank pages. It's Sidhe magic and humans would die if they tried to use it, well before any effects started."

"Maybe they don't know that."

"That's what Mary thinks." He shrugged. "Of course, she's not that high in the hierarchy and they don't like women, so she may not know much."

"Already sharing secrets with your new acquisition? So how's she in the bedroom?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I have no idea. You'd actually have a better chance with her than I would. She doesn't believe that she should sleep with her boss." He grinned. "Gwen was really pissed when she found that out, too. She was even willing to jump me without Mary. Pythia and Circe had a chat with her and she's decided to try somewhere else."

"Must have been some discussion," Faelan observed dryly.

"Took a piece of forest that I had and made it into farmland." He shook his head. "Strangest thing about that, a feral Moonflower came into town and yelled at me over it. I actually understood what she was saying. Misaki is making it more fertile and we're going to replant with new trees. We'll put in an assortment of trees this time and make it nice and pretty."

Faelan saluted him with his beer. "Unfathomable is the power of the land lord, but at least it lets the pokegirls know who to complain to."

"Better hope not because if anything happens to me, you're it." Faelan choked on his beer.

(04/17/99 1500 Ruins of Edinburgh, Blue Continent)

Pythia zipped overhead and noted the guards and their pokegirls watching her as she came in to land in the authorized zone. A bored looking official came up. "Yes?"

"I'm supposed to teleport home and get my Tamer, but he told me to make sure I got authorization to prevent any misunderstandings."

He nodded. "I'm glad to see he knows the rules. What is his name?"

"Shikarou Urufu."

The official blinked and grinned. "He's the one that zapped that Widow. My little brother was responding to the callout and our parents were terrified about it. I can't wait to meet him." He checked his handheld. "Yes, he's got permission for himself and one pokegirl for a visit."

Pythia nodded. "Thank you." She vanished and reappeared with Shikarou a few moments later, before the official could get bored and wander off.

Shikarou had barely gotten free from Pythia when he found his hand being vigorously shaken by this complete stranger. "I'm Randy Simpkins and I just wanted to say thank you for taking out that Widow. My little brother Kevin would have been in the group attacking it and we both know there would have been few survivors."

Shikarou managed to free his hand without hurting the enthusiastic fellow. "You are quite welcome, Mr. Simpkins."

"Randy, please." Simpkins checked his handheld. "You are cleared to enter; you just have to go through the inspection station. Is this the pokegirl who's going to be visiting with you?"

"No." He pulled a pokeball from his belt and released his Mini-Top. "This is Nanu and she'll be visiting with me."

The Mini-Top looked around with a disgruntled look. She was clad in a pair of tight shorts and a thin crop top. Both were in a digital camo pattern but didn't do a very good job against her thick white fur. To anyone who knew her, it was obvious that she wasn't wearing her customary knives and pistols and didn't look happy about it. Her black hair was pulled back in a bouncy ponytail and it was obvious she wasn't wearing anything under her shirt. "So here we are." She glanced at her Tamer out of the corner of her eye as Randy hurriedly put some distance between himself and the new arrival. "Why?"

"It's a surprise, one that you will like."

"You'd better be glad I trust you." Her voice was flat.

Shikarou ignored her and turned to Pythia. "I'll call you when we are ready to leave." He unbelted his pokebelt and handed it to the G-Spliced.

_Is she ok?_ Pythia was looking concernedly at his Mini-Top.

_She's fine._ Shikarou widened his broadcast to include Nanu. _She's just upholding the reputation for pugnacity that Mini-Top's have._

_She's doing a good job._ Pythia commented. _Randy is about to pee himself._

Nanu's mouth twitched in what couldn't be an attempt to suppress a smile. She turned it into a scowl and Randy sidled further away. _Stop that._ Her attempt at communication was weak, but she was getting better quickly.

_She's a quick study._ Pythia projected amusement and affection at both of them before vanishing.

Shikarou nudged Nanu. "Neutral face." Her scowl deepened before she smoothed her face into an emotionless stare. He turned to Randy. "We're ready." As Randy led them inside Shikarou gave Nanu a quick wink and was rewarded with another non-smile scowl.

Nanu realized quickly at the inspection station that it was a good thing Shikarou had insisted that she leave her weapons behind, even going to the point of strip searching her himself to make sure she wasn't trying to sneak anything past him. She had to admit he'd been thorough; he'd even found the needles hidden in her hair.

None of the four guards there were OfficerJennys and the two humans were obviously looking for any excuse to put their hands on her. They had run a detection wand over her body four separate times and each time managed to rub her nipples with the detection wand, making them tighten and protrude. However, she followed her Tamer's lead and stood calmly even as she seethed inside. She got the distinct impression that he wasn't happy about the situation either.

Finally Shikarou had enough. "Do you know who I am?"

One of the guards sneered. "No. Should I?"

"I'm the guy who took out the Widow near Plymouth and if you fondle my pokegirl again I'm going to feed you that wand ass first. They'll fine me a lot of money for it, but I can pay with the bounty."

The guard frowned as this thought percolated through his brain. He swelled his chest as he turned to Shikarou, who smiled and flexed his claws. "Yes, I would do it." The guard abruptly deflated and backed off.

"You're cleared. Get going," the other guard almost snarled at them. The two pokegirl guards hadn't moved or said a word the entire time.

They were led into a visiting room that held a table and some chairs and were left to wait. Nanu turned to him. "Why are we here?"

"To see someone. If I told you who it would spoil the surprise."

The Mini-Top suddenly chuckled and teased her nipples with her fingers before thrusting her chest at him. "You like?"

"I like you doing it much better than the guard." Shikarou grinned. "You just like your new breasts."

She returned the grin. "I do admit that Misaki did a good job. They're exactly what I wanted, bigger but not so big as to interfere with my draw."

Shikarou's ears rotated. "Someone's coming."

Nanu smoothed away her smile and assumed an alert posture. "Since I'm your only pokegirl here, I'm your guard. Don't do anything stupid."

He nodded. "Don't forget your job in your desire for revenge."  
Nanu gave him a quick confused look and blanked her face as the guards came in leading a prisoner. He was elderly, probably in his late eighties or so, with wisps of white hair crowning an otherwise bald pate. However his eyes were clear, and filled of a malign intelligence. He looked Shikarou over carefully as the guard manacled him to the table.

He remained silent until the guard had left the room. "I don't know you." He stared at Shikarou one more time and shook his head. "No, I would remember someone who looks like you do."

Shikarou smiled and pulled out his wand, soundproofing the room. "Now the guards can't hear you."

The prisoner started to look mildly worried. "Who are you?"

Shikarou turned to Nanu. "He's here because he's been convicted of murder and manslaughter. He'll be here until he dies and, frankly, I was surprised when Aggie found him." He gestured towards the prisoner. "This is Robert Bates."

Nanu's mouth dropped, but she recovered quickly and spun to face the prisoner. She marched over and leaned down to peer into his face. A smile grew as if Yule had arrived early. "Bobby boy," she almost purred.

The color drained from Bates' face and his eyes started in his head. "You are dead," he whispered. He turned to the door, his chains rattling. "Guard! GUARD!" His eyes whipped to Shikarou. "Don't let her kill me!"

Shikarou smiled. "Nanu, you heard the man. No killing."

Nanu sighed. "Very well." She stroked Robert's face. "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. You've been a very bad boy." She raised her head slightly. "Can I hurt him?"

"I can heal just about anything short of death." He smiled. "Enjoy, but remember we only have a half an hour."

Twenty minutes later, the screaming had gotten so loud that Shikarou had folded back his ears to protect them. Finally Nanu couldn't wake Robert any more and stepped back, her chest heaving. Her clothes were dripping with sweat and it took Shikarou most of the ten minutes remaining to clean everyone up and heal Robert's injuries. Some of the blood drops proved elusive and took a while to track down.

Nanu frowned as Robert stirred. "Do I have time to blow you in front of him?" She smiled. "Just to remind him of what sex with a woman looks like."

"No, I'm afraid not." Shikarou pulled out her pokeball. "Time to go."

She gave Robert a sweetly evil smile. "See ya, Bobby. Maybe we can do this again sometime." The containment beam swept over her and she was gone.

Shikarou smiled at Robert's sudden look of terror. "She won't be coming back."

Robert sagged. "Thank you."

Shikarou pulled out his wand and poked Robert in the chest with it. "Don't. In two days you are going to have a massive myocardial infarction. Enjoy your remaining time." He went to the door. "Guard, we're done here."

(04/17/99 1700 Order of Pendragon Headquarters, Blue Continent(?))

There was a soft chime and Morgan stepped forward to check the display. "Your Majesty, the Templar knights you sent for have arrived."

"Have them made comfortable and I'll see them in the morning." The Queen returned her attention to her desk and the papers on it. Most of them had to do with the Order's projects and she sighed quietly. The most vital project needed the Grimoire of Danu and she hoped it would be back in her possession soon.

A few minutes later another soft chime sounded and again Morgan stepped forward. "Your Majesty, you have a private message from Dame Mary."

"Again? Play it."

The huge screen in the wall brightened, revealing a life sized Mary. She smiled. "Your Majesty, I greet you." The Queen frowned. That was not a normal greeting from a low level knight to her Queen. "I am still in Caomh Sith and have not attempted to retrieve the Grimoire. I know that Derrick has tried to reach me, and, frankly, I'm not taking his messages." The Queen's eyebrows rose. "In fact, in light of Gregory's threats, I don't consider myself a knight in the Order of Pendragon and would never have contacted you except my king requested it." The Queen's eyebrows rose higher.

"My lord has asked me to contact you so that he might give you a message, so without further ado, here he is."

Mary shifted the display to show a tall, well built Oriental man with long black hair that curled out of sight and solid black wolflike ears perched high on his head. Behind him stood what looked like a Seraph or some other Celestial pokegirl. One of his ears flicked idly as he smiled and drummed the fingers of one hand on the _Grimoire of Danu_. "My name is Shikarou and I hope you get this message, Queen Pendragon, or whatever your name is. Mary doesn't know it and I really don't care."

"Pause message." Shikarou stopped in mid word at the Queen's command. "Morgan, fetch the Templar at once."

The Dragoness nodded. "Yes, My Queen."

A few minutes later, four Templar knights stood in the throne room. One of the signs of their favor is that they were allowed to have their pokegirls in the Queen's presence and the twenty four Battle Angels were drawn up in formations of six immediately behind their individual Tamers. Between the four Tamers, every evolution of the Battle Angel was present and the colors clashed in a primal energy that seemed to swirl throughout the room.

The Queen rose and nodded to them. "Valiant Knights. I have a quest for my most loyal and capable subjects." She pointed to the screen. "I charge you to bring me that book, the Grimoire of Danu." Her eyes narrowed. "In addition, that man is Shikarou Urufu and I want you to bring me his head."

The leader of the Templar studied the screen intently. "As you command, so shall it be."

The ancient vow resounded through the room and the Queen smiled. "Journey forth and carry out my will."

The next morning the Queen settled herself behind her desk once more and sipped at her morning tea. "Your Majesty." It was Guinevere.

"Yes?"

"There is a pending message, Your Majesty, the one from Dame Mary. Do you wish to finish viewing it?"

"No." A pause. "Wait. Yes, I would like to see what this insolent wretch has to say and I could use some amusement this morning."

"Should I start the message over?"

"No, back it up to where this false king started speaking and let it run."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

. "My name is Shikarou and I hope you get this message, Queen Pendragon, or whatever your name is. Mary doesn't know it and I really don't care." He smiled thinly. "I know you are seeking this book," he tapped the Grimoire's cover, "and so far it has cost you one dead knight, one disgraced knight and one driven from your ranks."

"Granted, it may be entirely possible that you can absorb such losses without notice, but my conversations with Lady Mary indicate otherwise."

He smiled broadly, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "I was hoping that by explaining a few things, you might understand the futility of your position." The Queen's eyes narrowed as he continued. "The Grimoire of Danu was not written by humans and it cannot be used by them."

The Queen dropped her teacup and stared at the display in shock as it shattered on the stone floor. _How did he know that?_ But he was continuing relentlessly and she went back to paying attention.

"It's written in a dead language in a dead alphabet and I doubt you have the scholars necessary to translate it and even if you did, any attempt to use the spells inside it would kill any mortal who attempted to cast them." His smiled faded. "While I don't doubt that you have some accomplished spellcasters, it is impossible for mortals to use this book. Give up the pursuit."

He frowned. "In any case, coming after the Grimoire would prove problematic for you. I am the lord of the land for this island and the book has shown me how to hide it inside the ley lines that cross this island. Even if you took me or killed me, the book would be lost to you."

The Queen gasped. "That is impossible."

"You will not gain access to the Grimoire of Danu because, well, because you are assholes and have tried to kill me and I take that thing sort of personally. Now I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, but if you persist in annoying me, I will squash you."

He picked up the Grimoire and opened it up, settling it in his lap as he reached for his tea. He glanced up at the sensor head again. "Now shoo and don't bother me again, lest you anger me." The display went dark.

The Queen took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the color drained from her face. She tried to speak and had to lick her suddenly dry lips and try again. "Morgan, have the Templar left?"

"They left right after their audience with you yesterday, Your Majesty."

"Damn." Every Dragoness stirred. Their Queen never uttered profanity. "Contact them immediately. They are to abort their mission and return to home right away. They are not to attempt to retrieve the Grimoire and they are not to kill Shikarou Urufu."

"As you command, My Queen." Morgan hurried from the room.

The Queen leaned back in her chair and watched a servant cleaning up the spilled tea as her mind whirled. _Who are you, Shikarou Urufu and how can you open my book? _

(04/18/99 0545 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"All I'm asking is where is she getting her information? Is she making it up?" Bellona attacked her breakfast with vigor while Branwyn formulated her response.

"I'm not exactly sure, but she says her information comes from her god."

Bellona snorted. "So Shikarou is telling her what his religion is supposed to be?"

"No," Branwyn began slowly, "Shikarou says that that sort of stuff just comes out of the cosmic awareness."

"Which is what?"

The Unicorn gave a sigh of relief as Shikarou appeared and settled down between them. Circe followed and floated over the table to settle down on the other side.

Bellona gave the Alaka-Wham an annoyed look. "I would appreciate it if you walked around the table like everyone else does. When you levitate over it I always wonder what just dropped off your feet into my food."

Circe chuckled and started filling a plate. "Can she order me to do that?" The query was addressed to their Tamer.

Shikarou nodded. "Yes, she can, since it's for the good of the family and I think she's right. That's a nasty habit and it needs to stop."

"Crap." Circe smiled at Bellona. "Since your wish is his order, I guess it's my command." The four of them chuckled at the quip.

Branwyn loaded a plate with waffles. "Shikarou, Bellona and I were just discussing Yushiko and where she gets her information about your worship. Can you explain it?"

Shikarou looked uncomfortable, but he was slowly coming to terms with his godhead and nodded. "There is a formless something out there that for lack of a better term is called the cosmic awareness or unconsciousness or one of many other terms that are currently in use, but all of them refer to a collective intelligence that seems to be a gestalt of all intelligence everywhere and anywhen. It's not aware as we understand it, but it holds the sum total of all knowledge and gods access it when they do godlike things.

Priestesses like Yushiko can tap into it to gain an instinctive knowledge about how a new god is to be worshipped and then record it for others." He shrugged. "It's how a normal schoolgirl can threshold into a Slicer, become a Valkyrie and then go on to become an Armsmistress and suddenly be proficient with weapons and armor that she's never heard of, much less seen or used."

"What do priestesses get from the god?"

"The god refines the information that the priestess puts out, personalizing it so to speak. A god is also the source of any religious magical power." Shikarou froze as his eyes went wide. "Blood and darkness. That has to be it. I am such an idiot." He stared into space as his mind raced.

Branwyn touched his arm. "Beloved, come back to us."

He blinked and gave her an affectionate smile. "Sorry, I was struck by a thought."

Circe grinned. "We noticed. If it had hit you any harder, it would have spattered brains over the table."

Bellona made a face. "Not during breakfast."

"I've been making a profound error. Yushiko tested high for magic use and I have been pulling my hair out trying to discover why I can't teach her the simplest spell." He beamed. "It's because she's not a mage at all."

Branwyn frowned. "I don't understand."

"She's a fucking priestess. If it wasn't for that, she would probably test as a magical null. She can cast priest spells, not wizard spells and I missed it entirely."

"Do you know how to teach her priest magic?"

He shrugged. "Not a clue." Another roll of the shoulders. "However, I am her god, so between the two of us we should figure something out."

Bellona nodded. "Ok. When are we going to experiment with training under increased gravity?"

Branwyn looked interested. "I want to know the controls for that system, if you would be so kind."

Shikarou sighed. "I'll show them to both of you this morning, but you have to remember to be cautious in using it. Two gravities may not sound like a lot, but that doubles your weight and that increases the wear and tear on your body. I'd really prefer that no one use it without me being there for some time to come."

Branwyn nodded. "Agreed."

(04/18/99 0800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou's com chirped and he glanced at it as Brawnyn gave him a curious look. "It's Poppet."

She frowned. "I wonder what she wants this time."

Shikarou pushed a button on his com. "Shikarou."

Poppet looked distinctly frazzled. "Would it be too much of an imposition if I came and stayed in Caomh Sith for a while?"

Shikarou frowned. "What an odd question. Of course you can."

The Unicorn gave him an uneasy smile. "I don't suppose I can I stay for about twelve years?"

Branwyn gasped. "How long, mother?"

"Ok, only ten." She sighed. "Christine is the most colicky baby I've ever seen and she's driving everyone here mad. If I don't get away, I don't know what I'll do." She glared when Branwyn giggled. "I heard that. You think this is so funny then you come here and be an aunt and help take care of her." She shook her head. "Devon hasn't slept in several days and Letita is a wreck. Poor Christine has cried herself hoarse and I'm worried she'll permanently damage her vocal cords." She grimaced.

Shikarou nodded. "We'll be there in half an hour. I know some old remedies for colic and I'll be glad to take her for a while."

Poppet sighed. "Please, take her far away."

"There may be a problem, Devon may still be angry with me."

"If I tell him you'll take Christine and let him get some sleep, trust me, he'll welcome you with open arms." She grinned wearily. "He's too tired to tame his harem."

"Half an hour," Shikarou repeated.

Poppet nodded. "Don't let me keep you then and I'll talk to Devon. If he's too obstinate about your help, I'll let you know."

Twenty minutes later Branwyn and Shikarou appeared in front of the Conservatory. Devon was obviously waiting for them and nodded stiffly. "Shikarou."

Shikarou grinned. "Now, now, let's help your daughter get some sleep and then you can decide if you want to try to kick my ass. I don't want to let her suffer just because you and I are stubborn."

Devon looked startled for an instant and then a tired smile appeared. "You are right, we'll take care of Christine first." He led them down to the guest house, which had been refitted as a semi-permanent home for Devon and his family.

They could hear a baby screaming as they approached and Devon gave them an apologetic look. "It seems like it's getting worse and I've actually had to start putting certain members of my harem into storage before they hurt someone."

Branwyn chuckled. "Rhiannon?"

Devon didn't look amused. "First one. I caught her with a pillow in Christine's room." He frowned. "Letitia doesn't know and I don't want her to." He led them down a hall and into a room where Letitia was rocking a screaming red-faced blue haired baby. The NurseJoy was too tired to talk and merely nodded to them.

Shikarou went over and slipped the baby into his arms as he spoke to Devon. "I've got her and I'll take her for a walk. You two catch a nap." Devon nodded and was speaking quietly to Letitia as he and Branwyn left.

He carried the screaming child a couple of hundred meters into the forest and Brawnyn watched as he touched Christine's stomach and muttered quietly. The infant gave a startled hiccup and fell silent. "Ah, much better."

Brawnyn gave him a curious look. "What did you do?"

"Father developed a spell that cures colic centuries ago and gave it to me as a wedding gift. It'll last for twenty four hours."

"What happens then?"

"Everyone is much more rested and sometimes the colic doesn't come back." He pulled a pokeball from his belt and released Helen, who looked around and smiled.

"You rang?"

"This is Christine, Devon's first child and I suspect she's going to discover she's hungry very soon."

Helen's face melted as Shikarou showed her the child. "She's such a precious child." She settled down against a tree and opened her shirt. "May I?"

He handed her the baby and she settled her against a nipple. Christine blinked and latched on like she'd never been fed. "She has a healthy appetite." Helen glanced up at him. "Will ours?"

Branwyn suddenly looked thoughtful as he smiled. "It seemed like my daughters were always hungry." He paused and looked off into the distance as they listened to the sucking sounds. "I hope they are doing well."

Helen chuckled suddenly. "She's gone to sleep." She checked Christine over. "She took a lot, her stomach is full."

"Good, she probably hasn't had a good meal in a while." Branwyn gently took her from the Milktit as Shikarou pulled out his wand. She frowned. "What is it?"

"She took in fuel which means she'll give off waste. It's what babies do."

Branwyn sniffed the sleeping baby before handing her to him. "I think she's already working on it." She watched as Shikarou used his wand to clean the baby and her diaper. "You will have to teach me those spells."

"I will. It's just that we've been focusing on combat magic." He grinned and clutched Christine to his chest as Branwyn reached for her. "I've got her."

Helen laughed quietly. "Are we going to end up fighting for her?"

Shikarou smiled. "No. I'm the boss. I get her." He smiled at Branwyn's slightly outraged look and handed the sleeping child to her. "Here."

Branwyn smiled sweetly. "She looked more like her father when she was screaming."

Shikarou shook his head. "That's enough of that. Devon is doing the best he can. She needs to be put down. She'll sleep better that way."

Devon was sitting on the step when they came back and looked up sharply when Shikarou touched his shoulder. "Is she?" he asked quietly.

Branwyn showed him the slumbering child and he smiled tiredly. "If you work any more miracles, Shikarou, I'll start joining Hatsumi at your shrine." He rose and turned. "We'll put her with Letitia." He stopped and looked at Shikarou. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass. Thanks for helping."

Shikarou smiled. "Let's get your daughter settled comfortably and then you can get some sleep."

A little while later, Christine was in her cradle with Helen keeping an eye on her while Devon curled up with Letitia. Shikarou took Branwyn's hand. "Let's go find Poppet. She looked like she needed some sleep too."

Branwyn squeezed his fingers. "Do you want children?"

"Yes, I do, but not right now. We've got centuries together and while we don't want to rush, we also don't want to wait too long."

She nodded. "That's what I think."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 59

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 64

Unicorn Branwyn 56

Milktit Helen 55

Bellona DragonQueen 49

Seraph Dorothea 47

Ria Kebi 45

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 44

G-Spliced Pythia 42

Sphinx Lorelei 40

Vampire Elizabeth 38

Mini-Top Nanu 34

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**MOONFLOWER, the Psychic Plantgirl Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Animorph  
**Element**: Psychic  
**Frequency**: Rare  
**Diet**: vegetarian  
**Role**: Farmers  
**Libido**: Low to Average  
**Strong Vs**: Fighting, Poison, Psychic  
**Weak Vs**: Bug, Dark, Ghost  
**Attacks**: Moon Beam, Gust, Psychic Illusion, Plant Telepathy  
**Enhancements**: Psychic Abilities  
**Evolves**: None Known  
**Evolves From**: Flowergirl (Moon Stone)  
The Moonflower is the psychic evolution of the Flowergirl. Moonflowers are more psychically attuned to the plants under her care, similar to the bond between a Dryad and her tree. They are very protective, and will 'come down like a ton of bricks' on anyone hurting her charges, using their psychic illusion and plant telepathy to scare them away. They are very similar to Flowergirls in appearance, though the skin will seem to glow under the moonlight (this is just an illusion, though - it doesn't really glow of its own accord). The Moonflower will also have small berries in her hair instead of flowers, and these fruits are VERY psychedelic and can induce insanity in the eater.

_**VENUSWHORE (aka VENUSLUT), the Pulchritudinous Plant Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Plant/Poison  
**Frequency**: Uncommon  
**Diet**: sunlight, water, nutrients through soil  
**Role**: arousing other Pokégirls, soil regeneration, subduing feral Pokégirls, body modification  
**Strong Vs**: Electric, Plant, Water, Rock, Fighting  
**Weak Vs**: Psychic, Fire, Flying, Ice  
**Libido**: Average to High (sunlight-based)  
**Attacks**: Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed, Lust Dust, Vine Bondage, Sleep Powder, Bloom, Buttsprout, Poison, Needleshot, Solar Beam  
**Enhancements**: Solar Regeneration  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Ivywhore (orgasm)  
Unlike the Boobisaur, which evolves normally after a certain amount of time and experience, the Ivywhore will only evolve during orgasm. Furthermore, she doesn't evolve during just any normal Taming. Ivywhore only evolves if allowed to rest in the sun until she's soaked up enough energy from it that her libido shifts to High and is then Tamed still in direct sunlight (usually she'll be on top for this). When that happens, the bulb on her back will open, and she'll evolve into her final form: Venuswhore, known as the Venuslut in some leagues.  
As before, most of the powers, abilities, and drawbacks remain, with a few changes. As a Venuswhore, any remaining dark green patches disappear, leaving her skin a uniform light green color. A large flower now covers most of her back. This flower has no stem, being directly attached to her back, and having opened is flat enough to let the Venuswhore actually lie on her back now if she so chooses. Her bust gains a little more size, but not nearly as much as her previous evolution granted her; instead, she'll now be quite firmly in the upper end of the E size category at least, and many Venuswhores are bust size EE or even F. Wearing anything other than loose robes is virtually impossible now, not that a Venuswhore would anyway, since she loves feeling sunlight on her body. Another change that deserves mention is that while her breasts will still never sag, they now also seem to be pushed together slightly, instead of just hanging next to each other. The appearance seems to give them even more cleavage, and is quite sexy to look at. Their mammaries also become much more sensitive than they were before. A skillful Tamer can bring a Venuswhore to orgasm simply by playing with her breasts alone. Since a Venuswhore can lie on her back now, many Tamers enjoy using their chest as a very comfortable pillow once Taming is over.  
A Venuswhore has a greater grasp of attacks and bio-poisons now that her flower has opened. She can use a generic poison powder that will weaken an opponent in, or toss needles (actually petals from the flower on her back that are rolled extremely tight). Her Solar Beam attack is where she takes collected sunlight energy and gathers it all in the flower on her back. She then drops onto all fours, her head close to the ground (or as close as she can get, laying on her chest) with her ass in the air, so the flower on her back is at least somewhat pointed towards her foe and then releases the collected energy in a massive blast of power. She can only do this once before having to bask in direct sunlight for at least ten minutes to recharge the attack. She can only hold one "charge" of this at a time. Even if she sunbathed for hours, she could still only fire one Solar Beam before having to recharge it. Her most impressive new ability though is her Buttsprout attack. This works exactly like Bloom, but affects a female's ass instead of her breasts. Given that a Venuswhore can photosynthesize energy faster than her previous forms, she can make a permanent application of either Bloom or Buttsprout powder in four days rather than a week. Together, these two attacks let a Tamer maximize his Pokégirls' assets, making sure he has a supremely sexy Harem.  
A Venuswhore left in direct sunlight to heal her wounds can completely cure herself of physical harm in about four hours, and if she gets eight uninterrupted hours of pure sunlight, she can then regenerate for seventy-two hours as the energy floods through her system. The regeneration ceases immediately if she uses her Solar Beam attack.  
Feral Venuswhores are quite dangerous, both for the damage they can cause and the body alterations they can throw around, to say nothing of their Lust and Sleep poisons, etc. It's very rare for a Threshold girl to become a Venuswhore directly, but cases of just that happening are not unknown.


	21. Chapter 21

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 21: Pushing the Envelope

(04/18/99 1000 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"You are not coming with me." Circe gave Shikarou an angry look. "It's too dangerous."

He shrugged. "Fine. Then the test is off. You stand down and I'll find someone else to do it."

"I'll take you." It was Stardust. "This sounds like it could be fun and it shouldn't be nearly as hazardous as Circe thinks."

Circe glared at her sister. "Get some power and suddenly you are an expert? Bullshit." She turned to her Tamer. "I'll take you."

Faelan's holographic form turned. "So are we doing this or can I go back to something interesting?"

Circe glanced at Faelan. "Keep your pants on." She sighed and took Shikarou's hand. "You are insane to want to go along."

"She's right." Branwyn looked worried.

"I am not going to ask her to do this by herself." Shikarou gave them both a stern look. "Are you ready?"

The Alaka-Wham nodded. "I am." She turned to Faelan. "Are you ready on your end?"

"The display is set up and the sensor heads are in place." He glanced to the side. "We are recording and Svetlana is busy biting her nails." He grinned as a far off cry of protest was heard. "Everything is ready here."

Circe nodded. "Here goes and I am commencing the test." She glanced at Shikarou, who gave her a bright smile and a nod. Circe sighed and turned to look at a screen showing the area where she was going to teleport. A long minute passed and they vanished.

Branwyn grabbed up the display and scanned it carefully, sighing as Circe and Shikarou appeared in it. He exchanged a word with his brother and they teleported back to the Conservatory.

He glanced at the electronic image of his brother. "That's all for now, we need to evaluate what happened. I'll get back to you when we are ready for the next test."

Faelan nodded. "We'll collect the gear and find another good spot for the next test." The hologram vanished as he cut the com link.

Shikarou turned to Circe. "Ok, we made the jump successfully. Did you notice anything unusual?"

She gave him a glare. "You just had me teleport to someplace neither of us had ever been to by looking at a live display of the destination and you want to know if anything felt different." She sighed. "Ok, I felt something odd, like a kind of lurch, in the middle of the transport. I've felt it before, back when I first started teleporting. My teachers said it was normal and as I got used to jumping it would go away. It did and I suspect that this is probably the same thing."

"So if we can do this routinely, we can have you teleport anywhere in the world if we can get a live image." He grinned. "Neat. No more worrying about some pokeball transport problem sending you to the Forest Continent or you having to kill a greedy tech."

Branwyn smiled. "I can see the utility in it and it'll increase our mobility greatly, but you still shouldn't have gone." She held up her hands. "I can't stop you, but I can voice my protest."

Circe grinned at her. "If you are upset now, stand by to be furious."

The Unicorn gave her a flat look. "What do you mean by that?"

"He has much riskier plans than this already percolating in his twisted little mind. What do you think about that?"

"Shit."

(04/18/99 1200 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

Poppet leaned against him and chuckled. "I thought Devon's harem was a swirling madhouse until I met yours. Now I know yours is actually quite well organized even though it looks like utter chaos. How do you do it?"

He smiled. "Hard work, personal sacrifice and the best alpha I've seen in any harem. Thank you for trusting me with her."

"You've repaid that trust in full and then some. She's never been happier."

"What about her sisters?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "What, trying for a clean sweep, mother and daughters?"

"Oh no, even my greed has limits. Besides, I got the best of the lot right now."

The Unicorn resettled herself against him. "Perhaps you can grow some wisdom after all. Branwyn had three sisters. One is dead, one has trust issues and the third is doing quite well. She lives on the Blood Continent in the Hardcore League with her Tamer. He's retired and has a spice plantation."

"I may have to contact him. I could use a good spice supply."

"What about using your magic?"

"I don't want to cheapen it by commonly using it for commerce. I've always been a samurai mage, not a merchant."

"Proud, aren't you?"

"Yes, and I have a right to be. I've done well here. Good women, landed lord and I've even got two unicorns. You're supposed to be pure of heart before you can get one, much less two."

Poppet giggled. "While I appreciate your heart, I think I was first drawn to your skill with the weapons nature gave you and your ability to use them all night long." She sobered. "Only later did I realize that you are actually quite a good person as well as possibly prime good breeding stock."

Shikarou glanced at her and smiled. "I'll be your stallion."

She smacked him on the shoulder. "Stop that. Talk like that makes me horny." She giggled again when he groaned.

(04/18/99 1400 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"So how is she?" Helen jumped and almost dropped her book when he quietly spoke.

"Shikarou, don't do that." The Milktit gave him a cross look and wriggled her ears. "You know these happen to work just fine, but I didn't hear you at all."

He smiled. "That's why wolves eat cows."

She snorted in dismissal. "You don't have to sneak up on me to eat me and you know it." She glanced at the cradle. "She's fine. She's eaten twice and pooped twice. How are her parents?"

"Dead to the world. I suspect they'll sleep most of the day away and they probably need it." His ears rotated to orient on something behind him. "I think I spoke too soon."

Devon came in a minute later, yawning. "How is she?"

Helen chuckled. "I swear there's an echo in here. Christine's been fed twice and changed and she's asleep again."

Devon nodded. "When she needs fed again we need to let Letitia do it or she'll be so full she'll be sore when she wakes up."

Helen smirked. "You could always help her with that."

"Not a chance. She says it's for the baby and I'm to stay away if I happen to know what's good for me."

Shikarou nodded. "That behavior is actually quite typical. She's not interested in you right now and even her feral state is suppressed while she's focused on your daughter." He got a cautious expression. "Can I ask a question?"

Devon gave him a hard look. "Please, don't ask anything that's going to piss me off; I just got over being furious with you."

He nodded. "I'll try. I only wanted to ask if Florence has removed her nipple piercings yet. Sometimes a baby won't nurse with them in and sometimes they can interfere with milk release, although that usually depends on how well the original piercings were done."

"How did you know about those?" Devon sounded annoyed.

"She wears thin shirts."

Devon blinked and suddenly chuckled. "That she does. Ok, I do know that nursing our child is very important to her and I'll ask her about it. Any other gems of wisdom you'd care to impart?"

"Has she found someone to help with the orphanage?"

"Yeah, she's hired two full time assistants." Devon shook his head. "The mayor of Belfast has offered her some money from the city budget this year. I guess now that he knows she's got enough financial backing to make it, he wants to help."

"Doubtful. Let me ask you another question. Does it happen to be an election year in Belfast?"

Devon frowned thoughtfully. "I do believe it is." He began to look amused. "Good to know my faith in politicians is still sound."

Shikarou nodded. "Tell her to refuse the money. I would. If the city starts funding even a part of the orphanage, it won't be long until they start telling her what to do. If she refuses to bow down before them, often they change the local laws to either make her have to do what they want or they just legislate her out of business. I realize you are funding it out of your pocket but if you need more money, just let me know."

"Isn't your island one big charitable work right now?"

"Yes and no. I gave Lynn over C700 million and she promptly plowed over half of that into some very nice investment portfolios. She said that someday she hopes to return my money to me." He smiled. "And we kept close to C80 million for ourselves."

Devon frowned. "What kind of return is she getting?"

"You'd have to ask Aggie about that, she's managing everything."

"Your computer is managing your investments? Isn't that a bit risky?"

**Not nearly as risky as having an organic that can't focus on your personal investments in a realtime 24 hour basis try to do this. Bloody organo-centric git. By the way if things proceed as I anticipate, I'll have your money back to you in less than five years. That is a worst case scenario, by the bye.**

"She's done a good job so far and I don't expect that to change."

Devon's stomach rumbled and he looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry. It's been several hours since my last meal."

Helen drew her wand and created a trolley full of food. "There you go. It may not be as good as what I can make with a kitchen, but it'll be fine." She glanced at Shikarou. "Hand me the pitcher and I'll fill it."

He smiled as he picked it up. "Why don't you just summon it to you?"

She gave him a mildly annoyed look. "Because I still don't have fine control and I ended up not only shattering the last pitcher I tried that on, but I almost brained myself when it shot towards my head." She unbuttoned her blouse and began filling the empty pitcher as Devon started eating and tried not to stare.

He was finishing his first plate of food when a sleepy voice floated down the hall. "Devon?"

"I should go." He put the plate down and got up.

"Take the trolley with you." Helen smiled. "It's a trolley because I thought that Letitia would be hungry too. Make sure she gets some of my milk, it will help with her production and will help in case there are any odd flavors that your daughter has issue with. When Christine wakes up, I'll bring her down to the two of you."

Devon blinked. "Thanks." He grabbed the trolley's handle and was gone in an instant.

Helen cocked her head and listened until he was gone. "Can you make a mouth guard that will fit Christine and that she won't reject while it still allows her to nurse?"

"I suppose so, why?"

"Her milk teeth are already starting to erupt and she's got his dentition. It doesn't bother me, but it may put Letitia off the first time her daughter draws blood while nursing. My nipples are much tougher than most." She gave him an arch look. "It's a good thing they are, because sometimes you bite." She winked.

He grinned at her. "I'll take care of the mouth guard. While I'm at it I'll make several so that way Florence will get some too."

(04/20/99 0700 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"Since it looks like Christine's flare-up of colic is over, we need to be getting back to Caomh Sith." Shikarou smiled at Devon. "You and your ladies should be able to handle things here. If her colic comes back, then bring her down to the island and I'll treat her again."

Kathryn was watching them with a slightly confused look and then shrugged. "I'm glad to see that ye aren't mad at each other any more."

Shikarou didn't bother to try to explain that he had never been mad as Devon nodded. "I've starting to realize that the bigger world doesn't revolve around the Harris name and after consideration, I also realized that Shikarou has been a good friend." He shrugged. "Sometimes I'm an idiot."

That statement Shikarou was quick to correct. "You are not an idiot, Devon. Sometimes we all get caught up in what's happening around us and forget that the other person has feelings, too. I'm guilty of it as well." He smiled. "In any case, you and your harem are always welcome, even if Paulette doesn't like me."

Devon sighed. "I thought it was because I was mad at you, but she still doesn't want to have anything to do with you."

"Her loss."

"I'll keep in touch if it's ok with you." Devon shook his head. "I wouldn't have believed my daughter needed a mouth guard until she took a chunk out of my finger. I asked Poppet about it and she said I mangled one of my mother's nipples off when I was Christine's age. Thanks."

Shikarou shrugged. "My daughters were born with milk teeth, so I don't see the big deal. My wife seemed to be quite impressed, but then she was the one nursing them. However, you are very welcome." He slipped his arm through Lorelei's. "Bye."

An hour later everything in Caomh Sith was as normal as it seemed to get and Circe and Shikarou were setting up for the next series of teleportation tests.

The next two days went by rapidly and quickly it was established that some teleport capable pokegirls were more capable than others at teleporting to live views. For psychic types it seemed to be a lot easier than for magic type pokegirls, although the fact that Branwyn was quickly leaning the techniques involved indicated that it wasn't impossible for them, just harder.

Finally, Shikarou sat down with his teleporting pokegirls and explained the next set of test. Branwyn sat quietly until he was done. "You are taking your entire harem with you," she announced quietly.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"No, she's right." Pythia joined the conversation. "This is risky enough and the fact that we have no real idea of what is going to happen during this test tells me that you should have your harem with you just in case of catastrophe." She smiled. "Hope for the best and plan for the worst."

Shikarou looked around the circle and realized that all of them were in agreement. "Fine. We live or die together."

If he'd hoped his choice of words would change any minds, he was doomed to disappointment. Pythia nodded. "That is right. Live or die, we stand with you."

An hour later, Shikarou stood with Circe and sighed. Branwyn gave him a quick smile. "We can always abort this test."

"Yes we can, but this could save our lives someday." Shikarou scratched an ear. "Do you think we shouldn't do it?"

Her answer surprised him. "No, I think we should. If you are right, then the Leagues are going to need to purchase a lot more teleport blocking equipment and since we own stock in the manufacturers here in the Blue League, it could help us. Besides, like you said, it might save our lives someday. If nothing else, it'll make an interesting report for Stroak and McCormic."

Professor Elana McCormic was the leading pokegirl researcher in the Blue League. While not as well known as Professor Stroak, she had a well deserved reputation for cutting edge research and the occasional oddball research topic. Blind teleporting was just the kind of thing she'd love.

"All right." Shikarou reached for her pokeball. "I'll let you out as soon as it's safe."

"You will let me out as soon as possible or I will be very upset with you."

"ASAP it is." He captured her and slipped the pokeball into its holder as he turned to Circe. "Are you ready?"

She shrugged. "As ready as I'll be." The Alaka-Wham cocked her head. "Since we may be about to die, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"I've noticed that some members of the harem have given you a nickname and that you've given one to Bellona. Why haven't you let me do that?"

He smiled. "You haven't asked to." He frowned. "Of course, except for Bellona, none of the others asked either. Would you like to use one for me?"

"Have I reached that point with you? I know for you pet names and nicknames are used to signify very significant relationships."

He nodded. "Yes, you have. Do you have one in mind?"

She glanced away. "You'll think it's silly."

"Probably." Circe shot him a glare. "They usually are, but if it's important to you, then I'll wear it with pride." Her gaze softened as he continued. "You are one of my favorites after all."

She snorted. "Who aren't your favorites?"

"There are some that are much more special to me than others and you are one of them. So, what silly name do you want to give me?"

"Oz."

He frowned. "You mean like Ozymandias? From the poems of Percy Shelly and Horace Smith?"

She flushed. "I mean like the wizard Oz from the Oz books."

Shikarou stepped up to her as he draped his hands loosely around her waist and rested his forehead against her antennae. She shivered. "You know how I feel when you do that," she whispered, "I feel your emotions more strongly and it makes me all warm and tingly."

"That's how I want you to feel right now. You need never fear saying anything to me. I won't laugh and I won't tell others, if that's what you want." He smiled. "I love you, Circe, and if you want to call me Oz, then by all means do so."

She kissed him softly. "Oz gave the lion his courage and he gave the scarecrow some brains, but he reserved his greatest gift for the tin-man. You have given me my heart and I love you for it." Her voice was low and soft, not quite a whisper. "I am yours, body, mind and soul."

He looked directly into her eyes. "I accept your gift and I cherish it with all my being."

They stood that way for a few minutes, their minds intermeshed and gradually she smiled and pulled away. "Well, oh great and powerful Oz, are you ready to die?"

Shikarou pulled a picture from his backpack and handed it to Circe. "I have my harem with me and if this is my day to die, then I could not go in better company." He smiled. "That being said, it's a good day to live."

She nodded. "I agree." She studied the photo for several minutes. "I'm as ready as I'm going to be." She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it hard. "Next stop, the Dark Continent."

They vanished.

(04/22/99 0730 Brauton, Blood Continent)

Shikarou was suddenly glad that he'd listened to his harem as he snap-rolled and faced the direction of the wind. Aggie gave him the news and he got to decide if it was good or bad. **Altitude approximately 5000 meters. Time to ground/body interaction 90 seconds. Gravity indicates that you are still on Earth.**

Bad. Definitely bad but not impossible.

_Drop the approximately. I know you can't be exact when you use my eyes for range finding._

He hadn't been skydiving since before he'd met Pallaius and most of those jumps had been individual deployment insertions from high orbit. When you intended to land on a planet from space you tended to wear slightly more gear than a shirt, pants, boots and a very non-aerodynamic backpack.

At this altitude the air would be thin, but Shikarou was breathing into the air rushing past him and would hit the ground long before he had to worry about lack of air. Besides, the air got thicker the closer you got to the ground.

**Altitude 4000 meters. Time to impact 75 seconds.**

He was more concerned about the fact that Circe wasn't in sight, but a check of the delta bond indicated she was ok, pissed and coming to find him.

**3000 meters. Impact in 55 seconds.**

He watched as Circe teleported in at about a thousand meters and hovered, waiting for him to make it down to her level.

**Time to Circe 30 seconds. Time to ground 50 seconds.**

_Give me a five second warning to Circe._

**Very well.**

Time passed.

**Five seconds. Mark.**

Shikarou cast his hover spell and as his fall came to sudden halt several meters above the Alaka-Wham he grinned at Circe. _I think we will need more practice._

She laughed and pulled him down to her with telekinesis. "I am so glad you are safe." She hugged him as hard as she could. "Let's get to the ground and figure out where we are."

Shikarou looked down. "I was aiming to land near that collection of tents. Let's go there."

She dropped them quickly as he released Pythia to take up a close formation with them. The G-Spliced frowned. "It's a little chilly for the Dark Continent. I take it that we did not arrive on target."

**Ambient temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. **

Circe looked back at her. "Thank you for the news bulletin."

Pythia moved up next to Circe. "Slow down, there are pokegirls down there and it looks like they are trying to intercept us. One of them is waving and pointing at us."

She was right and Circe slowed their descent to a crawl.

**There is an Electri-Cuter variant Battle Angel and a Hun moving to our projected landing site.**

"Electric Battle Angel and Hun." Shikarou announced. "We'll presume they are friendly. Pythia overwatch." She nodded and dropped back and once they reached thirty meters above the ground she stopped descending and began an irregular racetrack pattern, varying her flight path with each pass but staying close enough to provide support.

_Are you going to release any more of the harem?_ Circe gave him a curious glance without stopping her alert scan of their surroundings. _Having someone else around would make me feel more comfortable right now._

_Releasing anyone else might be just a bit premature._ Shikarou was waving back slowly. _Getting them out right now might be construed as a threat display and we still don't have enough information to know if this is a combat situation._

The Hun watched him intently as they landed and the Battle Angel came forward. Her armor was locked in place and her voice didn't sound happy. "Identify yourself."

Shikarou's ears flicked_. I can hear other people moving through the undergrowth, one or two of them. They are very very quiet._

_They must be dark types. I can't pick up any mind presences. I'm informing Pythia. How do we play this?_

_Very carefully._ "I'm Shikarou." He smiled. "I come in peace and I know that your friends are moving into an attack position and I don't find that very peaceful." He kept his tone light and friendly.

The Hun looked impressed. He couldn't see the Battle Angel's face through her faceplate but her voice held a hint of surprise. "Do you know where Leon is?"

"I don't know anyone by that name." He smiled. "I'm afraid I'm a bit lost and don't know where I am." His ears rotated. "May I inquire as to your name?"

"I'm Janne and my Tamer is Thai." Suddenly her voice became hesitant. "Can you help us?"

Shikarou blinked at the sudden change. "I'll try. What is the problem?"

"We were attacked by Manti and these are the only survivors. We need food and other basic supplies." The voice came from behind him as the pokegirl broke cover. She was a near human and looked like she'd had a bad couple of days.

**Kunoichi.**

He nodded. "I've got a bunch of stuff you can have, but a lot of it is being carried by my other pokegirls and I'll have to release them." He gave them a friendly smile. "I just wanted you to know so your friends that are still under cover don't decide to attack me when they start appearing."

The Kunoichi looked surprised. "How?" The Hun cocked her head curiously while awaiting his reply.

"I can smell them." The ninja's eyes widened as he smiled. "Anyway, can I release my harem without getting attacked?"

Janne's "No" came at the same time as the Kunoichi's "Yes." The two pokegirls glared at each other.

"I want to release one of my pokegirls. She can hopefully convince you that I'm not intending to cause any trouble." He carefully pulled a pokeball from his belt but didn't open it. "May I? Her name is Dorothea and she is a Seraph."

The Kunoichi's eyes narrowed. "A Celestial pokegirl would be very convincing. Janne?"

The Battle Angel folded her arms defiantly. "We only saved you and Thai almost died while doing it. You do what you want." Her voice dropped and only Shikarou heard her mutter, "You're going to anyway, but I haven't forgotten your lordly master is to blame for everything that happened to us." Her head snapped up suddenly. "Where do you come from?"

"I'm from the Blue League. I was attempting to teleport to somewhere in the Dark Continent and apparently got a little lost." He gestured with his chin at the snow still pooled in the nearby shadows. "The only place in the Dark Continent you'd find snow would be on a mountain and since this doesn't look like one of those it's likely that I'm a lot more lost than I had thought."

He released Dorothea, who looked around alertly before glancing at Shikarou while still trying to look around in all directions at once. "My lord, where are we?"

"I'm not sure. This is Janne." He nodded towards the Battle Angel. "I don't have a name for our other host, but they would like to ask you some questions before deciding if we're going to get attacked." He smiled slightly. "They are a little twitchy for some reason."

Dorothea nodded. "I am Dorothea and this is my Tamer and Lord, Shikarou Urufu of Caomh Sith in the Blue League. What do thou wish to know about my lord?"

"How did you come to be here?" The Kunoichi asked the first question.

"My lord was trying to travel to the Dark Continent." She smiled. "Apparently, we did not travel there."

The Kunoichi nodded. "They didn't have time to compare stories. I am satisfied."

Janne's helm retracted into her neck and vanished, revealing a pretty face. "I suppose I must go along with you."

Shikarou sighed. Some people were just angry. "I'm going to release the rest of my harem now." He released Elizabeth, Branwyn and Bellona.

The Battle Knight took a quick step backwards, suddenly even more alert than before as Shikarou turned to his harem. "We've got a bunch of refugees here in need of medical care and supplies. Give them all of our blankets and start creating basic foodstuffs." He glanced at Bellona. "Take Pythia and scout the region. There may be other refugees that need help. More important to me: they were hit by Manti. I want to make sure there aren't any hidden somewhere around here waiting until they can get reinforcements.

Bellona nodded. "I'm on it." She summoned her wings and took off, climbing hard to intercept Pythia.

Shikarou turned to Janne. "What league is this?"

"Ruby."

"I'm not familiar with their rules. I'll check up on them in a few minutes." He sighed and turned to the still watching Hun with a slightly annoyed look. "Can I help you with anything?"

She grinned. "I have the itch." He gave her a puzzled look.

Circe touched his shoulder. _She needs a taming._

_Oh._ "Are you looking for a one time thing or are you looking for a harem to join?"

Branwyn turned at his words and looked the Hun up and down. Her mouth firmed but she didn't say anything out loud.

The Hun looked her over and smiled broadly. "My partner is dead, taken by the Manti. I cannot keep up with my tribe and they have left me here. I have no one, but to catch me, you must defeat me."

Shikarou sighed. "Branwyn?"

She gave the two meter pokegirl a hard look. "She could be useful. Ice types aren't that common in the Blue League and we have the hot tub for taming her."

"And who are you, little horse?"

"I am Branwyn and I am Shikarou's alpha."

"Hoho. Are you one of the one's who will be fighting me? I will not be taken easily."

Branwyn gave her a disgusted look. "Perhaps, but right now we have people to help. Your itch can wait."

"My lord, may I have a word with thee and thy alpha? I assure thou that this is most vital."

He nodded. "Circe, take charge of getting the supplies collected from everyone. Food, meds, blankets, whatever we have that they might need."

"As you command, oh great wizard." They shared a grin.

Branwyn gave her a look. "Is there something I need to know?"

Circe looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled. "No." She tapped Shikarou on the shoulder. "Your pack." He shrugged out of it and handed it to her. "Thank you."

Dorothea led the two of them out of earshot of the others. "My lord, I know that thou wish to help here, but thou cannot stay."

"Why not?"

"My lord, there is the hand of a Celestial at work here and thy current destiny lies with Pythia's quest for thee. If thou remain here, then thou could be caught up in this quest as well, and as noble as my heart knows this quest to be, it is not for thee." Her eyes softened. "There is a difficulty here that I sense and the power that seeks to guide this destiny might not care if it chooses thee instead of its current choice." Her shoulders lifted and dropped. "I am not completely sure, but this I suspect to be true."

"Leaving our supplies here will be more aid then these people would have gotten if thou hadn't come along, so it is likely that providence brought thee here. However we cannot remain lest we tempt fate." She smiled and nodded at him. "My lord, fate seems to like thee and best that perhaps we do not allow it a choice this time."

Branwyn frowned. "If she's got even a small chance of being right, let's leave now." She cocked her head. "What about the Hun?"

"She has no purpose here. The providence that is at work here is very uncaring and taking her may save her life." Dorothea sounded confident.

Branwyn nodded. "You heard her, we take the Hun." She frowned. "The best choice would probably be Dorothea." The Unicorn gave him an odd look. "However, if you were to take her yourself, it would gain you much more respect than if you captured her with your harem."

"That would be very out of character." He sighed. "I'm supposed to let you girls do the fighting. I'll use Dorothea." The Seraph beamed.

Branwyn nodded. "You'll still have to earn her respect and she'll likely demand some kind of bravery test. Fighting her may be easier because I suspect she's barely adult and probably low level. Even if you lose, you can then honorably use Dorothea."

Shikarou grimaced. "I want to do this as fast as possible, tempting fate is not on my schedule today."

Dorothea gave Branwyn a tiny smile. "Again."

"What?"

"He should not tempt fate again, lady."

Branwyn blinked. "She's right. You almost became substrate not that long ago, this very morning if I recall correctly."

He winced. "Ok. I'll beat up the Hun if you won't lecture me about today right now."

She smiled beatifically. "Very well, I'll save it for later." He sighed and she smiled. "Remember, the faster you take her down, the more she will respect you."

Circe was offering a purple potion bottle to Janne when they returned to the group. The Battle Angel eyed it warily. "What is this?"

"It's a healing potion that works on humans. I know your Tamer is recovering from battle damage and this will accelerate his healing and also replace any scarring with healthy tissue." The Alaka-Wham smiled. "That way he won't lose any range of motion due to his injury."

Janne hesitantly took it, acting almost as if she expected the Alaka-Wham to jerk it back. "Thank you, I will see that he gets this."

"I am afraid that we won't be able to stay, as soon as we offload all of our healing supplies and make you some food then we will have to leave. I'm sorry, but that is the way it has to be." Shikarou joined the small group.

The Kunoichi nodded. "I thank you for all of the help you can provide."

"You are very welcome." He turned to the Hun. "However, I do have time to capture you."

She grinned and drew her scimitar. "To claim me you will have to prove your worth, little man. Can your pokegirls face the winter that I bring?"

He smiled slightly. "First, we'll see how well I fare against you. After that, if I need to, I'll use Dorothea."

Her eyes widened. "You are very brave. Stupid, but brave. I will try not to hurt you too much."

Bellona landed near Branwyn as Pythia circled in as well. "I got your message and came as quickly as I could. Did I miss anything?"

"No, they're just getting started."

Elizabeth sighed. "I wish I had some popcorn."

The Hun smiled and held her arms open. "I will allow you first strike, little man."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed. "You will learn not to call me that." He held out his hand. "Sword." The black katana appeared and Janne gasped with surprise. He pointed it at the Hun. "Ready?"

She nodded and shifted to a ready position, bringing her sword into guard position. Ice formed along its length as she activated Ice Blade II.

Shikarou advanced and struck. As he expected, the Hun blocked the blow with her sword and when his blade touched hers, he used it as a conduit to channel a lightning attack. The ice exploded from her blade and the metal glowed a dull red as she was blasted backwards.

She climbed heavily to her feet and Shikarou hit her with lightning again and followed it up with a low powered fireball while she was still skidding along the ground.

The Hun slowly shook her head and rose to all fours just as the pokeball took her in the back. She dissolved into it and a few seconds later the pokeball sounded its capture tone.

Janne stared at him in shock and new respect shone in the Kunoichi's eyes. "We could have used you against the Manti."

"I'm actually sorry I wasn't here. I've faced them myself and I know that our presence might have helped to keep friendly casualties down." He gathered up his newest pokegirl. "Now I need to find a name for you."

Branwyn chuckled. "How about Overconfident?"

Shikarou ignored her as he touched Bellona's arm and she glanced over. He offered her a small object. "Do me a favor," he began in a quiet voice, "and put this sensor head in a treetop nearby when you and Pythia resume your search. There are children down there and while I can't stay, if something happens you can be damned sure we will be back." He frowned. "I'll have Aggie park her spare satellite overhead and it'll have line of sight to the one over the Blue Continent, giving us realtime imagery. No Mantis is going to eat these children if I have any say in it."

The DragonQueen nodded and slipped the sensor into her pouch. "I'll take care of it."

(04/23/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Bellona had guard duty today and so was the only pokegirl out while Circe was studying the photo again. "So you named her Hanmei?" She was talking about the Hun. Shikarou had tamed her into the harem that night.

"Yes. It seemed fitting. It means cold plum and it turns out that the Huns where she comes from like cold names."

"Are you going to keep her?"

He shrugged. "She has the potential to be very useful, but we'll have to see how she fits in and if she's happy here. Another potential problem is that, compared to the rest of the harem, she's not very powerful."

Bellona smiled grimly. "That is something that can be fixed with a little hard work and dedication."

"Bell, that is a good attitude to have and you are quite right." She almost preened at his words.

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be." Circe handed him back the photo and he tucked it away. "Ready for another all expenses paid trip to who knows where?"

Shikarou laughed. "I suppose so." He pulled Bellona's pokeball out. "See you in a bit." She was still nodding when she vanished into the containment beam.

Circe laced her arm through his. "Um, Oz?"

"Yes?" He chuckled and turned to rest his forehead against her antennae. "What is it?"

She smiled without alleviating the worry in her eyes. "I'm pretty sure I know how we got separated last time. I think what happened is that I was concerned about teleporting into the ground and so I was thinking about coming in a little high in order to be safe. I also think that maybe I was more concerned about your safety than mine and so, well, um, you exited high without me." That last bit came out in a rush.

Shikarou's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you may have deliberately sent me somewhere without you going along?" He shook his head slowly. "If we could do that under controlled conditions, we would have developed matter transmission." He smiled at the alarm that flashed in her eyes. "However, that is a job for some other time. Say in fifty or sixty years."

Circe relaxed. "Thanks. I'm sorry about what happened, I'm just worried because we don't know what the possible dangers could be in doing this."

"So am I, but that doesn't mean that this isn't interesting."

She nodded. "I was wondering if I could enlist your aid in this. I mean that you are very good at focusing. I learned when my magic education began that you are one of the best I know of, including Stardust." She gave him a brief smile. "So if you could help me to concentrate, we might do this right."

Shikarou nodded. "Let me stare at that picture for a few minutes and we'll do this together." Ten minutes later he once more tucked the picture into his pack and grinned. "Captain, your copilot is ready for takeoff."

The Alaka-Wham tucked her arm back through his. "Then let's get this right in one." He felt as she twined his mind tightly with hers and used his mental powers to bring the picture into focus. _We are going to where that picture shows._ Neither was ever sure who sent the thought, later conversations indicated that perhaps they both did.

They vanished.

(09/08/98 1100 South Uist, BC 1100 Outside Wellham, Dark Continent)

The air was hot and sticky as Circe appeared with Shikarou. She smiled. "Ok, we're together. That's a good start."

He nodded and released Bellona. "Aye, you're right. Now where are we?"

**I am picking up radio transmissions on an encrypted frequency.**

Shikarou unclipped his handheld computer. "Link it through my handheld."

A strangely familiar voice came out of the radio. "First prisoner is secured. No pokeballs."

Bellona started. "That sounded like Zelda."

Another voice. "Stage two, begin."

Shikarou recognized that one. "Devon."

Suddenly he felt Circe build mental shields around all three of them. "Ming Die is here."

He frowned. "I suppose that could make sense, the picture we were using is from the Team Viper base. But I thought Devon was going to stay at the Conservatory and take care of Christine."

Bellona frowned. "Maybe he doesn't want us to know he's here."

Circe gave him a look. "Then maybe they shouldn't know that we are. If they find out that we are here, it might be unhealthy."

The radio spoke again. "Rhiannon absorb!"

Bellona suddenly looked uneasy. "This reminds me of the battle when we captured Crimson."

"Rhiannon, enough."

"Aggie's voice came over the handheld. "This is no recording. Each transmission is slugged with an accurate timestamp."

"Rhi, dodge left and power bolt again. Aim for the wings."

Shikarou frowned. "Timestamp."

"Timestamp is 090898 1112.06."

Devon's voice came again. "Get your aura barrier back up."

"Timestamp 090908 1113.12."

"I think we may have gone back in time." Shikarou gave Bellona a hard look. "Or else this is a complete reenactment. Were there any other transmission sources, Bell?"

"We put some extra sensor heads in place," she replied tonelessly, "for good quality recordings. Devon was worried that what he was going to do was more than semi-legal and that he might get in trouble back in the Blue League." Her eyes were large and she was staring at Shikarou with an expression approaching fear.

Aggie spoke. "I am detecting seven high bandwith transmission sources working in synch."

"Collate and display." Shikarou had hardly finished speaking when a holograph appeared floating over his handheld.

In it Rhiannon engaged in hand to hand with a Golbutt, her energy blade against its teeth. Both scored. Rhiannon staggered and a voice cried out: "Master, I've been poisoned."

Circe paled. "Shit."

"My sentiments exactly." He frowned as they watched Paulette replace the injured Dark Lady. "This one may be my fault."

Circe and Bellona both gave him curious looks and he returned a faint grin. "The picture we used is a still from before Devon's battle with Lord Crimson. Since the whole exercise was to go someplace we'd never been by using a picture to see it, I couldn't come here and snap a pic of it, now could I?"

"Devon has this video under maximum security. How did you get access…" she broke off. "Aggie is that good?"

Aggie's image superimposed herself over the battle scene where Paulette was thrashing the Golbutt and bowed to Bellona. "I am indeed that good." She smirked. "Better even."

Bellona suddenly grinned as Paulette finished the Golbutt off. "I didn't get a good view of this next bit. Hatsumi clowns around with Cameron's Whorizard before kicking her butt."

Shikarou blinked and gave the DragonQueen a sideways look as Lord Crimson faced Wrath off against Hatsumi. _Aggie, go through your records of Devon from that research I had you do before we met for the first time and compare Cameron Harris with Lord Crimson._

**The probability that Cameron Harris is Lord Crimson approaches unity. They are the same person.**

That was interesting. And so was the fact that apparently Bellona already knew that.

Circe's mind touched his._ She isn't aware of the slip she made. There is no reason to make her feel she's betrayed her former Tamer, is there?_

Shikarou agreed. _No. She's mine now, but it's nice to know she keeps secrets._

In the display, Hatsumi defeated Wrath and Crimson threw a handful of flash-bang grenades at Devon. Shikarou winced in sympathetic memory as Devon was flung away by the blast and nodded when Paulette covered his body with hers.

Devon gave some orders. "Hatsumi, Paulette, Kathryn, Bellona. Lord Crimson has fled. Start a basic search pattern and find him. The other male, Ignacio, has also disappeared and I want him too, but Crimson is the real prize. Ming Die, you're with me. Siobhan, I need you here immediately." The display erupted into a frenzy of activity.

"He's not bad." Shikarou muttered. "Remind me that if we ever do square off for fun to ask him to watch a couple of our battle recordings so as to keep it fair."

Bellona frowned. "Here's where the odd thing happens. Devon tells me to change my search pattern ten degrees to the left. It's the reason I found Crimson, only later I found out he never told me to do that." She looked up at him. "We never found out who did."

Several minutes passed. Bellona's scowl grew deeper. "It hasn't happened yet." She clutched Shikarou's arm. "I would never have found him otherwise."

He exchanged a look with Circe, who shrugged. _Ok, my decision._ "Aggie, patch me into their com frequency and give me Devon's voice."

**Done.**

He took a deep breath. "Bell, darling, vector left about ten degrees and resume your search pattern from there."

Bellona's eyes widened in shock as he gave her a wink. At almost the same time her voice came from his handheld. "Very well, Master. Darling, huh? I like that. Feel free to call me that any time."

Shikarou frowned. "They'll be looking for us. We need to leave right away." He pulled Bellona's pokeball from his belt. She nodded and vanished.

Circe took his hand. "Back home?"

"Yes." Their minds wrapped around each other's as she stepped into his arms. They vanished as Ming Die reached out with her mind, looking for the imposter.

(04/23/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou sighed and looked around without releasing Circe. "Aggie?"

**I am picking up the satellite overhead. The timestamp indicates we have been gone less than one second and are when we should be.**

Circe nuzzled his chest. "That was something we are going to have to be very careful of. Apparently your focus was on the entire photograph and that included when it was taken." She met his gaze. "I don't know if we can replicate that, but we need to find out. We also need to be very careful of who we tell about this."

He nodded. "Right now only you, me, Bellona, Branwyn and Stardust." He snorted. "We also need to be very careful about how we do this." He sighed. "Now would be a very good time for my father to appear. He's the leading authority on time travel back home."

Circe gave him an odd look. "Just how often does he travel through time?"

"Outside of the family he won't admit to any, which I suspect is the line we need to take in regards to this." Shikarou flicked his ears nervously. "I was hoping to see if you could teleport across dimensions. I never considered temporal teleportation seriously, but you've done it."

"No, Oz, we've done it. I don't think I could do it without you." She rubbed his face gently with her antennae. "I'm not going to try, either."

"Good. Now to talk to Bellona and impress on her the gravity of the situation."

Circe cocked her head. "Stardust and I could erase her memories of the event."

"I'd prefer not to do that. Sometimes things don't go quite right and I happen to like Bell just like she is."

Circe smiled slightly. "Don't like the drooling, no control over bodily functions type do you?" She chuckled when he shuddered. "Then you might want to delta bond her as quickly as possible." She sobered. "Stardust is going to see the threat as quickly as we did and she might want to take steps. Sometimes she's impulsive like that and a brainburned DragonQueen is a threat to no one. Delta bonding her would make my sister hesitate, if only out of concern for psychic feedback."

"Ok, how do you accelerate delta bonding?"

She gave him an amused look. "You have the spell you used on Gwyneth."

"I'll talk to Bellona about it," he repeated.

"And I'll keep Stardust busy while you do."

Shikarou sighed and released his DragonQueen as Circe went to find her sister. Bellona looked around and nodded. "Is this the right time?"

"Yes. It appears we returned in the same instant we left."

Bellona looked at him levelly. "You have a problem. Me."

He looked surprised. "I agree, but why don't you tell me what you think the problem is and if I think it's a different problem, we can talk about it."

She shrugged. "You and Circe are bonded and you and I are not. In this case, that could make me a weakness and a liability. I don't like it, but your best bet would be to kill me to protect the rest of your harem." She frowned. "If you enslaved me, could you keep me from revealing what I know?"

"Yes, but I'm hoping to find another way to solve the problem." He smiled. "I'm rather fond of you and don't want to do that."

She looked thoughtful. "Hatsumi knows a spell that causes something like a delta bond to form. We could ask Devon for the knowledge of it."

Shikarou was just watching her. "Bellona, you really are a darling, you know that?"

"I am the beta of this harem and part of the responsibilities of the position is to make recommendations about how to deal with problems," she swallowed, "even when they involve my life. Trust me, Shikarou, I'm hoping that you pull another trick out of your bag. I don't want to die, but I won't be used against you and when push comes to shove, I'm just a pokegirl and can be replaced." A brief shadow passed across her face and she looked away. "Devon proved that when he refused to fight for me."

Shikarou reached out and lifted her chin to look at him. "First of all, Devon was pretty upset at losing you and second," he paused and looked faintly pleased, "I wanted you in my harem and I'm very happy to have you here."

"I have a spell that could promote a delta bond with you. At least when I used it on Gwyneth, she formed one with me. That isn't its primary use though; it's designed to throw the target into an instant heat and I'm hesitant about doing that to you even if you gave me your permission."

"You see, you are not just another pretty face to me." He sighed and pulled her against him. She was stiff for a moment and then slowly relaxed. Her arms crept around his body as he spoke again. "While you haven't been in my harem for that long, I value your input." A grimace. "I'm really not saying this well, am I?"

She snorted quietly. "Since I'm still not sure what you are trying to say, I'd guess you are right about that."

"Let me try another way. I like everyone in my harem or else they wouldn't be here. You never met Kiyoko, but she was quickly becoming one of my favorites when she decided that she wanted to leave the harem and because what she wanted was important to me, I let her go. Sometimes I think that was a mistake, but most of the time I agree with my decision."

"If you told me that you wanted to leave, I'm not sure what I'd do. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd let you go."

She frowned at him. "I thought what we want is important?"

"It is, but so is what I want and I don't want you to leave. Not ever." His eyes closed for a couple of heartbeats. "That's why I'm trying so hard to come up with a reason not to erase your memories of what happened." He looked into her eyes. "I don't want you to forget that it was I who first called you darling because you are a darling to me. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. I figure since you liked it and thought Devon called you that, he'd make an effort to call you it more and I want you to know that I gave you that name and not him."

She smiled and kissed him gently. "He did, but his heart wasn't in it and it didn't last for long. You mean it and I can tell the difference. You really want to delta bond me to you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then let's try your spell. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could become pregnant. Some people would consider that a bad event."

Bellona blinked. "How would you feel about that?"

"Honestly, I'd be pleased as punch, although I have no experience with Nymphs. If you want to have one, however, then you can't go into a pokeball, which would of course make travel problematic."

"Of course," she repeated dully. "You'd really want me to have a child?"

"If you stay in this harem you will eventually, if I have any say in it. Right now could be inconvenient, but later I'll try to convince you it's my right." He shrugged. "I've had two children before and I liked it. Oh, not the whole puking in the middle of the night and being sent out for something that only grows on the other side of the planet; but I've got some fixes for that little series of games that pregnant women like to play." He gave her a sly look. "Only one? I want a whole house full of them."

"So, if I don't get pregnant now, I will get pregnant in the future."

"You seem to be having a problem with that concept." He sounded amused.

"Don't be an ass. If you used the word pregnancy as your battle cry, most Tamers would forfeit rather than face your pokegirls."

"I'll have to give that a try. Seriously, most Tamers are still kids, which would help to explain their allergy to more children." He gave her a lofty look. "I, however, am not."

"Yes, and we are not sure what you are becoming." She gave him an odd look. "Branwyn told me about your bloodwork. We need to run some more tests."

"Don't change the subject."

"Oh, that. We'll try your spell. I don't want my memory erased either." She frowned. "I don't want kids right now, but I suspect I will later. Genetic imperative and all that. Anyway, that means that after we do this spell I go into my pokeball, just to make sure I'm not pregnant now." She touched his cheek. "Later is another story."

(04/24/99 1200 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Branwyn gave him an irritated look. "Would you like to start making up the schedule?"

"Leave him be. Just take one of my times out of the lottery bowl." Bellona leaned against him tiredly. The three of them were eating lunch alone in Shikarou's room. "It had to be done and soon, before Stardust decided it would be more convenient for me to have an aneurism." She shook her head slowly. "And you can stop glaring at me. I don't remember much after he cast that spell and I went into restraints before he did it, so I doubt I would have enjoyed it even if I did remember what happened. All I know is that I'm bloody exhausted." She smirked slightly. "Well, that and the restraints need repaired."

"Replaced," was Shikarou's comment.

Branwyn stopped glaring. "So did it work?"

Shikarou shrugged. "Circe says the delta bonding process has advanced considerably although she's not completely sure that it is actually forming. A few days will tell for sure and Stardust has assured me that she doesn't want to hurt Bellona either, seeing as I am actually fond of her."

"Do you think she'd actually kill a member of your harem if she thought they were a threat?" The Unicorn sounded skeptical.

Bellona snorted. "Why should she not? I will." She smiled sweetly at Branwyn's dumbfounded expression. "Unlike you, I've been in several harems and while Devon's was better than any up to that point, this is where I want to be." Her eyes narrowed. "Anyone who tries to take that from me had better be a light sleeper because I will cut their throat without the slightest qualm."

"I'm happy being beta, at least for the moment." Branwyn gave her a suspicious look and she sighed. "Trust me, being alpha does not appeal to me in the slightest, but I suspect that I'll get a chance to be it later, at least during the first couple of years of each of your children." She nodded as Branwyn's eyes widened in shock. "I figure that it would be best if you and I had children in rotation, that way the harem will always have one of us free."

Branwyn smiled but there was a brittleness to it. "I think we should have this particular talk later. Not that you shouldn't be involved, Shikarou, but we have a couple of years yet, right?"

"No, Bellona isn't pregnant." The Unicorn relaxed at his words.

Shikarou blinked when his handheld chimed softly. He unclipped it. "I've got a message and it's from someone I don't know." He punched a few buttons. "Here we go."

The holographic display activated with a message header. "It's from a Thai Silvati." His ears flicked. "Does that ring a bell?"

Branwyn frowned. "No. Wait. Circe mentioned that the Battle Angel we met had a Tamer named Thai. Could that be it?"

"I don't know. Aggie, has there been anything of interest from the sensor we left?"

Her image appeared in the holograph. "There was a discussion between Janne and a human male that she called Thai. It didn't appear to be relevant so I didn't mention it. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure. Maybe it'll help to put this message into context."

The Battle Angel was carrying a load of the supplies they'd left as she walked next to a serious looking young man who favored one arm as he carried a bundle of blankets. The man was speaking. "And what was the name of that Tamer you met, Janne?"

She shrugged carefully, mindful of her load. "His Seraph told us that his name was something like Shikarou Urufu, from the Blue League. They said that they were heading for… that place."

Thai nodded and blinked. "That place, huh? They were off by just a bit, weren't they?"

Janne nodded. A moment passed in silence before Thai spoke again. "I'll have to send Mr. Urufu and his pokegirls a thank you message for the thoughtful gift and the aid that he and his harem gave us today." When Janne merely nodded his brow furrowed and he turned to her. "Ok, what's wrong, Janne?"

The Battle Angel flushed and her armor appeared as she shook her head. It looked like an unconscious defensive reaction to something she was feeling. "Well, he was simply amazing. When he fought the Hun, I couldn't see any way for her to have won. He was much faster than you were when you saved me, too."

Her Tamer smiled and gave a slight nod. "I saw the battle, Janne. I was keeping an eye out on both of you, to tell the truth." He moved to lean against a nearby tree. It was obvious by his pallor that he wasn't fully recovered from his injuries. "I know that you told me that I'd actually saved you a week ago, but I don't remember anything about it. Besides, if I was as fast as Mr. Urufu is, I probably wouldn't have been hit by that Mantis in the first place." He set the bundle down and continued in a much lower voice. "And if I was that powerful overall, maybe Sandy and Ariah would still be here."

Shikarou growled. "Enough, Aggie." The display blanked. "I need to nip that in the bud right now. Let's see his message."

The display flickered. It was the young man again. He looked more rested and his Battle Angel didn't look so grim this time. He smiled. "My name is Thai Silvati. I believe you have met the Battle Angel beside me, but I am Janne's Tamer, as I'm sure you've pieced together by now. Anyway, I'm just calling to thank you, Mr. Urufu, and your harem that assisted us all the other day. I regret that we didn't have the chance to meet in person, but I am certain that there's always a chance in the future. So, here goes. I thank you all. Also, I have some friends here who wanted to say something as well before they went to bed tonight…"

Thai waved to someone out of the camera's viewfield. A group of children filed into view, a mixed bag of pokegirls and human. They smiled and said almost in unison, "Thank you, Mr. Urufu." Thai and Janne smiled at the display. A voice called the laughing children out of camera range, leaving Thai and Janne behind. His smile faded.

"That leaves me with only one thing left to say. If there is something I can do to repay you and your harem for your kindness, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it's not outrageous, I'll do what I can. I realize that I'm probably the last person you'd ask for assistance at anything, but if I can do it, I will." Janne grasped his hand. "Again, thank you so much. And I thank your Alaka-Wham for the potion. I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure that by the time you get this message, I will have. Now I think I've taken up enough of your time, so I'll let you get back to whatever it is you're doing. Good night."

The Battle Angel walked forward and the screen went blank.

"That was nice." Branwyn nodded.

Aggie appeared in the screen again. "Thai has deposited a million credits into your account, presumably as a thank you." She smiled. "I'm sure he meant well by the gesture."

"I didn't help because I wanted to get a reward," Shikarou groused, "but returning it would be an insult. Branwyn, please get with Svetlana and find some child related charities that could use the money. Good ones. Oh, and explain to her that this is a one time thing. Be sure and add Thai's name to any of them."

She nodded. "I'll take care of it. What kind of reply are you going to send?"

"I need to try to squelch what was going on between him and his pokegirl, that's for sure." Shikarou rested his chin in his hands as he thought. "Ladies, gather around, please." Once they got settled he smiled. "Smile. Aggie, begin recording.

"And go." Aggie vanished.

Mr. Silvati, I am Shikarou and I greet you," he began formally. Then he visibly relaxed. "Now that's out of the way, hi."

His smile broadened. "The ladies you see around me are part of my harem. The Unicorn is Branwyn, my alpha and the DragonQueen is Bellona, my beta. Branwyn nodded while Bellona gave a small wave.

"I've received your message and while I'm grateful for it, I was only doing what any decent person would have done. I wish I could have stayed and done more to help, but as we Tamers know, duty sometimes calls and sometimes we even have to listen to her."

His smile vanished like fog when the wind rises. "I have read the action reports filed by the Ruby League and I offer my condolences for your losses. Reading between the lines, you were betrayed by another Tamer and what happened wasn't your fault. I know it doesn't feel that way and honestly it may never, but the truth is you did the best you could with the intelligence you had and while you will fault yourself for it, you shouldn't. Manti are never to be taken lightly and considering the circumstances, you acquitted yourself well against them."

"Whenever we lose someone we care for it tears our hearts out and if we can blame ourselves for it we will. The fact that you care so much is a sign that you will someday be one of the Tamers that pokegirls talk of in whispers, one that can love. Other Tamers may ridicule you for this, but ignore them, just as they try to ignore you. Inside they know that you have a measure of humanity that they can never attain, and it eats at them and causes them to strike out at you in blind fury."

"Some pokegirls may not understand either, but they live in the same world as those unfeeling Tamers and have felt the bite of their lack of care on many occasions and it has made them bitter. You should only feel pity for them, but don't let their anger hurt you further either."

"As you may have guessed, I planted a sensor to keep an eye on the tent village in case of further trouble, and it recorded the conversation you had with Janne after we left. No one has seen it outside of us three and no one ever will. The only reason I mention it at all is because I want to correct a few misconceptions."

"Janne, you are right that Thai could never match me in battle, but that is because I am not a human at all. I would prefer that this go no farther, but I am kami, which is a supernatural race that some," he frowned slightly, "compare to the Megami or to the lesser gods." He grinned and flicked his ears in all directions. "Do I look godlike to you?" He paused. "I didn't think so."

"Thai. You know deep down you did everything that you could and yet it wasn't enough. It eats at you like acid. I know because I have been there and someday I will be there again. My news for you isn't good. The pain never goes away. Time will mute it, but never quench it completely."

"I could go on like this for some time, but the truth is that no one will ever completely understand the pain you feel because no one else is you. I do have this to say, however. While you mourn your dead, do not forget that the living need love too. Let them help the pain to be less, in this they can aid you, and in letting them give that aid, you can help them. Some of them may feel loss of their own."

"The Hun, who is now named Hanmei, is settling into my harem as well as can be expected after the nomadic life she's led. If I have to remove her, rest assured that I will find her a good home, with another caring Tamer."

"Circe, my Alaka-Wham, will get your message of thanks and I hope you find her gift useful."

"I appreciate your offer of help, but the truth is I didn't help you. I helped a village of refugees and that is part of the creed I follow. However, where I come from it would be an insult for me to dismiss your noble gesture and rest assured someday I will collect the debt you have assumed."

"If you look for it, the sensor is located in the top of the tree you leaned against when you were talking to Janne. Please don't disturb it; I'll have it recovered when the tent village is evacuated to someplace safe."

"You will find a special mailbox code attached to this message that will give your communications access to my private message base, hopefully ensuring I get them quickly. Feel free to use it."

His smile returned. "By the way, considering that we are brothers in arms, my name is Shikarou. I hope to hear from you again and if you need any assistance that duty will allow me to provide, I would be honored to aid you."

"On a personal note, should you ever make it to the Blue League, I'm buying the first round for both of you. Janne, Thai, and whoever else is in your lives, I wish you well."

"Shikarou clear."

**Recording ended.**

_Send it._

Personal Note: I want to thank Macross_Green for allowing me to borrow a couple of his pokegirls and Thai for a bit. That was very kind of him to let someone as unscrupulous as me anywhere near them. I treated them well and even made sure that Janne was presentable before returning her to the Ruby League. She's gruff, but I suspect that deep down she's a sweetie. The events referred to may be found in his Ruby Journeys chapters 4 and 5. However the whole thing is well worth a perusal.

Kerrik

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 67

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 56

Bellona DragonQueen 50

Seraph Dorothea 48

Ria Kebi 46

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 45

G-Spliced Pythia 44

Sphinx Lorelei 41

Vampire Elizabeth 40

Mini-Top Nanu 36

Hun Hanmei 27

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**HUN, the Ice Warrior Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Ice/Fighting  
**Frequency**: Rare (Edo League, former Mongolia area), Very Rare (other Arctic Regions)  
**Diet**: Human-style  
**Role**: Arctic warriors, hunters

**Libido**: Above Average  
**Strong Vs**: Rock, Plant, Flying, Dragon  
**Weak Vs**: Fire, Electric, Psychic  
**Attacks**: Snow Storm, Slash Wave, Ice Wall, Spincut, Ice Blade, Sentinel, Ice Blade Mark II, Assault, Heat Drain, Mirror of Equity, Cold Snap, Cry of the Fallen, Ice Armor, Broken Castle, Snow Blind  
**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x4), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Enhanced Durability (x4), resistance to cold, natural hunting ability

**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: None

Huns are tall, muscular Pokégirls, about 6'9" with D-Cup breasts and long, black hair. They have skin the color of stone, with eyes that are black in the sclera and gold in the iris. They usually wear leather clothing, hoods, and cloaks, and usually wield scimitars, although some have been known to use spears. They are also expert marksmen and very skilled with a bow and arrow.

Huns were one of the most deadly problems the Edo League faced during the Revenge War, made for coordinating the efforts of Ice-type Pokégirls in that area. For the old Chinese Empire, they were a nightmare reborn, as they and the other Pokégirls teamed with them tore down the Great Wall and invaded, tearing through city after city before the remaining army of the nation began to rally. Many lives were lost just from the blizzards created, as they were frequently teamed with Snow Queens, the Snow Storm power both Pokégirls had bolstering each other and creating intense, gusting snowstorms and thick snowfields. Huns consider themselves to be the best of the ice-type and fighting-type worlds, but they will not be overbearing about it, only stating their view if asked.

Huns are brave, courageous fighters, and will fight endlessly for their masters until defeated or victorious. They make good Alphas, but if they aren't, they won't try for the position. However, if the chosen Alpha is not a good fighter or strategist, or if the Hun views her as incompetent in general, they will speak up and try to get the position of Alpha for themselves. They also function as hunters, finding food for their Tamer and Harem sisters, capable of finding edible items in places most other Pokégirls wouldn't think to look. Due to their ice-type nature, they radiate cold a great deal of the time, and seek out battles and taming to keep warm. Although their need is not as extreme as a Shaguar's, it is still very intense.

The Feral state of a Hun is light, similar to that of a Fighting type, although due to the fact that Huns keep together in tribes, they are very group-oriented and very protective of their 'warrior sisters.' Tamers that want to catch a Feral Hun usually have to earn the tribe's respect, showing that they value their Harem and are brave before they allow a Tamer to claim one of their own.

Huns, due to the Pre-Sukebe history associated with the name, were very unpopular at first. But when a tribe of nomadic, Tamerless Huns were seen attacking Madame Arctica of the Limbec Pirates, it caused the stigma surrounding the breed to fade. The leader of that tribe was questioned by the authorities, and she told her that Madame Arctica was there to try and recruit the various tribes that wandered the area. Hers was the fourteenth tribe to turn her down, as they viewed the Limbecs to be dishonorable, an insult to true warriors everywhere. Still, while in most of the world, the stigma surrounding Huns has faded, those of Chinese descent in the Edo League still possess a distrust of them, almost like a genetic memory.

No Threshold cases of becoming a Hun have been reported.


	22. Chapter 22

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 22: Beyond the Envelope

(04/25/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"So what have we learned in our testing." Shikarou leaned back and sipped at his tea.

Bellona cocked her head. "You have learned that any of your teleporting pokegirls can travel to a place if they can see it in a live video."

"Correct. Anything else?"

Circe grabbed a banana. "For some it takes more practice than others, but anyone can learn the technique." She dropped the peeled banana on the table with the others and nibbled delicately on the peel. "And there is a technique. It is unlikely that anyone will accidentally stumble upon the Urufu School of Transportation Secret Technique Number One."

Shikarou sighed quietly and shook his head slowly as he gave the roof a "why me?" look.

Branwyn took up the discussion. "With the Secret Technique Number Two, any psychic pokegirl can teleport to the place in a picture, if that place still exists. Any magic pokegirl with teleport can go to the place even if it doesn't exist."

That had resulted in a series of amusing experiments. In one of them, Branwyn had teleported to open ocean because there had been an island there at one time. It had since sunk. She returned with both her and Shikarou dripping wet and her scowling visage had promised a slow painful death to anyone who laughed.

Pythia nodded. "We have also discovered that apparently we cannot teleport into an occupied space, after that whole adventure in Tokyo. We spent an hour trying to teleport there only to find later that a building was being demolished and we were trying to teleport into rubble."

Shikarou nodded. "And we have found out that no single pokegirl or group of pokegirls can teleport through time unless I am mind linked with her. Or them." He shrugged. "It might be different if we had a Tick-Tock, but we don't."

Bellona nodded. "We also know the when the Leagues find out about this, the companies that manufacture teleport blocks are going to be swamped with orders. We need to buy more stock."

"Speaking of spending money, how did the donations with Thai's money go?" Pythia licked her muzzle and flicked her ears. "I understand Svetlana was very happy, at least until she learned that the well had run dry."

Branwyn nodded. "Amusingly enough, Florence's orphanage was on the list, but when I contacted her she said she wasn't taking any more donations at this time. However, she referred me to another pokegirl orphanage in London and the director there was very surprised and pleased."

She turned to Shikarou. "They run a shoestring operation there but their reputation is topnotch. I would recommend any more donations we want to give go there first. They are trying to avoid sucking the public teat and subsisting only on private donations can be difficult."

"Fine with me."

Branwyn frowned. "There's another thing. I would like to start planning out some more purchases, but I want your permission before doing it. It won't be cheap, but the long term reward could be substantial."

Bellona chuckled. "Watch how she first teases him with the reward gimmick. He's eyeing the bait and she hopes he doesn't see the hook." Branwyn gave her an evil look.

Shikarou chuckled with everyone else. "What do you want to buy?"

"Ooh, he nibbles, but doesn't suck down the hook just yet."

Branwyn turned to Bellona. "Shut up." She sighed and turned back to her Tamer. "I want to start pricing politicians, both in the Blue League and abroad." Her hands twisted her thick braid nervously.

The laughter ground to a halt. Everyone except Shikarou stared at her in shock.

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "Well, the expensive part is certainly correct. Do you think it necessary at this time?"

She nodded. "We are already doing controversial things here with the clinic and the all pokegirl police force. When they find out you want universal literacy and think pokegirls should be allowed to own property, including land, it's not going to get any better. And when they find you are considering a rule that only a pokegirl and not her Tamer can dispose of her property, you may have riots."

Pythia tugged on some of her whiskers. "Tactically it is sound to prepare your allies before the battle. However, politicians are notoriously fickle. Would it not be cheaper for Shikarou to enslave them so that they do his bidding?"

The silence was absolute.

The G-Spliced nodded as if she had expected no other response. "I realize that Shikarou prefers not to use that power on people, but it is a valid weapon in any fight for survival and most political battles are to the death. If we are fighting to preserve our way of life and the established government sees us as a threat, we will need allies who will never waver in their support for us, no matter the personal cost." She shrugged. "We could buy some and subvert others who would normally oppose us."

Everyone turned to look at Shikarou. He glared at the floor for a minute before taking a deep breath. "You are correct and it is a valid tool." He paused for a moment and his mouth set. "As much as I don't want to admit it, Pythia is right. If the subject is controversial enough, even bought politicians will run like ChickenLittles. We will buy some and rent others when needed, but some I will have to suborn."

"This is my home. This is our home. If I am willing to kill for it, then I am willing to do anything necessary for it." He turned to Branwyn. "We are going to need a lot more money, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are. Judges and police may not be too expensive, but members of the Blue League Council or any other league are not going to be cheap and some of them will want things besides money. Special things. Rare pokegirls, art, fine foods, things like that. Things harder to acquire and track than cash."

Stardust spoke for the first time as she reached for the peeled bananas. "I would give bribes to the ones you suborn, just to make things look proper. That will take even more money, but will keep people thinking that it's just normal bribery. Business as usual and all that."

"Good point. We will also need to keep Faelan out of the slavery part of it and possibly out of the bribery portion as well," Bellona commented. "Svetlana."

Branwyn frowned. "What about Lynn? Does she need to know what is going on and if so, how much?"

Shikarou started to speak but Circe beat him to it. "I think she needs to be kept in the loop. She's Shikarou's representative here and she needs to know who she can trust." Her antennae twitched. "And who she can trust absolutely."

Shikarou nodded. "I agree. She needs to know what's going on especially since we are doing this in part for her."

He smiled slowly. "I think I know where we can get money and some of the gifts."

"I know that smile." Branwyn gave him a slightly concerned look. "Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't."

His smile grew. "I hope you like this one."

(04/25/99 0900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Circe grinned. "You certainly think audaciously."

Shikarou gave her a half bow. "Thank you very much, but compared to the second phase, this is child's play."

Pythia flicked an ear. "This hypothetical child is very powerful."

"We've all studied the picture." He nodded to himself and smiled. "So, without further commentary, are we ready to go?"

"I will be the lead, correct?" Pythia cocked her head.

"That's right and I will be out of the loop entirely, just to keep things safe." He linked arms with his two pokegirls. "This is just another exercise as far as the execution is concerned. Do it by the numbers and we'll be just fine."

Circe cocked an eyebrow. "Teleport by numbers? This is not painting."

Shikarou chuckled and in the next instant they were gone.

They came out over the open ocean. The waves were steel gray and rolling calmly in the early morning light.

Pythia wrapped her arms around Shikarou. "I have you," she breathed into his ear, making it flick irritably.

"Here goes." He cast his force shield spell in a hemispherical shape with a flat floor around the three of them. Pythia headed down into the water and soon the ocean rolled on again as if they'd never existed.

On the way down, Shikarou cast a spell to keep the air fresh and Circe set some light spells outside the force dome. Surprised fish stopped to stare at them briefly before moving on and something large flashed once in the distance.

The water was over a hundred meters deep here and as they sank into the depths it quickly grew dark. Circe shook her head slowly. "Why don't you think it's been already cleaned out?"

"When Typhonna sank the east coast of the United States, people were a little too busy trying to remember their swimming lessons to worry about what they might have left behind. Then the plagues wiped out most of the survivors and by the time they'd rebuilt to the point of having the resources to mount a salvage operation out here, no one remembered where it was. The only way we can do this is by using Pythia as a magic type to teleport us out to the location as seen in the picture."

The bottom slowly appeared out of the darkness. Three centuries underwater hadn't really changed that much, here in the deep there was no coral and sediment deposition was very slow. Shikarou compared buildings to the picture. Finally he pointed. "There it is. The New York Federal Reserve Building. Now we have to clear our way down to the gold storage and start taking it."

"How long do you think this will take?" Pythia rested her muzzle on his shoulder. Her whole job at this point was to get him to safety if something went wrong.

"If I intended to clean it out, it could take months. Today I just want to get to the repository. After that, we may spend a week or so moving bars and call it done for now. The stuff's been safe down here for three hundred years and I don't think that's going to change soon."

He stretched slowly. "Besides, we could never use all of the gold that's down here and if someone else finds it, we should leave them something as a reward for their hard work."

Circe watched intently as the force dome moved slowly around the building. The windows were shattered and glass thrust from the frames like broken teeth. The door was missing and part of the façade had crumbled, but overall three hundred years in the water hadn't done the place too much damage. "How much gold is in there?"

"Who knows? The records are fragmentary, but it could be over 5000 tons. We'll take a bunch of it, but not all and I still have to figure out where to hide what we do take. If we dumped a bunch of gold on the market at one time, the economy could go straight to hell." He smiled slightly. "Besides, in its ingot form, it may be more valuable as gifts. Pre-Sukebe gold and all that."

"Criminals will come sniffing around once we start giving them out."

"That just means Molly will finally get to shoot someone." He chuckled. "And we need to build a crematorium eventually anyways."

Pythia frowned. "Making them slaves will increase the number of Tamers available." She smiled quickly at Circe. "That would give Shikarou more time with us."

"I'm all for that," she replied amusedly, "at least up to a point. That would be the point where I begin getting calluses on my pussy, but I'm not worried about that yet." She gave him a pointed look that he ignored.

They finally finished the circuit of the building. Circe glanced at him. "How do you want to do this?"

"Simple water breathing spells will take us from here and I'm glad that my version prevents decompression sickness. We'll also need a warmth spell. Once we get down to the gold storage, I'll put in a force dome without a bottom and fill it with air as a backup."

"Are you going to get anyone else out?"

He shook his head. "This is not a tourist expedition and I don't think getting to the gold storage is going to be fun. That's why I want minimal personnel only. I chose you two because your reflexes are fast enough to get out of trouble quickly and Pythia can take significant amounts of damage before becoming nonfunctional. She should be able to escape long before that." He smiled slightly. "Just someone please remember to rescue the Tamer."

Quickly he cast the spells. "Now there's only one thing left to do." He summoned his sword and pulled his braid around to quickly hack it off. Pythia made an unhappy sound. "Here." He offered her the braid. "It'll grow back tonight."

She happily stuffed it into her belt.

"Ready?" When they nodded, he ended the force dome spell and water smashed into them. Pythia's arms tightened to hold him close.

_Let's go inside._ Circe turned at his command and headed into the building, moving slowly and sending one of her light spells ahead. The other light spells divided roughly in half and took up station around the two pokegirls. Pythia kept a grip on Shikarou as they headed inside.

Some crabs scuttled for cover and an octopus flitted out a window into the darkness as they drifted across the floor. They moved slowly to avoid disturbing the thin layers of sediment as much as possible.

Shikarou didn't expect to find water pokegirls at this depth, most of them stayed closer to the surface where their prey lived, but they stayed alert just the same. Besides, considering the age of the building, it might try to kill them faster than any pokegirl.

They drifted over some skeletal remains on their way to the stairs and Circe used her telekinesis to pull the door open from a safe distance. Disturbed sediment blotted out he lights in an instant and it took several minutes for visibility to improve substantially.

Circe looked back at them. _I'm going to proceed. Pythia, stay back until we know it's safe._ She followed her scout light into the stairwell and headed down.

Shikarou ground his teeth at her being alone, but he knew she was right. Soon her thought trickled back up to them. _I'm at the bottom and there's nothing to report._

Pythia carried her Tamer into the stairwell and started down. _Pull the door shut, _he thought at her_,_ _when we leave, it won't be that way._ She nodded and her telekinesis pulled the stairwell door carefully closed.

Once downstairs there was a security checkpoint and some barred doors. Pythia handed Shikarou to Circe and phased through the doors as she pulled out a torch from her belt. _Everything looks ok. I will return in a moment._

_Breathing underwater is kind of fun. _ Circe gave him an impish look and kissed him. He made a face when all he tasted was salt and silt and she laughed at him soundlessly.

Pythia reappeared. _Stop teasing him. If you do that too much, you'll be the first pokegirl tamed at 130 meters._ She looked amused as she floated over. _I've been in the vault and it looks undisturbed. There were pallets that the gold bars rested on, but they've rotted away and the gold looks like it's being held up by little more than memories_. She cocked her head at Shikarou. _I await the next Bunnygirl you are going to pull out of your hat._

Shikarou nodded. _I want to see the repository, but when the time comes, we'll go ahead and pull me and Circe back to the stairwell while you use a low power tectonic slam to settle the bars. They'll get a little beat up, but I can live with that._

_What if that brings the building down?_

_We can teleport in and out of here if we have to. I'll set up a force shield bubble before you settle the bars. That will give us an air filled pocket as a teleport point for entry and exit. It will need to be renewed every month or so, but that shouldn't be a problem._

Pythia nodded, her fur a swirling cloud of blue. _Then get started on the bubble. After that, we can get you some souvenirs and we'll be ready to go._

He shook his head. _When you settle the bars it'll stir up silt which may take a day to settle._

Her muzzle wrinkled in a grin. _There isn't any silt in there. Very little detritus made it down here. Just about all that's in there besides the gold bars is rotted pallet and some bags._

_That will make things easier. We'll be able to work faster if we don't have to worry about destroying the visibility every time we move a bar. _ He brightened. _Well then, let's get this little program started._

Circe moved to where he'd decided to put the force dome and when he cast the spell it formed quickly. Then he cast the air creation spell inside it and they watched as an invisible point began bubbling merrily and air bubbles began filling the dome with air, pushing out the water.

Once the dome began overflowing with air, he recast the force dome spell, putting a bottom on it.

Circe teleported them into the dome as Pythia turned and phased through the door again.

Shikarou stripped water out of his ears as he turned to Circe. "We might try looking for the vault upstairs as well. The coins would have value to a collector and there might be jewelry."

"Oz, I thought you weren't greedy."

He chuckled. "I'm not, but waste not want not."

She sighed. "You'll get plenty of gifts at our next target."

_Fire in the hole._ Pythia's mind touched his.

There was a low frequency vibration and the door to the security station groaned and bulged as water surged briefly around it and then it sucked inwards as the water moved back into the repository.

There were a bunch of loud noises and more vibration as thousands of bars of gold cascaded to the floor in the repository. Pythia phased through the wall and teleported in to join them. Water streamed from her fur and she glanced quickly at Shikarou.

He put his hands up and started to say something but it was too late. Pythia shook and the water sprayed away from her to coat everything inside the force dome. She had a wry grin as she began smoothing down her fur with her hands and Shikarou and Circe sputtered and wiped off again.

"Let me guess, that was an instinctive reaction."

She smiled and nodded.

Circe frowned. "To being wet?"

"And being near my Tamer." She said with laughter in her voice.

Shikarou sighed. "She does it when she gets out of the tub, too." The G-Spliced nodded vigorously. Expecting another shower of water, Circe half dodged behind her Tamer.

"Let's see what we've got." Shikarou took Pythia's hand and looked back at Circe. "Follow when we are through." She nodded.

Pythia teleported the two of them back into the water and wrapped her arms around him from behind as she surged towards the door. They passed through it and into the next room, which was an antechamber to the repository. There was another security checkpoint and a cargo elevator along with a railed trolley line that disappeared into the gloom. Circe appeared behind them and moved to follow as they followed the rails into the repository proper. Gold bars lay scattered in huge piles where the upper floors had fallen onto the lower.

**Hold your head steady.**

_Pythia, stop for a moment. _She drifted to a halt.

They hung there for a moment as Aggie used his eyes for an estimation and calculation process. **I calculate over half a million 400 troy ounce bars of gold. Probably closer to three quarters of a million bars.**

Circe's eyes widened as she heard Aggie through her delta bond with Shikarou and she turned to stare at him. _How much money is that?_

He snorted, blowing disgusting things out of his nose. Pythia's laughter shook them both. _I don't know. What is the current exchange rate for gold?_

**C965 per gram or C12,004,600 per bar. Half a million bars would be worth six trillion credits. That is of course before devaluation due to the market saturation that would take place if you were stupid enough to dump them all at one time.**

The three of them stared at each other. _Wow._ He/They whispered.

(05/12/99 1630 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Ten solid days of backbreaking work had recovered 22,400 bars of gold for an estimated value of over 260 billion credits. Shikarou had created a magical vault beneath Lynn's house and most of the gold was housed there, with smaller caches scattered all over the lands Shikarou owned. Only Faelan and Shikarou knew how to make the vaults exist in this universe, although Branwyn and Lynn both knew how to extract one bar at a time though a special spell they had been taught.

Svetlana was still sulking about not being taught the spell, but Shikarou had been adamant after the whole issue of the Widow bounty. Svetlana giving pre-Fall gold to charities would leave a trail leading straight back to the island and endanger everyone there. She'd been almost apoplectic when Dorothea agreed with his assessment of the Megami-sama and stood with her Tamer.

Shikarou had reached an accommodation with his brother over the whole thing, he'd taken an ingot and melted it into coins before depositing them in accounts all over the planet and having them emptied into one account which he'd given to Svetlana. Last he'd heard she was happy and, more importantly, quiet.

They'd taken a day off and now were starting on the next series, which involved salvaging jewelry stores and museums in the New York area. The work would proceed much more slowly, since most of the buildings had to be located and they all looked similar at 100 meters underwater. However, the artifacts and jewelry would provide nice gifts to entice politicians as well as for friends. Some of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian artifacts had already been presented to Sexmet and Bastit and the two Legendaries were thrilled with their new acquisitions.

The Yoshiharas had been given a couple of choice pieces from the museum's Asian collection and were busy trying to figure out where to display them.

Shikarou was saddened that none of the textiles or paintings had survived, he hadn't expected them to, but he had nourished hopes that the museums had setup airtight storage for their most prized possessions. Some had, but they hadn't been designed to withstand immersion for three hundred years at a depth of a hundred meters and there was nothing in them but seawater and dreams.

Shikarou sighed and leaned back against the tree. Elizabeth glanced at him but didn't say anything. She tended to take her shifts as his bodyguard more seriously than many others in the harem and right now that suited him well.

"That sounded morose." Bellona settled down next to him and leaned her body against his. "Care to talk about it?"

He shrugged. "Baring an earthquake or a Legendary sucking this place underwater, I've got more wealth than my grandchildren will be able to spend. Lynn's buying equipment for the clinic and Branwyn's shopping for politicians." He glared at nothing in particular. "I'm becoming a merchant. I'm samurai, damn it, and this is not how I envisioned living my life."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure yet. Faelan turned down my offer for him to run the island, so I'm stuck with that."

She blinked. "You offered to let your brother be the land lord?"

"I don't want it. When I'm on the road it's ok, Lynn runs this place well. When I'm home, however, she comes to me before making the smallest decision." He grimaced. "It's not like I've dressed her down about anything, either."

"It's the way most pokegirls are. She is subordinate to you and so, when you are around, it's your job to make those decisions."

"Crap. Is there anyway I can get her to make the same decisions that she makes when I'm gone while I'm here?"

"Leave."

"Fuck." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back and began muttering to himself.

He felt Bellona lean over to hear him; her breath was warm on his cheek. "What are you saying?"

"I'm pretending I'm not here. If I can convince myself, then I can stay here while Lynn makes her own decisions."

He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "It's not working is it?"

"No."

"What if I left and sneaked back and Lynn didn't know I was here?"

"She'd know. Molly is always grumpy when you are gone and you'd have to keep taming her to buy her silence, so she would be happy and Lynn would notice."

"You are just full to the brim with good news aren't you?"

"You didn't make me beta because you wanted a yes-girl."

"Fine. So this place runs better when I'm gone. So be it."

Bellona gave him a worried look. "What are you planning?"

"Faelan's been gone for how long? A couple of weeks, right?"

"More, I believe."

"It's time for him to come home and for us to hit the road."

"So he gets a couple of weeks and then you get the same?"

"I am the land lord. I make the rules. Faelan got several weeks. In return for the hard work I've done here, I deserve several years."

"By the time you return, Svetlana will have kids on the ground."

"It's not my fault if he's unready to go when his turn rolls around." Shikarou gave her a haughty look. It was poorly executed and Bellona snickered.

The DragonQueen kissed his cheek. "So do we leave in the morning?"

He shook his head. "We'll leave in a couple of days. There are a few things I have to take care of first."

(05/13/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou looked at Branwyn. "Do you remember this place?"

She looked around the moor. "No. Where are we?"

"This is where I planted the base seed six months ago. Aggie let me know yesterday that it's ready." He pointed at a pile of rocks. "Right there."

Branwyn frowned. "It does look like the place, but I'll have to take your word for it."

He approached the rocks. "It's me." Silently, a doorway appeared in the pile. He turned and grinned. "Shall we?"

Branwyn was staring at the doorway. She shook her herself once and nodded. "All right, I trust you."

The amber walls reflected the dim light as they proceeded down a shallow ramp that curled around in a spiral and ended at a door which opened as they approached to reveal a small room. "It's a lift," Shikarou commented as he stepped inside.

The door slid silently shut and there was s slight feeling of movement as the lift started down. Shikarou pursed his lips. "Display schematic."

"For security reasons, that system will remain offline until the primary commander is installed." The voice was a polite soprano and seemed to come from everywhere around them. Branwyn moved closer to her Tamer.

Several minutes later, the lift halted and the door slid open. Shikarou stepped out with Branwyn close behind. They were in a hall that stretched off in three directions.

He frowned slightly. "Directions?"

A bead of blue light appeared, hovering in the air. It bobbed twice and moved down the left hall. Shikarou and Branwyn followed. "Where are we going?"

Shikarou took her hand. "We're headed to the control room where I can be installed as the base commander. It has my DNA so we are safe until we get there."

She blinked. "Safe? What would have happened if we'd forced our way in?"

"The lift would have functioned normally and, on the way down, the air would have been evacuated from it." His ears flicked. "If that hadn't been sufficient to dispatch the intruders, the base would activate its defense protocols."

"What would happen then?" Branwyn couldn't help asking the question although she didn't really want to know.

"The primary powerplant isn't running yet, so not much." The light gave an angry pulse and sped up. Shikarou picked up Branwyn and fell into a trot to keep up.

It kept accelerating from time to time and finally he was running as he chased it. Suddenly, it stopped in front of a door and vanished as he skidded to a halt.

"Ticked it off, did you?" Branwyn smirked as he put her down. He just gave her a look as the door slid open, revealing another hallway. This one was about forty meters long and ended at another door.

The door behind them slid shut as they moved down the hall and the lights dimmed.

"Do I want to know?"

"She's getting ready to have a go at killing us if we screw this up. Probably she's charging capacitors for something nasty."

They stopped at the door and a hatch snapped open in the wall. The soprano spoke. "Place a manipulatory limb in the DNA sampler for analysis."

Shikarou laughed. "Not on your life. That is a trap and would shred my arm."

Branwyn stared at him as a long moment passed. Finally the voice spoke again. "Correct. State your full name."

"I am Shikarou no Tsukiken."

"What is your citizenship status?"

"I am no citizen of any world. I am a member of the Tirsuli Confederation."

"Then you are a Tirsuli citizen."

"I am not." Shikarou sounded insulted.

"Correct." Branwyn blinked.

"What is my name?"

"Alexandria."

"What is the access code?"

"Hephaestus licks the toes of dirty eunuchs tra la la."

"Identify the organic with you."

"Branwyn Urufu." The Unicorn turned slightly pink at his words.

"Status?"

"Wife."

The door slid open and the lights came back up as the hatch closed. "Enter and be recognized. Hesitation will be met with lethal force."

"Friendly, isn't she?" Branwyn murmured to him as they entered a room with several control stations. In the center of the room was a slightly raised dais that held a large chair.

"She's paranoid right now until she gets more information." He shrugged. "I would be too."

"Shikarou no Tsukiken, you will seat yourself in the command chair."

Shikarou settled himself into the big chair and glanced at Branwyn. "Everything will be fine."

"What is going to happen?"

"Alexandria is accessing my mind right now and learning about me." His ears flicked. "In fact, I believe it is done."

There was a flicker and a hologram of a dusky skinned woman with long black hair appeared. "I am Selene and I am the ruler of Alexandria." She smiled. "Greetings, Shikarou no Tsukiken."

"Shikarou is fine," he responded. "Status check."

"Alexandria is currently running on backup fusion power. It will require your authorization to bring the primary powerplant online."

"Do so."

"Very well, sir." She cocked her head. "The primary powerplant will be commencing startup in twenty minutes, barring any unforeseen problems. It should be online in six hours."

"Thank you, Selene."

"Do you have any orders, sir?"

"Bring all defensive systems to full capability as soon as possible. That includes teleportation, phase and telepathic blocks."

"Yes, sir. I request permission to deploy my satellite systems."

"How many are we talking about?"

"A standard array is forty. That includes twenty observation satellites, ten defensive satellites and ten offensive satellites with limited ground bombardment capabilities."

Shikarou blinked. "I would control what passes for inner space around here. Deploy when power levels allow."

"Very well, sir. Will there be anything else?"

"Not for now." He turned to Branwyn. "That's it for now. We'll come back in the morning and go exploring once primary power is online."

"Do you want to wait? Selene did say that the powerplant would be online in an hour."

"No, she said it would startup in an hour." He frowned. "Selene, how much of the backup power system will be available for other uses while the primary plant is coming online?"

"Zero percent. The backup powerplant is designed for primary powerplant startup. Anything additional would require a second fusion plant. Do you wish me to construct one?"

"Later. Describe zero percent." Branwyn gave him an odd look.

"There will be no power available for environmental systems or lighting. Zero means zero. You should evacuate while the primary plant is coming online, the backup life support systems have not been charged."

Branwyn frowned. "Why not?"

"Initial charging of the backup life support systems requires the primary power plant to be online." Branwyn could have sworn she heard an unspoken 'stupid' at the end of Selene's statement.

Shikarou nodded. "Make the construction of a second fusion plant a lesser priority."

"Very well sir. Lady Urufu, things will become much easier for me once I have full power available. Right now, multitasking is not possible." There was a pause. "While we are waiting, would you please sit in the command chair?"

Branwyn grinned. "I get asked." She plopped down in the command chair and instantly went limp as Selene shut down her neural net.

Shikarou chuckled. "That's because I know what to expect."

A few minutes passed and Branwyn sat up. "When is something going to happen?"

Selene's voice came again. "It already has, Lady Urufu. I have copied all of your knowledge into my data banks. I apologize for the period of unconsciousness, but it was necessary until you are implanted with a twee."

Branwyn frowned and looked at her husband. "Beloved, am I going to get a twee?"

"I would like you to have one, but it's ultimately your choice."

She smiled. "I'd love one."

"Fine. By the way, are you going to tell Selene not to call you Lady Urufu?"

She shook her head. "Maybe later."

"Ten minutes to loss of life support."

"Oops," Shikarou grabbed Branwyn by the hand. "Mare, take us home."

"That had better be an endearment." She frowned at him as they vanished.

(05/15/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Branwyn shook her head. "I don't think it will cure her obsession with you, but it just might help her to settle down and if she's going to end up in your harem we need to do anything that can help." Her lips quirked in a smile. "Besides, I want to meet him."

Shikarou sighed. "All right."

"You are of course, taking your whole harem." Circe stretched and gave him an amused look.

"What about Stardust?"

"My sister said no thank you. Someone has to keep an eye on things while we are gone."

Helen grinned. "This could be fun."

"And several of you may never come back to here."

She shrugged. "That potential exists every time you leave Caomh Sith with us."

He rubbed his eyes. "Who's primary?"

Circe smiled and raised a hand. "I am."

Shikarou reached for his pokeballs and started putting people away. When it was only Branwyn and Circe he paused. Branwyn smiled and took his hands. Their lips met gently and she whispered while kissing him. "Every time we leave, there is the chance you may add to the harem or lose from it." She kissed him again. "Didn't you say you were bored here?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I did." Branwyn vanished into her capture beam. He turned to Circe as he shouldered his pack. "Are you ready for this?"

"All I need is my copilot." She smirked. "As kami is my witness we will do this."

He sighed and then suddenly smiled. "I am the great and powerful Oz." Their minds touched at hundreds of points and quickly merged before they vanished.

(02/12/93 1930 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

A light dusting of snow swirled through the alley to cover the usual detritus of broken bottles and trash. Shikarou and Circe appeared and immediately separated as he scanned with his ears and nose. Circe's antennae twitched as she used less visible means to make sure they weren't being observed.

Her eyes widened. "There are pokegirls in the hospital." She shivered from more than the cold. "People are dying in there."

Shikarou quickly cast a warmth spell on her and she gave him a grateful smile. "Get on the roof and monitor." He frowned. "Where is it?"

She pointed as she lifted into the air. "That end of the alley."

Shikarou raced down the alley and into the ER arrival area. An ambulance sat with its lights flashing. The back of it had been battered outward and a body had been torn to pieces in the entranceway. Broken glass from the doors littered the area and winked with the colors of the emergency lights on the ambulance, making the scene look gruesomely festive.

Circe's mind touched his. _It is clear around you._

He released Yushiko and Dorothea. "Ladies, we have what is likely enemy pokegirls inside this hospital and they are probably killing anything that moves."

"Thou succeeded in thy quest?" Dorothea drew her sword and dagger as she spoke while Yushiko's katana and wakizashi whispered from their scabbards.

**I am picking up numerous satellite, television and radio transmissions. It appears that we are currently in February 1993.**

"I think so." He summoned his sword. "I want to avoid releasing anyone who looks nonhuman unless it becomes absolutely necessary, so right now Elizabeth is our strategic reserve. Other than that, it's up to us." He grimaced. "Don't use your visible powers unless there's no other option, but don't let that command endanger our lives."

_They are on the fourth floor and heading for the maternity ward. There is one living person on the second floor and none others below the fourth floor. I can pick up three pokegirls. _

The interior of the first floor looked like a slaughterhouse with bodies and parts of bodies strewn everywhere. It looked like the killers had crippled their victims and then taken their time with them.

The doorway to the stairs had been ripped from the wall and blood ran in rivulets down the stairs from a dead security guard. He hadn't had time to draw his pistol and Shikarou scooped it from its holster as he passed. Dorothea and Yushiko both glowed briefly as they used focus energy. They quickly came out on the fourth floor and paused briefly as Shikarou checked a wall mounted map of the floor after kicking the remains of the fire door out of his path. "This way."

Screams erupted from ahead and Shikarou cursed as they smashed though another door and into the maternity ward. A nurse slammed into the wall next to him and slid to the ground in a bloody heap.

The Slutton that had thrown her snarled and charged him. Shikarou took a heartbeat to look around. The room was filled with basinets, some of whom held screaming babies and some of whom held bloody ruin. Another door had been torn from its hinges and lay on the floor. No adults were in sight. "WEAPONS FREE!"

Dorothea's dagger suddenly sprouted from the Slutton's shoulder and she followed the successful hit with magic fist. The sudden attacks staggered the enemy pokegirl to a stop.

Yushiko stepped in front of the Slutton and hit her with double slash as a Blazicunt and another Slutton stepped through the doorway.

The Slutton responded by trying to slash the Armsmistress but the attack skidded off of her armor.

Shikarou launched himself at the newcomers, leaping over the shrieking babies as Dorothea slipped past the Slutton, stabbing it in the side as she passed. The Slutton shrieked in pain and swiped at her. Once again armor proved its worth.

In a smooth motion, Yushiko slashed at its neck. The Slutton's head went spinning away in a jet of blood and the body collapsed.

In her blind rage, the new Slutton drove her claws through a filled basinet and trumpeted red fury at them. Ceiling tiles scraped his hair at the height of his arc and Shikarou hurled his katana. The blade sank into the chest of the Slutton and her scream broke off into a gurgle.

The Blazicunt hit him with flamethrower as he passed, the flames wrapping around his body and igniting his clothing and hair as he sailed past her into the next room.

Dorothea screamed and charged but ground to a halt and frantically cast force shield as the Blazicunt unleashed another flamethrower attack. The force shield went up just in time to prevent the children between them from being immolated. Around the Blazicunt the walls began to smolder. Suddenly the sprinkler system in the room activated and a heavy spray of water deluged the room.

Yushiko stepped up next to Dorothea as fire flared on the other side of the force shield again. "We must be quick once you drop the spell."

"I want thee to get up to the force shield before I drop it." Yushiko nodded and moved forward.

Shikarou rolled to his feet and spat water. The Blazicunt was busy attacking Dorothea's shield. He held out his hand and summoned his sword. It vanished from the chest of the dying Slutton and appeared in his hand once more. He spun the hilt so the blade reversed, with the razor edge now facing him he stalked forward.

Yushiko raised her katana and chopped downward with her wakizashi. "NOW!"

The Blazicunt catapulted forward into the forceshield and bounced backwards before slumping to the floor. Dorothea dropped her force shield as Shikarou stepped out of the doorway from behind the enemy pokegirl, his sword ready for another strike should it prove necessary. He reached down and tapped the Blazicunt on the back with a pokeball. She vanished into it as Dorothea grabbed him up into a tremendous hug. "Shikarou!"

He chuckled and spat more water. "So, you do know my name." Dorothea dropped him like he was still on fire. "I mean, my lord, I am glad to see thee well."

Shikarou twined the fingers of his free hand in her hair and pulled the Seraph in for a kiss which she fiercely returned for an instant before pushing him away as her face blazed. "My lord, this is unseemly of thee." She quickly used heal on his burns.

"Did you get them all?" All three of them spun and lifted weapons as a bedraggled nurse appeared from where she'd been hiding. She had a nasty cut running up her side and one arm was at a strange angle and held close to her body.

Dorothea retrieved her dagger and stuck it back in its scabbard as the nurse staggered towards them.

Shikarou cast heal on the human and watched as her wounds begin closing and her arm mended. "What do you mean?"

"Did you get the other two monsters?" The nurse frowned. "What happened to the red one? I saw it disappear."

"Other two?" Shikarou was still slightly groggy from the flamethrower attack and was a little slow.

"What did they look like?" Yushiko asked intently.

"They were black." She shook her head slowly. She looked she was going into shock, but in her case Shikarou thought that a reasonable response. "With gold halos on their bodies."

Shikarou cursed. "Umbrea." His eyes widened. "Circe won't be able to locate them!" Dorothea gasped and Yushiko looked grim.

He grabbed the nurse by the arm hard enough to leave a bruise. "Which way did the Umbrea go?"

She winced and pointed back into the room that Shikarou had emerged from. "They went that way."

"Stay here and take care of the babies. We'll handle them." He frowned. "Call the police if you can. Ladies?"

Once out of the spraying water, Shikarou picked up their scent and followed it down the hall at a lope with Yushiko and Dorothea close behind.

_It appears that they got a human to drive the ambulance here and then killed him. Why?_ Circe was examining the ambulance for want of anything else to do. Following them didn't take great deal of her capabilities. _Have you located our target?_

_I've been a trifle busy. Try finding him yourself._

The trail led back to the stairs and then up. Shikarou growled and reached out with his mind. _Are there any deaths by violence currently happening inside the hospital complex?_

_No. Wait. There is a fight on the sixth floor. It's them and they are facing armed bodyguards. Hopefully the guards will last long enough for you to get there._

They exited on the sixth floor and immediately heard gunfire. Turning, they raced towards it and burst into the rear of a melee. Three humans were dead and more were pinned inside a hospital room. The only reason the Umbrea hadn't slaughtered everyone was the gunfire was keeping them wary. As Shikarou watched one of them used Dark Bomb on the wall next to the door, blasting a huge hole in it. A body went pinwheeling across the room and smashed to the ground. The gunfire died.

Both Umbrea surged towards the new opening and came to a halt as Shikarou howled and attacked. They turned and staggered as Yushiko and Dorothea each hit one of them with chi blast.

"Take them alive," he cried and then he was among them. One Umbrea turned to face Yushiko and Dorothea and the other used bite, which Shikarou managed to catch on his sword. The Umbrea jerked, pulling the blade from his grasp. Shikarou kicked her in the crotch as hard as he could.

The noise she made as she flew down the hallway was a cross between a yelp and a scream. She flew past the other Umbrea as that one used tackle on Yushiko who responded with counter. The flat of her katana knocked her opponent at Dorothea even as the Umbrea's attack sent the Armsmistress flying to smash into the wall.

Dorothea hit the oncoming Umbrea with meteor punch. The blow smashed her opponent into the wall hard enough to shake the building and crack the support column she hit.

Yushiko picked herself up and went after the other Umbrea. There was a red flicker around her as she started to summon her wings and then remembered she wasn't supposed to, so instead she hammered the Umbrea with the reversed edge of her sword. The Umbrea dropped.

Circe's mind whispered to the Armsmistress. _Catch them for your kami._ Yushiko pulled out two pokeballs and quickly filled them with Umbrea.

Shikarou noticed that there were two men in the room as he stepped into it. One was on the floor and bleeding his life out while the other was in the bed and looked worse than the first man. He also noticed that both were Japanese.

The man in the bed propped himself up carefully to watch as Shikarou leaned down and healed the dying man on the floor. "Who are you?" His English was excellent.

"Shikarou." He lifted the unconscious man into a chair and turned to the patient. "Who are you?"

"I am Naruhito."

Shikarou looked at him for a moment. "You are a long way from home and at a very inopportune time."

Naruhito shrugged. "I was attempting to return to Japan when my plane was attacked by flying monsters. I am told that I am lucky to survive."

Shikarou looked him over. "You don't look lucky."

"The doctors tell me that there is little more they can do."

"They are probably correct." Shikarou cast heal on the patient. "You will live now."

Naruhito was staring at Shikarou's ears. "What are you?"

_I have located our target. He is on the fourteenth floor and is asleep._

"Yushiko." She looked into the room when he called. "Watch Naruhito, I'm going to take Dorothea and check on Jamie. We'll probably have to leave soon. I suspect the police should be on their way." He nodded towards the man in the chair. "If he wakes, let me know."

Yushiko was staring at the man in the bed. "As you wish, my lord."

"Dorothea." Shikarou headed for the stairs again. "We're headed for the fourteenth floor."

Naruhito watched Yushiko as she watched him for a moment. "You know who I am." It was not a question.

"I do, your highness." Yushiko shook herself and turned to face the door. "You are the crown prince of Japan."

"This Shikarou is your master. Who is he?"

"He is a kami, your highness."

There was silence for several moments. "If that is true, then this kami has saved my life. Tell me about him." Quietly, Yushiko started speaking.

Shikarou and Dorothea bounded up the stairs to the fourteenth floor. Dorothea looked pale and was fighting to keep up. He chuckled. "I see more endurance training for the harem in mountainous terrain."

She gave him a tired look as they headed down the hall. "Will the arena not create endless stairs for us to climb?"

"That would be boring. On mountains, I can set teams after each other."

"And when we have to fight on stairs, then what will thou do?"

He frowned. "You have a point." Suddenly he skidded to a halt and backed up a room. "Here we go." He peeked inside.

Jamie Harris looked thin and wan. His stump was heavily bandaged and obviously he'd been fighting some kind of infection. Shikarou wondered idly if resistant bacteria had made an appearance yet.

He was fitfully asleep and stirred slightly when Shikarou padded silently into the room.

_Company has arrived._ Circe sounded amused and anxious at the same time.

_Police?_

_You wish. It looks like some kind of tactical heavy weapons unit. They are unlimbering flamethrowers, heavy machine guns, Dragon missiles and Stingers._ There was a pause. _Ah, satchel charges and grenade machine guns too. These boys are going to be serious about playing on their terms. Should I squash them with the ambulance?_

_No, I've checked and Jamie is alive and reasonably well._ Shikarou cast a healing spell on him just to make sure. _We'll come back for our prize another day, after the furor dies down._

Shikarou pulled out Dorothea's pokeball. "I won't make you go back down eight flights of stairs if you don't want to."

She gave him a glare. "And just who will protect thee while I am safe, my lord. I think not."

"If you start falling behind, I'll have no choice. The troops are here and they aren't necessarily friendly."

**Radio traffic indicates they are deploying. They intend to secure the ground floor and race up to Naruhito.**

"Come on." They raced back down to the sixth floor and to Naruhito's room. Shikarou looked around. The bodyguard was awake now and back at his post while Yushiko was sitting next to the prince's bed. "I'm sorry to break up the conversation but the military is here and I don't want to fight them if I can avoid it."

Yushiko nodded as the prince raised a hand. "Wait. For a monster, she is quite personable. Is there a way for us to make the monsters work for humans?"

Shikarou gave Yushiko a stern look. "Someone's been telling secrets again."

She gave him a defiant look. "I am your priestess. It is my job to answer questions."

Shikarou shrugged. "Blood and darkness. Yes, Naruhito, you have to capture them and have sex with them. After that, they will obey you." He gave Yushiko another look. "Most of the time."

"I do not believe you. I ask your help and you make jokes at my expense." The prince's eyes were angry. "I want to help my people survive this."

Shikarou glared back and his ears flicked. "I cannot lie, Naruhito. In the spring of 1996, a Canadian soldier named Icarod Mathers will prove me right. About six months later the information will make it to Japan."

His eyes narrowed. "I want you to remember this conversation because it will help you believe this: You cannot save Japan. You can, however, save the Japanese people. Sometime in the future the islands of Japan will be crushed against the Chinese mainland and in time it will become the new nation of Edo. You and your children need to be ready to keep the Japanese people strong and make sure they lead this nation or else it won't be called Edo, it will be called something else, like Shanghai." He sighed. "Your people will lead this nation, for I fear the Empire and the Emperor is certainly doomed."

Shikarou's eyes closed briefly. "The nation that I have fought for in my youth is dying and will not last. Naruhito, you must save the Japanese, even at the expense of Japan. Even at the expense of your own place in life and that of your children." A deep breath. "You can't get back to Japan, can you?"

"No." Naruhito sounded tired. "It is virtual suicide. Each day the flying monsters grow more powerful and take more control of the skies."

Shikarou nodded and recited a string of numbers. "That is a cell phone number. Call it when you have been discharged and I will take you safely to the city of Tomakomai. If the police call it I will not come for you."

"You know Tomakomai? Is it important to you?"

"Someday someone will be silly enough to build me a shine near there and it will become that way." Shikarou was watching Yushiko as he spoke. He turned to the prince and shook his head when the prince started to ask another question. "We have to go. Ladies?"

They headed down the hall and around the corner. Shikarou put Yushiko and Dorothea up and grinned in the semidark. _I am tapping my silver slippers together._

Circe appeared and took his hand. "Oz doesn't have slippers." They vanished.

(02/13/93 0030 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

Branwyn pulled her cloak more tightly around her body. "We are going to need warmer clothing if we stay here any length of time."

"Hopefully it won't come to that." He slipped an arm around her. "Have you found any yet?"  
"Around the corner and down the street a bit is one and he's had a good night."

"Lucky him."

They turned down the corner and watched as Elizabeth dragged the hapless man into the shadows. A few minutes later a bat came fluttering out of the night and hovered before she transformed back to her human form. The Vampire grinned and held up a wad of paper. "I think this is money."

Shikarou took it and flipped through the bundle. "It looks like a little more than 500 dollars. That should do for tonight. Did you kill him?"

"Of course not. I choked him until he couldn't fight back and ripped his pockets off."

Branwyn snickered as they retraced their steps. "He got beaten up and robbed by a girl. His masters aren't going to be pleased with him are they?"

"No, they are not. They might even be likely to make an example of him." Shikarou's voice held no sadness at the thought. "It'll be even worse if we are here for a while and have to rob more of them." He glanced at Elizabeth. "What did you do with the drugs?"

"I phased them through a manhole and left them there. The next storm should wash them away."

"Good. Let's go find a hotel."

A short time later, Shikarou was resting on the floor of their hotel room with Lorelei's head in his lap. She rumbled as he scratched her behind the ears.

Helen had created dinner and everyone was spread out in the room and eating. Branwyn looked around. "Most of us will have to sleep in our pokeballs tonight."

Kebi frowned as she licked crumbs from her hands. Branwyn despaired of ever teaching her about napkins and their proper use. The closest she'd ever come was getting the Ria to wipe her hands in the napkin and then lick the crumbs out of it when she was done. "Tent?"

"There are ordinances against camping anywhere you want and the normal campgrounds are closed to tent camping in the winter." Shikarou scratched Lorelei harder and she rumbled louder. "I didn't want to stay here either, so Aggie and I looked."

Kebi gave him an unhappy look. "Home?"

"South Uist is inhabited now and I'm not going to tempt fate by jumping back and forth in time just so you can be more comfortable." He blew her a raspberry and she giggled.

_Are you going to tell them?_ It was Circe, but Branwyn was watching him intently as well and he could feel that Bellona had been linked in as the DragonQueen looked surprised for a heartbeat before turning to give him a glance.

_Tell us what?_

Shikarou leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. _We won't know if we can go back to 298 AS until we try. We may have to find somewhere and live through the next three hundred years if we can't._

Bellona smiled abruptly. _We won't. You said there were no other Sidhe on this world and you are going to have to have children with your harem when they come of age, so we don't stay here._ Her eyes met his. _I intend to have children by you, at the very least, and I doubt that I am alone in that._

_That doesn't mean anything. We would know how to hide ourselves from the methods Shikarou used to look._ Branwyn gave her a sympathetic look. _We would wait until after we came back to here to reveal ourselves to Faelan and the others._

_We would probably end up somewhere on the Dark Continent or pick a league where we've never been._ Circe frowned. _In any case, we would have to avoid Edo and the Blue League. If we did go to the Dark Continent we would have to avoid Sexmet in order not to create paradox._

_I was thinking perhaps the Ocean League._ Shikarou frowned slightly. _It is sparsely populated and we've never been anywhere near it._

Bellona's eyes widened. _I'm glad I don't have to run this organization. This is very complicated and makes my head hurt. I hope we can get home._

_You are not alone._ Three other minds said almost together. _If we cannot, then we also have to survive what's coming without changing the future too much._

Branwyn took a deep breath. "I will be suspending the lottery tonight." Every member of the harem turned to watch her and she smiled softly. "Until things settle down a little we are going to be sharing Shikarou and I don't want to place people who have sharing issues together." He eyes narrowed. "Are there any problems with that?" The question was a formality and everyone in the room knew it. "Besides, we're renting this room and we can't destroy the bed or take the chance on someone who's not human looking enough being seen in here." Her mouth firmed unhappily. "Sadly, that will include me. His bedmates will be Yushiko, Elizabeth and Dorothea."

Shikarou opened his eyes. "If we are here for more than a few days, we will find someplace to set up the tent and go back to a normal lifestyle."

Lorelei raised her head slightly. "I understand you captured three pokegirls today. What about them?"

Shikarou tickled her nose and she sneezed. "I have no intentions of taming some Sukebe conditioned pokegirls into the harem until things are much more settled." He chuckled. "I suspect I'm going to need the restraints in the tent anyway. Until then, I'll keep them in stasis in my backpack."

Nanu grinned. "We could beat them senseless and hold them down for you." She touched one of the pistols hanging from her shoulders. "Or we could just kill them."

"I'm hoping that won't become necessary."

Helen put down her plate. "What did you catch?"

"Two Umbrea and a Blazicunt."

"A Blazicunt would give you a fire type. I don't know if more Dark types would add appreciably to your harem since you already have Pythia and Bellona." The Milktit smiled softly. "They seem to be quite competent so far."

Shikarou smiled at her. "Your former Tamer is a complete idiot for replacing you with Ruiling, but I'm very pleased with the trade. I definitely got the better end of that deal." Helen flushed scarlet and looked away. When the murmur of agreement swept the room, she turned even redder.

Bellona patted her on the shoulder and was rewarded with a tiny smile. "So what do we do next?"

Shikarou shrugged. "We wait. I suspect that the security at the hospital is going to be substantially increased at least until the prince is released."

Circe nodded. "Pythia and I have been keeping an eye on it and you are quite right. We've also taken the liberty of dragging both of the Umbrea outside of town and interrogating them. The attack was specifically aimed at his highness. The Blazicunt and the Sluttons were to provide a distraction and try to draw any security responses at them." She glanced at Shikarou. "We didn't take the Blazicunt for questioning yet, but we will later." She grinned mirthlessly. "Before you decide whether or not you want to keep her, I want to know if she enjoys killing children."

There was anther round of muttering, this time dark and angry.

He nodded. "So do I. If it turns out she does, then I will probably follow Nanu's suggestion." He grinned hungrily. "The second one."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 69

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 56

DragonQueen Bellona 50

Seraph Dorothea 49

Ria Kebi 46

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 46

G-Spliced Pythia 44

Sphinx Lorelei 42

Vampire Elizabeth 42

Mini-Top Nanu 37

Hun Hanmei 27

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_SLUTTON, the Fighting Wolverine Pokégirl_

**Type**: Animorph (wolverine)

**Element**: Normal

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: carnivorous

**Role**: terror fighters

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: None

**Weak Vs**: Fighting

**Attacks**: Tackle, Agility, Slash, Bite

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x4), Enhanced Speed (x4), High Intelligence, Razor Claws

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Mynx (battle stress)

Slutton are strong, intelligent, cruel, and ferocious; the latter not qualities typically sought after but perfect if you're hoping to incite terror in a population center.

Slutton are taller and more muscular (but no less quick) than their Mynx cousins. Because they develop a hunger for killing, wild Sluttons are almost always hunted down and destroyed. Strong Tamers bonded with Sluttons can prevent this if they are caught early enough.

Slutton are usually very vicious Pokégirls, especially when Feral. Feral Slutton are never found in population centers unless a Threshold case (although there are very few reports of a Threshold case becoming a Slutton at this time), but they take what they need from anyone that they can. They will take a quick Taming and then kill a Tamer or whoever they were Tamed by, and it is theorized that this is only to be stopped by Recognition.

Restraints are required for a Slutton to be Tamed properly, as they are far too strong for humans, but if not properly restrained they can cut through many bonds with their Razor Claws. Another worry for Tamers is the Slutton's Bite attack, for Slutton usually end a Taming Session by biting down on flesh. Sometimes, this can be fatal, so Tamers of Slutton tend to gag the Pokégirl in addition to standard restraints.

_**UMBREA, the Dark Eva Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Animorph (fox-squirrel)

**Element**: Dark

**Frequency**: Rare

**Diet**: semi-vegetarian

**Role**: fighter/scout

**Libido**: Monthly

**Strong Vs**: Dark, Ghost, Psychic

**Weak Vs**: Bug, Fighting

**Attacks**: Tackle, Reflect, Dark Attack, Agility, Bite, Memory of the Dark, Dark Bomb, Ankoku

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x2), Enhanced Speed (x8), Elemental Affinity: Dark, night vision, psychic shields, Tool Use

**Evolves**: None

**Evolved From**: Eva (normal; triggered during the night)

Umbrea is evolved when Eva has not been artificially evolved through a stone and it reaches an evolution threshold at night. If this occurs during the day, the Eva evolves to Espea. Umbrea is immune to psychic attacks. They do have another ability, Moonlight, but due to the late-night Tamer activities this is not often used. This ability gives the Umbrea an aura of fear that can't be overcome unless the victim is of a substantially higher level.

Umbreas have an affinity for the night, it is said that the rays from the moon are absorbed into her when evolving giving her 'mystic powers'. It has been proven that while an evolving Eva will absorb the moon's rays it has been shown that the only power it gives one is an ability to make the colored rings and designs on her body glow.

When an Umbrea evolves their hips tend to become a bit more pronounced while their bust will remain similar to their Eva state. Much like her Psychic cousin the Espea she has a fine coat of fur. Though it hasn't been known to be so fine it can predict and opponent's movements. Umbreas will have black fur and hair. Though some tamers and Umbreas may argue that their fur is a dark charcoal color, for all intent and-purposes it's a black. The rings/designs on an Umbrea are actually on their skin, and it's not know why it shows through on the fur (though it is said it has something to do with their absorption of Lunar Rays in evolution) When the fur is removed it will be just as black as the rest of her fur.

The Dark affinity of the Umbrea made her the perfect night patrol/scout during the war. Her attacks allow her to be very well suited in a back-up position. Using Reflect to allow an ally to regain her bearings, or using dark bomb to scatter enemies for a regrouping. Her immunity to psychic attacks along with her speed allows her to cover a fighting type in battle.


	23. Chapter 23

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 23: Fallout

(02/16/93 0900 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

Shikarou settled back and looked over his table with satisfaction. That first night in the hotel had been a disaster. He suspected that some of it had been his fault; after all he didn't bring more than one pokegirl at a time to his bed unless they wanted it, and Elizabeth and Dorothea were not into sharing. Yushiko had shared him before, but it wasn't her preferred method of spending nights with her Tamer either.

He'd picked Yushiko to sleep with, which annoyed Elizabeth and hurt Dorothea's feelings. After working through the unhappy pokegirls, not only did he not get to tame anyone, then he had to sleep in that bed, which wasn't his own and smelled funny.

Granted, thanks to all of the hydrocarbons in the air, everything smelled at least slightly wrong, but still that bed was nasty and even a cleaning spell didn't make it a lot better.

So, the next morning he and Branwyn had bought some maps and picked up some brochures and now the tent was set up north of Cheyenne, somewhere along Horse Creek but south of the community bearing the same name.

Last night had been relatively normal and Helen was ecstatic to have her kitchen back. Circe and Pythia were taking turns watching the hospital and would warn them if anything changed.

An assault team had been stationed at the hospital since the attack and Shikarou wasn't excited about trying to get in to see Jamie until after the furor had died down. That didn't look like it would happen until after Naruhito had left.

At Helen's request, he did take Yushiko out and go shopping for cookbooks. Once it had been known that they were going out, Yushiko had been given requests from everyone in the harem. Now just about every flat surface was covered with magazines, books and just about any other kind of print media you could imagine. Kebi even had some coloring books and crayons and was happily ignoring the lines. She sometimes ignored the entire book as well, which had horrified Helen's sensibilities when she found crayon scribbled all over the table, including the legs and underside.

Unfortunately, all of these purchases required money. While Shikarou could have easily copied the paper bills, Dorothea had requested that he not do anything like that unless it was absolutely necessary

The upshot of this was that the local drug dealers had been heavily assaulted during the last two nights and many of them were off somewhere else, licking their wounds. Shikarou was hoping they finished up soon, he suspected that in a very short while they were going to start running out of criminals who were willing to contribute to his shopping.

His reverie was interrupted by Aggie. **Your made up phone number is being called by Naruhito. He is being released in two hours and is ready to return to Japan.**

"Tell him I'll meet him when he's released." He raised his voice. "Branwyn, strike camp. We've got work to do." _Pythia, Naruhito is going to be released soon. Be careful, they might sweep the area before letting him leave._

_I will._

(02/16/93 1200 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

His Imperial Highness Prince Naruhito stepped out of the hospital and looked around carefully as his bodyguard followed closely behind. A block down the street Yushiko stood and she gave him a small wave when he looked her way. He spoke to his bodyguard and the two of them walked down to her.

She smiled at him as he approached. "Your Highness." She nodded to the guard. "Toshi. My master was growing concerned when you weren't released on time. He fears for your safety."

Naruhito scowled. "Fine doctors they might have here in America, but their tests are endless and they didn't want to let me go until they understood my remarkable recovery."

"We thought it might be something like that." She glanced past him to watch a woman go walking by. It was lunchtime and the streets were far from empty. "Do you have anything you need to get before we leave?"

"No. Everything was lost in the crash or the fire that followed. I was brought straight here and never got a chance to replace my wardrobe." He smiled slightly. "I even had to borrow this suit from Toshi."

She nodded. "Please, come with me." She led them down the alley and onto the next block. Looking both ways, she turned and led them another block and into another alley.

She looked at Shikarou. "We have a problem, he's being tracked. I saw the same woman twice in two different places. It was probably two of the same litter of pokegirl, it was unlikely she could have moved so fast and known where we were going."

He nodded. "Let me check." He dropped his hat and kicked it out of the alley. When he went to retrieve it, he glanced both ways before returning. "You are right. He's being stalked by a pair of Garters. That's all I could see, if there is a hit team in position there will be more of them."

Naruhito frowned as Toshi pulled out his pistol. "What are you going to do?"

Shikarou eyed the gun. "What I am not going to do is have a pitched battle in the middle of Cheyenne at lunchtime. Fortunately I planned to move quickly once you became available. Come on."

He led them further down the alley and around a dumpster that had been moved to almost completely block the passageway. Branwyn waited on the other side. "Naruhito, this is Branwyn. She'll be transporting us to Tomakomai."

He bowed. "I am very grateful for this."

She smiled. "Thank you, but we really need to get moving before those Garters find you."

"How did…" he broke off. "Yes."

The Unicorn offered her hands. "Each of you will take one of my hands and we'll be off. I'll return and get Shikarou and Yushiko in a moment."

The prince and his guard each took one of Branwyn's hands and they vanished as Yushiko picked up her swords from where they'd been hidden behind the dumpster. "That is much better. I'll be even happier when I'm back in my armor, but this helps me to not feel naked."

Shikarou used his wand and suddenly she was wearing her Armsmistress armor. She laughed. "Thank you, my lord." She shifted the armor slightly.

Branwyn appeared. "I'm ready for the next lot of transportees." Shikarou could see the weariness in her eyes. Transporting people became rapidly more stressful as the number of people being transported increased on a given trip and all of the evidence they'd gathered indicated that the difficulty increased on a logarithmic scale instead of being cumulative.

"Take Yushiko. I'll wait until you come back." He smiled when Branwyn looked like she was going to object. "If the Garters come in here, I can move somewhere else and you can always find me. Hell, I'll go ahead and move as soon as you leave to make it more difficult for them." She blinked. "In addition to that, I have Pythia, Lorelei, Dorothea and Circe available if I get into a fight."

She frowned. "Very well, but if you get yourself killed I'll be pissed."

"Me too." Yushiko warned.

Shikarou snorted. "Me three. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. Now go before our prince gets cold."

As soon as they vanished, Shikarou hopped on top of the dumpster and leaped straight up, catching himself on the wall and climbing quickly to the roof. He peeked over the side to watch one of the Garters peer into the alley and move on without noticing his presence.

Branwyn appeared behind him. "Ready to go?"

"More than," was the curt reply.

The Unicorn took his hand and they appeared on the road up the mountain, a handful of kilometers outside of Tomakomai.

Naruhito was waiting for them with Yushiko. He looked impatient and Toshi was nowhere to be seen. He spoke in Japanese. I sent Toshi on ahead to contact the police department and arrange for an escort.

Shikarou nodded. Good. Someone is making a serious effort to kill you. Hopefully returning to Japan will stymie their plans. He watched with approval as Yushiko translated for her alpha.

Naruhito looked around quickly before giving him a curious look. Is this where your shrine will be built?

No, it will be built about a kilometer from the Yoshihara home, but, yes, it will be on the mountain.

You know of them? Naruhito sounded surprised.

Of course I do. He ignored the fact that Naruhito was obviously waiting for him to elaborate.

Things were silent for about ten minutes, until the first police were seen in the distance. Will I see you again?

No. Shikarou grinned. But if your descendants come around in three hundred years or so, I should be back in the area.

I will tell them. Naruhito bowed deeply to the surprised Shikarou. I am grateful for what you have done and will not forget your actions.

I would rather you remember what I told you. Teach your children to make Japan strong enough to be the leader in Edo.

I will remember your words as I will remember your actions.

Shikarou was quiet for a moment. They are not monsters. They are called pokegirls and they are in many ways more human than the man who made them. They should be treated with the respect they deserve.

Naruhito frowned. They have killed many of my people, but I will remember your words. His frowned deepened. I will even try to get my father to listen to them, but all of Japan is angry and frightened.

Shikarou's voice was soft. I understand. He watched the oncoming police. We must leave. I will not put my women in danger and I will not stay to answer the questions of mortals who cannot seem to understand that no matter how many times they ask the same question, my answer will not change.

Naruhito chuckled. You have dealt with the press, I see. They exchanged an amused look and then Shikarou and his women disappeared into the woods and were gone.

(02/16/93 1330 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

Shikarou waited in the lobby of the hospital while the new security guard came through and let his German Shepard Dog sniff all of the women. Apparently someone in authority had been confusing pokegirls with creatures from the movie Terminator and Terminator 2.

Upon reflection, he realized that many pokegirls would smell different enough to be identified as such, but most of them would be easily identified visually as well. And even if a dog did sniff out a pokegirl, many of them didn't smell like anything a dog would associate as an enemy or something to be feared. Their animal type characteristics were just too varied for any non-intelligent identification system to succeed.

In any case, Shikarou's nose was more sensitive than a dog's and all he could smell was disinfectant and cheap perfume. Underneath it was the faint but sharp smell of rotting blood from the attack.

His illusion smell was keeping anyone from noticing that there was anything out of the ordinary with him and he tipped his hat at a nurse as he got into the elevator. Pokegirls didn't use them and the assault team wouldn't have trusted them in an emergency so the elevators weren't disturbed during the attack and worked perfectly well.

The nurse gave him a broad smile as the doors closed. "Are you here to see a friend?"

"Yeah, I'm here to see someone on fourteen." He returned the smile. "Jamie Harris."

She frowned. "You don't know? He was released an hour ago." She looked thoughtful. "I think he already caught a ride to the airport."

Shikarou tried very hard not to stare in shock. "No, I wasn't aware of that." He gave her a sickly smile. "I guess I'm wasting my time here." His smile firmed. "I got to meet you, so it wasn't a total loss."

She flushed slightly and managed to look embarrassed and interested at the same time. "Thanks, but I'm seeing someone."

He flashed teeth in a grin. "The story of my life."

_Are you looking to date outside the harem?_ Branwyn sounded annoyed.

He blinked. _Sorry. I'm not sure what was going on. She's not really that interesting but you are right. I was coming on to her._

_When was the last time you got laid?_

_Before we came here, so it's been a couple of days. Why?_

_Get off at the next floor and find a closet. You are starting to act like you do have Tamer's Disease. What is the nurse doing?_

The nurse was staring at the floor, but Shikarou's nose said she was definitely interested and becoming more so. He pressed the button for the next floor and quickly got off. The nurse watched him with hot eyes and made an abortive motion to get off as well but was cut off by the closing doors.

He ducked into a men's room and checked the stalls to make sure there was no one else in here with him. _Ok, I'm isolated and alone._

Lorelei appeared and took his hand. "The rest of the harem has cruelly offered me up as a sacrifice for you." She nuzzled his cheek. "I'm supposed to take you back to the tent and beg your mercy." She ran a hand down and cupped his groin. Shikarou's eyes closed as she rubbed him. Her breath was warm in his ear. "Will you be gentle with me?"

"No," he whispered.

"Good," she whispered back and they vanished. A few minutes later, the nurse checked to see if he was in there.

(02/16/93 2230 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

Branwyn frowned. "Will she live?"

"Ha. Ha." Shikarou shook his head slowly. "I didn't hurt Lorelei."

She grinned. "Your room is soundproofed and we still heard noises coming out of there. You two were certainly doing something."

"That was her. So she's a little loud."

"What where you two doing?" Her expression was an interesting blend of curiosity and anticipation.

Shikarou looked around to make sure they were alone. "Well, if you must know it was," he paused and she leaned forward, "none of your business."

Branwyn gave him a pout. "I hate you."

He chuckled in response. "We need to find Jamie and that may be somewhat difficult. I knew from his journal that he spent time here, but after that he was very depressed and didn't make detailed entries until after he met Poppet in early 1996. So we will know where he is in three years. However, I don't want to hang around here for that long if I can avoid it."

"Circe knows what his mind feels like." Branwyn settled against him with a sigh of pleasure. "Perhaps she can find him."

"I hope so. This year the Bloody Flu hits and next year several governments nuke Typhonna repeatedly. I'd rather be far away from all of that." He sighed. "We're going to have to come out inside Alexandria and undergo decon before we do anything else anyways, but radioactive decontamination can be time consuming."

Branwyn suddenly looked contemplative. "It's a shame we can't find Cologne." She smirked. "I could probably kick her ass right now and she's always treated me like I was an idiot."

He gave her a firm look. "No side trips, not even for pleasure."

"Spoilsport. It's night outside, so shall we set Circe to looking?"

"Please. I'll get with Aggie and start accessing satellite photos for when we are ready to move."

She nodded and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "And don't forget to get tamed."

He dramatically held a hand over his heart. "Start the normal rotation tomorrow night. Is that enough for you?"

"Only if you also start your normal daytime activities, at least while we are camped."

"Very well." He watched her leave and settled back. "Aggie, I'm going to need access to satellite photographs of areas where Jamie Harris might go. Just use the best ones available, don't try commandeering any until and unless I specifically ask for it."

**Very well. I'll see what I can put together. I'll also start accessing regional banks and hotels in areas where flights that originated or connected to the Cheyenne airport have landed to see if he's used credit cards or stayed at any hotels.**

"Good thinking. If this doesn't pan out I may have to pretend to be some kind of policeman and start asking employees at the airports about a one-armed man and that will be some hard work with slim rewards." He frowned. "Blood and darkness but this is going to suck."

"Did someone mention blood and sucking?" Elizabeth plopped down next to him and curled up against his side.

He gave her a suspicious look. "Did Branwyn send you out here to keep me company?"

"Me?" She looked shocked and then grinned. "Yes, but I'm happy to be here." She sighed. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something serious."

He draped an arm around her. "What is it?"

"Dorothea keeps offering to bless me, and while I tried to ignore her for a while, I've been recently thinking about it. Are you happy with me?"

"Very much so," Shikarou replied without hesitation. "You're cute, cuddly, bright and useful. I like all of those things and I am very happy with you. However, if this is something that you decide you want to do, I will support you fully in your decision, even if it leads to you eventually becoming a Redeemer or an Angel." He snorted. "Even if it would make me feel like I was neck deep in Celestial pokegirls."

"Neck deep?" She grinned and nuzzled his shoulder. "I like necks."

"Between Dorothea and Yushiko, I'm already bloody waist deep. It's like I'm standing in this big pool of Celestial ooze." Elizabeth giggled at his words. "However, if you feel you have to throw another barrel full of the stuff on me, then you are important enough to me that I guess I would help you to do it."

She hugged him. "Thanks for being supportive. How do pokegirls outside our harem get along without you?"

He looked thoughtful and then grinned. "Badly?" She laughed and hugged him again. "If you do decide to go that route, would you please tell me so I can watch? Uh, I mean, so I know what to expect."

She poked him. "You are low and evil minded man. That is so nice." She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm going to think about it for a while before making any decision." A slender finger traced over his wrist. "There are a lot of things to consider. I'd have to give up your blood, for instance, and it tastes sooo good."

"On the other hand, I could eat popcorn again." She glanced at him. "Dorothea pointed out that our babies would not be Vampires if I evolved, but right now the whole idea of having a baby just weirds me out."

"I can understand that." He smiled when she gave him a questioning look. "After all, you are still nursing yourself."

She smacked him.

(02/17/93 0800 Cheyenne Wyoming, United States of America)

**I have a possible lead. All flights from Cheyenne go to Denver and it closed yesterday evening due to a flying pokegirl taking out a plane that was attempting to land there. She's thought to still be in the area so all flights are still grounded and they are still cleaning up the wreckage. Apparently she dumped her target across several runways.**

"Ladies, it sounds like we are going to Denver. Branwyn, we leave ASAP. Pythia, are you up to a short flight at low level and high speed?"

**It is about 152 kilometers or 95 miles to Denver. **

Pythia grinned. "For you, I suppose I could muster the effort." They shared a smile. "I'll leave in five minutes."

Branwyn touched his shoulder. "We'll be ready to leave in five minutes as well. I just have to drag Helen out of the kitchen by an ear."

"Good. Make it happen. I do not want to have to chase Jamie all over the US and Canada."

Five minutes later, Pythia raced off into the distance. Branwyn collapsed the camp as Shikarou started putting pokegirls up.

When they were done, he sighed. "Do we start south or do we wait for Pythia?"

Her response was immediate. "Wait. She won't take long and then we can go straight there." She paused. "Do you have a plan?"

"Several, but I think I know which one I'm going to go with."

A few minutes later Pythia appeared and circled in to a landing. "There's a Neo Iczel floating around the airport so we're going to need to be careful. It turns out she's there to keep the airport closed while another group destroys some railroad bridges south of Denver." She stretched. "I told her that I was bringing in a human agent who was casing the airport for destruction."

"How'd she take that?"

"She griped about the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing and if they'd just give her the orders she'd destroy it and you wouldn't have to examine the airport at all." She grinned. "I think she's horny and the thought of a friendly male excites her." Her ears canted as she gave Shikarou a curious look.

"I can imagine she wouldn't be happy to find out she'd been tricked after she was bonded to me." Shikarou kept his voice droll. "I can also imagine that she'd take at least part of that ire out on me. Pass."

Pythia nodded. "Good choice." She glanced at Branwyn. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Don't get cocky." Branwyn turned to her husband. "Do me, baby."

Shikarou smiled and recalled her to her pokeball. "Let's get this done."

"I'll stay outside, ready to rescue you if you need it."

"That works for me. I haven't been without a guard for so long I'm going to feel naked as it is."

Pythia slipped her arm through his. "Be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I will. You too."

She dropped him off on the top of the parking garage. Since the monsters came, nobody used it and the only things up here were the wrecked cars that hadn't gotten away in time. As he wandered around the burnt out remains of a mangled tow truck that was still hooked to the shredded remains of a Rolls Royce, Shikarou wondered briefly if the owners had managed to collect from their insurance companies. The elevator was broken, so he walked the nine flights of stairs and into the concourse.

He noticed that the monsters had already forced some changes, men were just casually checked by the security forces here, but women were given a thorough inspection before being allowed out to the gates.

_I think I have located him._ Pythia gave him directions and he headed off, stopping briefly in the guest shop for a quick purchase.

Shikarou had only seen pictures of Jamie when he was older, but he could see the older version in this much younger man as he sat staring out the window at the planes.

He glanced briefly up at Shikarou when the kami blocked his view and then returned to staring out the window.

"Don't have anyplace to stay?"

Jamie didn't look up. "That takes money, but I've got a piece of paper saying I'm not a vagrant. I'm just waiting for the airport to reopen." Obviously he thought Shikarou was some kind of airport security.

Shikarou grinned. "You either could use a drink or you will be wanting one in just a little while. How about I buy you a beer?"

Jamie glanced up at him. "Do I know you?"

Shikarou pulled his hair around. "Are you likely to forget a guy with this following him around?"

Jamie gave a chuckle and looked surprised at the sound. "I don't suppose I would. Do you know me?"

"Kind of. We've never met, but I know more about you, Jamie Harris, than you will probably think I should."

Jamie blinked. "That is an odd sentence." He frowned. "And you can tell the future, because I suddenly think I'm going to need that beer."

Once in the airport bar, they found a table that afforded them some privacy. Jamie sipped at his beer and gave Shikarou a hard look. "So, what do you want?"

"Before we get to that, I want to explain a couple of things. I am from the future and I'm going to prove it to you."

Jamie grinned. "Crazy, huh? Well, the beer is good so prove away."

"You are Jamie Harris, born and raised around Dallas, Texas. Last year you lost your entire family. Your parents and your sister died in Galveston and your brother was transformed into a monster after meeting the monster who will later be called Cocooner. He was killed right after he emerged and the people who did it sent you his wallet so you'd know what happened."

Jamie's eyes were getting bigger and bigger. "Any government agency could have found that out. Tell me something no one else would know."

"Should I tell you about your childhood horse, Poppet?" Jamie turned white. "About the well and how you didn't know the neighbors had a crane?"

Jamie's jaw muscles bunched. "That is still something that the government could have found out."

Unfortunately in the journals Jamie had recorded after moving to Scotland, he never detailed his life before meeting Poppet.

_Pythia?_

_Just a second. In the eleventh grade, Jamie had a brief sexual relationship with a Melissa Rodriguez and they had a pregnancy scare because of it. They never told anyone what happened but Jamie never told her that he was saddened that they didn't have a child._

"You realize that anything after this would be very personal, so please don't be offended."

"I asked for it, if you can provide me with something that no one else would know, then I might start believing you." Jamie settled back with an amused look.

Shikarou nodded. "Melissa Rodriquez was very happy that she didn't end up pregnant, but you secretly wished she'd actually been carrying your child."

Jamie stared at him in absolute shock. The beer slipped from his fingers and Shikarou caught it before it hit the floor. "How did you?" He shut his mouth abruptly. "I think you proved your point." He slowly reached for his beer. "So what do you want with me?"

"I think I need to explain some things first." Shikarou tasted his beer and made a face. "You'd think I'd learn. Anyway, in a couple of years, you will meet someone and fall in love. She'll love you too and the two of you will move to Scotland where you two discover that due to some issues that come to light later, you are unable to conceive children with her."

Jamie frowned. "Cancer?"

Shikarou shrugged. "I understand that may be a factor."

"It runs in my family. Killed some of my grandparents on both sides." He stared at the bottle. "That still doesn't explain why you are here."

"Your sperm is viable now."

Jamie looked shocked. "You want a sample of my sperm?" His eyes narrowed. "Are they paying you for this?"

"No, I'm trying to help a friend."

"Which one?" Jamie gave him a speculative look.

"The woman," Shikarou replied without embarrassment. "You are quite and verily dead when I come on the scene but she still regrets that the two of you weren't able to have a child or three. This would give her the opportunity to fulfill that dream."

"So she really loved me?" Jamie sounded surprised that anyone could. He flexed his stump. "Even with this."

"It's a missing arm, Jamie, not a missing brain." Harris blinked at the acid in Shikarou's voice. "It doesn't make you any less you, and it's you that P-, she loves." He smiled gently. "You must have made quite an impression for she still loves you very much."

Jamie grinned. "And you can't compete with a dead guy."

Shikarou gave him a flat look. "Of course I can." Jamie blinked at his certainty. "Dead people are easy to compete against; all they do is lie there. What I want, however, is for her to be happy. I'm not sure she will be without this."

"You love her, don't you?"

Shikarou's voice was barely audible. "I do."

"Does she love you?"

"I've never asked. It's complicated." He shrugged. "However, I do hope that she may someday. Even if it doesn't happen, your child would thrill her beyond belief."

Jamie nodded thoughtfully. "So are you going to offer me money to do this?"

"Don't be an ass. Everything I know about you says you are a fiercely proud man and an offer of money for something like this would be a mortal insult." He smiled. "Of course, if you need a loan you can always leave the money with a note for me. I'll get it eventually."

Jamie chuckled. "Now that would be funny." He nodded suddenly. "For some reason I don't think you are as much of a crackpot as I probably should. How do you want to do this?"

"The airport will probably be closed for a couple more days so I thought I'd rent you a hotel room. Afterwards, you can use it to catch up on your sleep."

"That sounds reasonable." Jamie frowned. "Can we pick up a porno mag too?"

"We can get that, or a prostitute, if you'd rather."

"I'll find my own, thanks."

Shikarou shrugged. "As you will. Would you like some good hot food afterwards?"

"Sure, all I've had since I got here were some old sandwiches and before that was hospital food."

A short time later, Shikarou had prepaid a hotel room near the airport for three days and Jamie had taken the sample bottle inside along with some reading material.

_How are you doing?_

"This is a little odd." Shikarou leaned against the wall of the hallway. "I don't think I have done this particular task before."

_It will make Poppet very happy._

"It had better."

Finally Jamie opened the door. "Come inside." He glanced up and down the hall as Shikarou entered the room. He shut the door and offered the sample bottle. "Here. I want to say this is rather bizarre."

Shikarou pocketed the bottle. "I know." He pulled out his wand and created some steaks and other food. "Here."

Jamie stared at him. "How did you do that?"

"Magic."

"All right, you just convinced me that you are for real." Jamie ate hungrily. When he finished, he leaned back with a sigh. "That was good." He glanced at Shikarou. "Could you do some more magic?"

Shikarou nodded and drew his wand again. "Sure." He smiled and pointed the wand at Jamie. "Sleep and forget." He caught Jamie before he hit the floor and dumped him in the hotel bed.

Pythia appeared. "Cute. Will he remember anything?"

"Not on a conscious level. He may have some dreams about what happened, but I doubt it." Shikarou pulled the sample bottle out of his pocket and cast a stasis spell on it. "That takes care of that."

He pulled out Branwyn's pokeball and released her. She blinked and looked around. "Why are we here?"

He pointed at the bed. "You wanted to see Jamie."

She settled down on the bed and stared at the unconscious man. "He doesn't look like much." She glanced up at Shikarou. "But then again, he must have been quite a person to make her so sad after he left. Did you get the sample?"

"He voluntarily gave it. I recorded our conversation; you can watch it later if you want."

She sighed. "I think mother might want to see it too. Devon as well, perhaps." She looked up at him. "What did you tell him?"

"Everything he needed to know. Then I wiped his mind." Shikarou frowned. "I can't take a chance on screwing up the past so much that our future no longer exists."

Branwyn slid to her feet and took his hand. "So now we find someplace quiet and find out if we can return to the future. What do you think our chances are?"

"I think we have an excellent chance of doing it." Shikarou nodded to himself. "We did it during Devon's battle with Crimson, and doing it again should just be a matter of magnitude."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we set up a community somewhere quiet and the next time you meet Poppet you'll be a little older than she is." He frowned. "Or we try something else."

"Like what?"

"If we have to we might try to augment our capabilities by catching a Tick-Tock. They are supposed to have time magic. I want to try it our way first, though. We have personal experience with the future we want to go to and I want to minimize our chances of a mistake."

Branwyn's hand tightened on his. "Then let's go home."

"I want to do one thing first." Shikarou pulled the package he'd purchased at the airport out of his pocket and opened it, dropping a pair of dice into his hand. He wrapped the American money he had left around the dice and slipped them into Jamie's shirt pocket. "There, now he's not broke."

A few minutes later they were standing at their campsite. Branwyn gave him a kiss. "For luck."

"Hold that thought. Right now I'll take all I can get." He changed pokegirls around until only Circe remained.

She smiled. "Going my way, sailor?"

"I really need to start vetting those movies the harem watches beforehand."

She snickered. "So, Oz, we are going to Alexandria?"

"The decon chamber, just like I showed you."

She nodded and slipped into his arms to give him a kiss. She laid her head against his chest and sighed. "I hope this works." The words were a whisper.

"So do I." He carefully twined his mind with hers. "Ready?" he/she/they asked.

"Yes," came the reply and they vanished.

(05/15/99 0810 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The decontamination chamber was crowded with Shikarou and his full harem, but he wasn't taking any chances. Everyone got treated. Tirsuli decontamination wasn't difficult on either the equipment or the people being treated, you sat around for an hour and that was that. Even the sperm sample had been taken out of stasis for decon, but it had been loaded into a specialized medical unit that would keep the sperm alive during treatment.

"Sir, the decontamination procedure is complete. There were some biologicals matching the genetic makeup of the Bloody Flu as well as some low level radioactive and chemical waste. Decontamination procedures were completely effective."

"Very well, Selene, open decontamination chamber and continue monitoring." A light yellow glow appeared around the door for several seconds and then it slid open.

Branwyn frowned. "What was the glow?"

"Decontamination doors molecularly bond to the walls to prevent any leaks. What you saw was the process reversing." He began returning girls to their balls. "Let's get home."

"When are you going to visit mother?"

"In the morning. Do you want to come along?"

Branwyn thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "I'll watch the video tonight and I'll stay here and keep a lid on things. Take Lorelei." She grinned. "That will keep Sexmet and Bastit from finding out you can do this for a couple of days."

"Do you think they are likely to try something?"

She shrugged. "Who knows, but do you want to take a chance on it?"

"She's going to find out eventually, but you're right, we could use a small break before the end of the world." He shook his head. "I wonder how Poppet is going to react."

(05/16/99 0700 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"So, what brings you here?" Poppet took his arm and led him to the bench they usually used. "I wasn't expecting you to come by for a while yet." She smiled. "Not that I mind, especially since you are my primary Tamer now."

"I'm here because of you, Poppet." He sighed. "I'm not abandoning you, but we need to talk and I don't know how to put this lightly without it sounding trite and I know that this is frightfully important to you."

She turned to face him. "What is it?"

"I've brought you a gift and I'm hoping that you will want it." His ears flicked nervously. "At the time I thought it would be a great present and that you'd love it, but after some thought I'm not sure. However, I still want to offer you this gift and see what you think."

"Why on earth might I not want a gift from you?" She frowned prettily.

"This is not a typical gift." He pulled out his handheld. "There's a video you need to see, but first I need to explain the context involved." He watched her and waited.

"Ok, you've definitely piqued my curiosity. Tell me."

"Quite by accident, my harem and I have discovered a method of time travel." He watched as she looked surprised. "We did some experimentation and then decided to try something. We went back in time to 1993." She blinked. "There I did some stuff and bought a couple of items to kind of prove my point and, well, we went to Cheyenne, Wyoming."

She cocked her head. "I don't get it. You are looking like you're waiting for me to say something, but in 1993 I was doing work in Sukebe's lab off the coast of Florida."

Shikarou took a deep breath. "In February of 1993, Jamie was convalescing in Cheyenne from the loss of his arm."

The color slowly drained from Poppet's face and she swayed slightly. "Jamie?" she whispered. "You saw Jamie?" Her eyes shot to the handheld. "Did you video him?" Her hands twitched in her lap.

"I actually bought him a beer and we had a talk, but yes, I did video the whole encounter." His mouth quirked.

She blinked and suddenly shook herself. "What did you talk about?"

"You."

"That's impossible. I would have seen it in his mind. I would have seen _you_."

Shikarou nodded. "You would have if I hadn't wiped his memory of the event, which I did to keep from changing the future. If I hadn't, he might not have been depressed enough to become a suicide bomber and you two would have never met."

She frowned. "Time travel can be very complex, can't it?"

"Oh, you should hear my father when he gets onto the subject of paradox. He can go for hours. And hours and hours and hours." Shikarou made a face. "Your brain tries to scramble out of your skull and run for safety."

Poppet smiled. "I wonder if I will ever get to meet him."

"Who knows?" Shikarou motioned with the handheld. "Do you want to see the video now?"

The Unicorn took a deep breath and reached for it. She stared at it for a minute and he sighed. "I should leave."

Shikarou started to rise when she grabbed his hand. "No, please stay." Her eyes met his. "I can't do this alone."

He nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"Would you hold me while I watch this?" When he nodded, she crawled into his lap and curled up in his arms. "Thank you, this means a lot to me."

"I'm glad to be of assistance." He draped his arms around her waist and she settled back with a sigh before hitting play.

She played it twice before putting his handheld down. "So, did you get some sperm from him?"

"Yes, I did."

"What is it going to cost me to get it?" Her voice was tight.

"Poppet, I got it for you. There aren't any strings attached to it. I have it and I'm going to give it to you before I leave." He chuckled. "I had this really cool speech planned out before I met Jamie where I gave it to you and talked about how hard it is to find a gift for the pokegirl who has everything, but it just sounded stupid afterwards. I know you still love him and I know that having his child is one of your heart's desires." He sighed slowly. "I just wanted to make you happy and saying trite things about it would not accomplish that goal."

She pulled his arms around her. "Does Branwyn know about your feelings for me?"

"Yes, she does. She agrees that it might cause some complications, but she's known from the beginning that I had feelings for you. She's known that I'm in love with you just about as long as I have."

"How does she feel about it?"

"She says that as long as I don't ever, ever confuse the two of you she will try not to have problems with it. She also said that if you try to become alpha she's going to crush you like an eggshell."

"I know you married her."

Shikarou nodded. "I suspected you would find out quickly. Too many people are in your pay for you to miss something like that."

"You haven't asked me to marry you."

"You haven't decided if you love me or not."

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "What makes you think that?"

"You are an all or nothing girl, Poppet, at least as far as relationships go. If you loved me, you wouldn't hesitate to let me know."

"I want Jamie's child. Maybe more than one."

"I knew that when I decided to try for Jamie's seed. The children will need a father. Have you picked one out yet?"

She relaxed against him. "I've got a possible candidate. Do you know of anyone who might be interested in the position?"

"You should probably focus on your candidate, as long as his name is Shikarou."

She chuckled. "Maybe it is and maybe it isn't." Her voice caught and she turned and buried her face against his chest. The sound of her sobbing filled the room for a very long time as Shikarou held her close.

Finally she stopped and rested against his chest for a moment before pushing away from him slightly. "Take off your shirt."

Shikarou slid his shirt off and she wiped her face with it before tossing it away. She snuggled back against his chest and gave a long sigh. "I love him so much," she murmured against his skin. She was silent for a while. "I ruined your shirt."

"I have others."

Poppet chuckled quietly. "Later, can I ruin them too?"

"If you need to then yes you may. If you just want to, we'll have to discuss it."

Her breath was warm against his skin. "I won't be able to use your gift for about fifteen more years."

"Doesn't that give you the time you need to make the modifications you want to?"

She glanced up at him. "You know entirely too much about me. I don't know nearly as much about you and that's not fair."

"Life is full of unfairness. Get used to it." His ears flicked idly. "Do you want to view my memories of my meeting with Jamie?"

"I would if you don't mind." She slipped into his mind as his shields dropped. A few minutes later she started and then laughed quietly. "So that's where they came from."

"What?"

"You gave Jamie his lucky dice. He carried those things for the rest of his life and never let them out of his sight. Once we were on our way to a very exclusive dinner when he discovered that one of his dice was missing and he had a fit until we returned home and looked for it. It had fallen out of his pocket in front of our home and he tore the knees out of his tuxedo scrambling around to find it. We ended up missing the dinner entirely." She rubbed her face against his skin. "He even had them listed as part of his estate in his will. But he could never explain where they came from."

"What happened to them?"

"We still have them. They've been passed from father to son ever since Jamie. Cameron willed them to Devon and Devon's already updated his will so they go to Christopher when he dies."

"Christopher?"

She glanced up at him again. "Letitia's boy. Your godson."

Shikarou nodded thoughtfully while his mind raced. "Oh, him."

Something must have shown in his expression because Poppet leaned back slightly to look him directly in the eyes. "What is it?" she asked in a firm voice.

"Maybe I should have listened more to my father's speeches about paradox. When I left, Devon had a daughter named Christine and I had no godchildren."

She touched her horn to his forehead and he felt her go exploring through his mind. She blinked. "Florence isn't pregnant. Devon gives money to her orphanage, but Florence is not pregnant. She wants to be though."

"I wonder what else has changed." Shikarou shivered suddenly. _Aggie, contact Branwyn and let her know about Christopher and warn her not to let herself be surprised about any other changes._

**Very well. I will begin a comprehensive review of the data I have and compare it to the data existing now.**

Poppet sighed. "You have to leave, don't you?"

"No, what has changed has changed, but I didn't really do anything, so any changes should be minor, like a child having a different gender. My rushing off in a dither won't make it conform to my memories." He smiled at her. "I was planning to stay overnight, unless you don't want me to."

"I would like that." She wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I am very fond of you, you know."

Shikarou winced. "Don't."

Poppet looked puzzled. "What?"

"You know I love you and when a woman who knows a man loves her tells him that she likes him, it drives a knife into his heart. You either love me or you don't and leave it at that."

She frowned. "I never knew that."

"Most women don't seem to."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." She touched his cheek. "I don't love you." She gave him a contemplative look. "But that does not mean that I won't someday."

He sighed. "Well, I guess a little hope is better than nothing."

"Please don't leave me." Poppet hugged him tightly. "Stay with me tonight."

Shikarou nodded solemnly. "All right."

(05/17/99 0700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou looked around the room. "We now know that paradox has taken place, and the present we have returned to is not the same as the one we left. For example, Devon has a son instead of a daughter and I'm his godfather. No one who didn't go on that trip remembers anything different, which is driving Stardust into a fit whenever she gets near me or her sister."

Circe chuckled.

He continued. "We also know that the paradox appears to be minor over the whole world, until we get to Edo."

Branwyn frowned. "I haven't seen the information on Edo yet."

Pythia nodded. "It's not extremely different and in the overall scheme of things nothing significant has changed. However, first of all, when the Tamers took over and created the leagues, the Japanese Imperial family stepped down peacefully, almost as if they had been expecting something like what was happening. It turned out that they had been taming pokegirls for quite some time, which was against the Edo policies of the period, and they did not fade into the mists of time like we remember. Instead the whole family moved to Tomakomai and built a series of residences there, where they still live today. They are no longer the rulers of Japan, but they still wield considerable political influence in Edo and abroad, often against the Edo League council's wishes. Their political philosophy seems to be Edo over the world and Japan over Edo."

Shikarou nodded. "What has changed is that apparently His Imperial Highness got the last laugh as far as I am concerned. In 1999 he built a shrine on the exact spot where the Yoshihara family put one last year, and consecrated it to me." His ears flicked. "He actually did some of the work there instead of just commissioning it and started a tradition of Emperors going there on pilgrimage when they assumed the Throne of Heaven. Today it is one of the oldest continuously occupied shrines in Edo."

"If that isn't enough, after the shrine was completed, a Shrine Maiden moved in almost immediately and there's been at least one there ever since."

"When the Imperial family moved there, they also built a temple to me." He winced. "I'm not sure I want to see it." He let out a long suffering sigh. "Apparently, the city has been more accommodating towards pokegirls than we remember. This means that they've always had a relative surplus of NurseJoys and things like that to keep the populace healthy and they have recovered quite well from the ills of the past. The city of Tomakomai that exists today is a third again larger than the one we left behind us." He winced again. "Sadly they ascribe their good fortune to my temple and my supposed presence in the city. It is true that the Shrine Maidens that live in my temple have been pivotal over the years in driving off threats to the area, but that is just because they are there and not because of anything I've done."

"There are also a few personal changes I know about and others we will have to investigate." He took a deep breath. "Yushiko, there was one change in your family."

She blinked and looked suddenly worried. "Something good, I hope."

"I think so. When your grandmother was injured, she was rushed to the shrine and healed. Noriko didn't die then and she's still alive today."

The blood slowly drained from Yushiko's face. "Can I see her?" she whispered.

"We leave in ten minutes." Shikarou looked around. "That means everyone." Branwyn gave him a curious look and he thought for a moment. "You, Bellona, Yushiko, Dorothea, Helen and Elizabeth." She nodded and got up.

(05/17/99 0730 Blue Continent, 1610 Edo)

Branwyn and Shikarou appeared and she smiled and let go of his hand. He returned the smile and then frowned and sat down hard as suddenly he was aware of everything on the mountain. Images and feelings swept into him and swirled down inside him to vanish.

Branwyn gave him a worried look. "Are you ok?"

"I'm not sure how I am." He carefully levered himself back to his feet when a racing form jumped at him.

"SHIKAROU!" Fumiko cannonballed into him and he found himself lying on the ground again as she hugged him tight.

Branwyn gave him a wry look. _Some things do not appear to have changed._

Shikarou began carefully prying himself free of his Titto. "Good to see you, Fumiko."

She laughed. "Mother always knows when you are coming." She grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.

He found himself facing an elderly Ronin who bowed deeply. "Greetings, my lord Shikarou."

Shikarou guessed. "Noriko, my name is Shikarou. I'm fairly certain we've probably had this discussion before."

She smiled and nodded her head in acquiescence. "Indeed, we have, and we will have it many more times before I join you on the mountain."

Shikarou blinked as he was suddenly aware that she was wrong. Age had finally caught up with her and Noriko would not live to see next spring. He just sighed and shook his head. "As you will." He sounded slightly sad.

She looked surprised and then thoughtful before her eyes widened slightly and she bowed her head in a brief motion. "Fumiko. Leave your Tamer be, unless you wish to give us a demonstration of how little you have been practicing your battling skills. Any other demonstrations should be in private. Go tell your father and grandfather that lord Shikarou is here."

"Yes, mother." She darted away.

Noriko took his arm after a brief questioning look at Branwyn. "She misses you terribly when you are gone."

"I miss her too. I'll be glad when she's done with her training and can return home."

"So what brings the kami of the mountain here this day?"

"Yushiko wanted to see you, so we came for a visit. I hope we aren't interrupting anything."

"Of course not." Noriko smiled easily. "So, where is my granddaughter?"

Shikarou pulled out her pokeball and as soon as he released her, Yushiko rushed into her grandmother's arms and burst into tears.

He glanced at Branwyn. "Let's go somewhere else. Anywhere."

She nodded. "Noriko, we are going to walk down to the shrine." The confused looking Ronin nodded as the Unicorn grabbed his hand and they set off.

When they were out of site of the Yoshihara residence, Branwyn looked over at him. "Are you all right?"

"No. I don't really think I am."

"Talk to me, Shikarou."

He tried to pick his words with care. "I feel that this place is mine and I know _everything_." He frowned. "I've heard about kami with this kind of power, but it usually only exists on ground that is hallowed to them." His eyes went wide in shock. "Noriko called me the kami of the mountain. Shit." He looked around slowly.

"For the last three hundred years, these people have been worshiping me as the kami of the mountain; as a kami of birth and death." He looked up the mountain. "No wonder the people of Tomakomai believe that I've been protecting them. This place must be full of the spirits of the people who died on the mountain and they would have protected this land from invaders because I would have wanted them to."

"This mountain isn't that heavily populated," Branwyn noted. "Just how many spirits do you think you are talking about?"

He shrugged. "If I am worshipped down in the city, then I may get all of its dead as well, or at least those who worshipped me." He shuddered. "That could be a lot of spirits."

"How will you know?"

"I'm not sure and I'm not up to experimentation right now." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I've never had a situation where I could be this powerful and have this much influence. Until I have a better idea of how widespread the worship of the kami of Mt. Tarume is, I'm going to be very careful."

He turned to Branwyn. "I know that Noriko will die this winter. I don't know how I know, but I know she will and that it will be peaceful. I suspect that means that Noriko must be one of my worshippers."

Branwyn stared at him. "That's creepy."

"I agree completely."

"Do you still want to see your shrine?"

"No, but I think I need to."

Branwyn shifted to her quad form. "Shall we?" Shikarou hopped onto her back and off they went.

The shrine was now almost completely Japanese in design, only some of the repairs showed the influence of other Edo cultures. Two Shrine Maidens were bustling around taking care of a handful of worshippers and Shikarou recognized one of them as the one he'd accidentally evolved during a previous visit. She gave him a huge smile and a quick hug before going back to her duties.

The shapeless rock that had represented him had been replaced with a rough sculpture of a wolf eared humanoid figure with long hair. A sign noted that it had been the work of the Emperor Naruhito.

Shikarou sighed slowly. "Yushiko did this to me."

**Apparently the cosmic awareness had a hand as well. It is known that if a pokegirl evolves to Armsmistress on Hokkaido she will look Japanese and that this is the only place on the earth where this happens. It is also reputed that if one is evolved on Mt. Tarume, no matter her lineage, she will become a Malakim. This remains unverified however, as no Tamers will either confirm of deny the rumor.**

Shikarou relayed the information to Branwyn and she laughed quietly. "So the kami of Mt. Tarume has influence throughout the island of Hokkaido." She slipped her arm through his. "Want to see your temple?"

"Thank you but I'll save that for another day."

(05/17/99 1200 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Svetlana sipped her tea and looked out the window of the inn with a heavy heart. She looked up when someone pulled out the spare chair at her table and gave Molly a half smile half glare as she settled down and put her pint on the table.

Molly gave her an annoyed look. "Are you still mooning over that gold? What on earth for?"

The Megami-sama shrugged. "There is so much good we could be doing with it all over the world."

The Denmother snorted. "I could tell you that neither you nor your Tamer had anything to do with it being salvaged and therefore you have no say in how it's used, but I won't. Instead, let me ask you a question. Aren't Megami supposed to be big picture girls?"

Svetlana's eyes showed a hint of interest. "Yes, we are."

"What is a big picture? I would postulate that a big picture is composed of a bunch of little pictures. What do you think?"

The Megami-sama blinked. "That is an interesting concept. Where did you learn to argue philosophy?"

Molly gave her an amused look. "I went to Alexandria and Selene taught me something about it."

"Oh, that. Yet another place I'm not supposed to go, right?"

Molly's ears flicked. "I hope not, considering there are only a handful of people that Shikarou allowed unrestricted access to Alexandria and you're on the list. Faelan probably hasn't realized that you don't know." She grimaced. "Hell, I'm only on that list because I'm the Sheriff."

"Shikarou hates me. He would never give me access to someplace like that."

"Girl, you need to wake up. He doesn't hate you, in fact I he told me he respects you. He thinks you're as wrong as can be about the gold, but he respects your convictions."

"He never said that to me." Svetlana looked puzzled. "I wonder why not?"

"I've heard some of your conversations with him and they seem to consist mostly of you telling him what he's doing wrong while he tries to ignore you. I wouldn't say anything complementary about you at that time either; I'd just kick your butt." She took a gulp of her pint. "He seems to be willing to let you be a bitch to him, but that's his choice."

"So why are you here now, if I'm such a pain in the posterior?"

"First of all, I'm tired of watching you butt heads with my boss, my Tamer and my lover. Second, I don't want to have to pull your body out of one of the lochs."

Svetlana blinked. "Are you saying you think Shikarou would kill me?"

"Him? Not a chance. If he were going to harm you, he would have already done it. However, there are some pokegirls around here who are very unhappy with the fact that you won't see the little picture and some of them can be a little precipitous."

She gave Molly a bitter look. "So talk to them and leave me alone."

"Oh, I already have spoken with them at some length. Now I want to talk to you and see if I can help keep anything bad from happening."

"And how can you help me with anything?"

Molly drank more of her pint before answering. "It must be nice being a Megami. There are different rules that apply to Celestial pokegirls then the ones that the rest of us have to live by. You get to pick and choose and the law is on your side. Hell, girl, even when you go feral you just get a little dumber."

"It's a little different for the rest of us. We get traded and captured and auctioned and have no say in it at all. We can spend years building a relationship with a man and have him lose us in a battle or even worse, get rid of us because he's getting older and our libido is too high or too low or because we dropped the coffeepot. If he thinks we screwed up enough, he can usually have us killed for cause."

"With a young Tamer, we are slaves to the whims of a teenager and if our Tamer does something bad, we get punished along with him."

Molly drank more beer. "You might ask why we don't just walk away, like a Megami would. The truth is, as you know, we can't. We are property and if we leave, the law will try to bring us back."

"I spent years in Lairg and the whole time I was tied to that slug Godwin. He tamed me when he felt like it and made me beg for it when he didn't." The Denmother's eyes narrowed angrily. "I don't like begging, but what I like and don't like didn't matter. I had to do disgusting things to and for that man but the fact that I am just a pokegirl and therefore I am a slave to the dick meant that I couldn't refuse. If I did, he might exact his revenge by letting me get so close to feral that I thought my mind was going to explode. He did it, too, on several occasions, and usually for his own shitty amusement."

Her ears went flat. "And I had to watch him watching my girls. We all knew he was going to take them just as soon as he was ready." Her voice rumbled. "When he was ready, not when they were, which was a very different thing indeed."

She smiled and her voice warmed with pride. "Belinda told me a couple of days ago that when she grew up she wanted to help other pokegirls find as nice a place to live as here."

Her eyes met Svetlana's. "And a lot of pokegirls feel that way about Caomh Sith. It's not heaven but it's closer than anything I've seen. Here they don't have to beg for someone they don't like to stick a dick in them to keep them from going crazy. Here they can work at jobs that they like, like our Elf bartender. She likes working here."

"If you gave away all of that gold, three things would happen. Well, four, if you count the fact that you'd destroy the value of gold and put a lot of people out of work. But aside from that, three things would happen. You'd be able to help a bunch of pokegirls somewhere else for a little while. You would not be able to hide where the gold was coming from, someone would talk, and they always do. That means you'd also have every crackpot in the world coming here and claiming that you should help them too; that would lead Team Viper and groups like that straight here, where they'd do what they always do: destroy things and hurt people while stealing pokegirls and stuff."

Svetlana shook her head. "Team Viper was crushed recently and is no longer a threat."

"I know that and I also know they didn't get everyone." Molly snorted. "Even if they did, something will rise up to take Team Viper's place. There are always people looking for a free ride on the backs of others. Some of them become criminals. Others become politicians, which brings me to the third event."

Svetlana was watching Molly thoughtfully. "What is the third thing that would happen?"

"The government would take a good hard look at Caomh Sith, realize our potential and shut us down just as quickly as they possibly could." She shrugged. "It's in their best interests to do so before we get strong enough that they might not be able to do so quietly, if at all. We're on the path that a lot of politicians espouse but we are so far down it they are likely to be terrified, not only because we've come so far but because they aren't in charge."

"Shikarou is trying to protect us from the rest of the world, to build a redoubt from which we can sally forth to change the world. Don't undermine his work, help with it." Molly gave her a pleading look. "You could be so much help here, please help us."

"What about the rest of the world?"

"Damn it Svetlana! We are trying to change the whole world but we have to start somewhere and here is that starting place!" Molly slapped the tabletop and wood groaned audibly. "Look around and see what is happening here. At the clinic, there is a feral Moonflower who tends the grounds. She doesn't hurt anyone and Stardust has checked and found she doesn't want a Tamer right now, so Shikarou has made her hands off. Where else would you find that?"

"If someone needs tamed and wants a human to do it, they can ask one of the ones here and not expect to be put into a pokeball just because she wants to be laid."

"My daughters spent the first ten years of their lives afraid to laugh because if they made too much noise they got beaten. I hoped someday to find them a Tamer who would treat them better than I'd been treated."

She scowled. "Shikarou told me he'd be their uncle, but damned if he didn't become their surrogate father. Now, they run and play and have someone who loves them; not because he might get to tame them, but because they are children. Now I have to worry about finding them a Tamer that measures up to the standards he's established, which are a lot more than just decent." She smiled. "Why do I worry about that? Because Shikarou is mine and I'm not going to share him with my daughters."

"Does he know about this?"

Molly paused briefly. "I suspect that he does, but it really doesn't matter. He's given me the power to choose and I choose him. I'm already grooming Alice to be the Sheriff and when my girls move out in five years, I'm joining Shikarou's active harem." She smiled slowly. "And there's only one way I'll let him stop me."

"What is that?"

"He has to get me pregnant. I would let him do that and only that to keep me out of his harem." Her smile grew. "Of course, then I'll be one of his women and he'll never be rid of me."

She changed the subject abruptly. "Are you aware he's already planning for what he'll be doing when he's not actively journeying?"

"No, what is he going to do?"

"He's going to go to school. He wants to study genetics and engineering so that he can become a pokegirl researcher. However, he only wants to study one thing, the feral state and what causes it." Molly watched Svetlana blink in surprise. "He's even ordered Selene to build a large modern hospital complex inside Alexandria. He intends to find out what causes us to go feral and fix it somehow. If he could do that, it would mean we would actually be free. He says it could take decades or even centuries of research but I believe he'll find the cause one day and fix it if it can be fixed."

She sighed. "So, please stop trying to pull this place down around our ears and help us."

Svetlana shook her head. "He doesn't need all of that gold, he could never spend it all in a lifetime of spending."

Molly gave her a sympathetic look. "What makes up a lifetime for him? Did you consider that he's going to outlive all of us and maybe that gold is there for any long term problems that might crop up? Faelan's going to outlive you too."

"I know." Her mouth twisted. "And the others are already grooming someone to take my place when I'm gone."

"I presume you are talking about the other Celestials." Molly barked a laugh when Svetlana nodded. "They are making the same mistake you are. I guess you've just had things go your way for so long, you and they forget that Faelan might want to have a say in that too." She drained her beer and tipped a coin inside it before holding it up and shaking it for a refill. "You don't have to worry about him replacing you. It's not his way or he would have replaced that Sabretooth Tigress he lost with the one Shikarou caught a while back." She smiled at the Elf who handed her a full mug. "Thank you." The Elf smiled, bobbed her head and took away the empty, slipping the coin into her pocket as she did.

"Faelan has the capability to be just as stubborn and willful as Shikarou and I think that in a battle of wills between all of the Megami and him, they will lose. And if he asks his brother to help, then that loss might just be a mite overwhelming."

Svetlana frowned. "I don't know, I got Dorothea into Shikarou's harem without any trouble."

Molly's voice was flat. "He let you. Don't ever mistake one of them letting you do something with you managing to force them to do something. Branwyn and I have talked about that and she couldn't force Shikarou to do anything he doesn't want to." Her eyes glittered. "And if she can't, rest assured you can't either. Besides, just how well has Dorothea managed to put Shikarou on the path of righteousness and good?" She grinned. "Of the two of them, who has been influencing who?"

Svetlana glared. "All right, I'll think about what you said."

"That's all I can ask. Shikarou tells me that if you give someone all the facts, they'll usually make the best decision for themselves." Her ears flicked. "Don't try to prove him wrong out of spite."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Epsilon

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 71

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 56

Bellona DragonQueen 50

Seraph Dorothea 49

Ria Kebi 46

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 46

G-Spliced Pythia 44

Sphinx Lorelei 42

Vampire Elizabeth 42

Mini-Top Nanu 37

Hun Hanmei 27

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**BLAZICUNT, the Blazing Glory Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human (bird)  
**Element**: Fire/Fighting  
**Frequency**: Rare  
**Diet**: hot spices and peppers  
**Role**: dancers, blacksmiths, fire-rescue  
**Libido**: High  
**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Fire, Ice, Normal, Plant, Steel  
**Weak Vs**: Flying, Ground, Psychic, Water  
**Attacks**: Scratch, Fire Punch, Fire Kick, Burning Uppercut, Ignite, Napalm, Flamethrower, Focus Energy, Warm Embrace, Burning Hands, Preen  
**Enhancements**: Heat Aura, Bulk Up  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Combusticunt (normal)  
The main (and often only) reason a Tamer continues to put up with the constant bad attitude of a Combusticunt is so that she evolves into her final form: a Blazicunt.

A Blazicunt's eyes are now completely red; no other features or color are present. Her bust size increases even more than it did during the last evolution, usually to a full C-cup. They grow reddish-orange down-like feathers all over their body and the feathers poof more predominantly between their breasts. Comparatively, the feathers on her breasts themselves are small and leave her nipples uncovered. Likewise, the feathers at her crotch are also smallish, leaving her pussy on display. Her hands and feet become more birdlike in appearance, now having only four digits on each hand and foot. As in their previous form, Blazicunts tend to eschew clothing.

A Combusticunt that evolves leaves behind her excessive anger, while retaining their fiery spirit in combat. Combined with her new fire attacks, Blazicunts are a force to be reckoned with. A Blazicunt has a strong tactical understanding, and almost always begins combat by laying down Napalm, followed by Flamethrower attacks to move her opponents into positions advantageous to her. A Blazicunt then uses her Bulk Up enhancement, which allows her to increase her muscle mass to heighten her physical attacks at the cost of making her slower, and closes in for close combat. While not the quickest combatant when using her Bulk Up enhancement, a Blazicunt has usually backed her opponent into a heated corner by this time, negating this disadvantage. Between this and her Ignite, Fire Punch, Fire Kick, and Burning Uppercut attacks, most opponents don't last long. When fighting a pokesex battle, Blazicunts tend to use a Warm Embrace, followed by Preen and then the sex-version of Burning Hands.  
Blazicunts are as pleasant to have in a Harem as their previous form was unpleasant. They tend to be magnanimous and outgoing, and are quick to offer to Tame their Harem-sisters. One particular quirk they have is a love for dancing, something researchers say is a very faint subconscious desire to fly that she has because of her avian nature. One constant from her previous forms is how horny she remains, and Blazicunts never miss an opportunity to get it on with her Tamer or Harem-sisters. The loyalty she felt as a Torch Chick returns in full force in this evolution, and Blazicunts, save for pokesex battles, have no interest in being Tamed by anyone beyond her master and his Pokégirls.

Blazicunts have the same Taming preferences as they did as Torch Chicks, save for that they enjoy petting and stroking since they now have feathers all over. They still dislike being put in cool water beforehand, but understand that some Tamers have become accustomed to it since using the procedure on them as Combusticunts.

Feral Blazicunts are relatively passive creatures, mostly sticking to their Scratch attack unless seriously threatened, in which case they unleash Flamethrower and Ignite on their enemies.

Threshold girls almost never become Blazicunts directly. When such a rare Threshold does occur however, the family of the girl tends to make a hefty profit on selling her to a pokeranch, since Blazicunts are very strong (and thus valuable) Pokégirls.


	24. Chapter 24

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 24: Repercussions

(05/19/99 1200 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

Branwyn settled back with her tea and looked across the table at her host. "You said that you needed to speak with me urgently and that you hoped I could help you with a problem. What problem?"

"Maeve." Kathryn dropped a lump of sugar into her tea and stirred it absently. "I know that ye and yer Tamer were trying to help Devon when ye went and rescued Maeve and returned her memories to her, but she's not the same person that she was before."

"Shikarou warned that could be the case. Maeve remembers everything, including the things that happened to her after she was taken away."

"Aye, he did and she does." Kathryn sighed. "She's a very angry pokegirl and she's taking her anger out on the weaker members of the harem. I'm doing the best that I can, but she's maneuvering things so that she and I will have a showdown over it and I don't think I can stop it. She's making it personal between us and I need some advice."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "What does Devon think about all of this?"

"I havna talked to him about it, this being harem business and all."

"Kathryn, you disappoint me. I thought you realized that harem business is still his business."

"Devon allows me to run the harem as I see fit. I feel sorry for ye if Shikarou won't let ye do the same, but that is the way things work here."

"Don't give me that shit." Branwyn smiled as Kathryn reddened. "Shikarou understands that it's my harem but he knows just as much about what's going on as I do, since he's ultimately responsible for whatever takes place." She frowned. "Sometimes he knows more than I do, but that just spurs me to figure out how he does it and copy his methods."

She smiled. "However, I presume you didn't ask me here to discuss personal styles of command. If Maeve is such a problem, then smack her down."

"I told ye already, she's making it personal between us."

"You are the alpha and you decide if something is personal or not. If you are letting her dictate the terms of the encounter, she's usurping your authority already." She gave the Ladyien a piercing look. "You're too proud aren't you? You want this to be a personal matter."

"Mayhap I do. I've never really liked her all that much, but she'd settled down after our fight when Devon made me the alpha. Now she's worse than she ever was."

"You're not willing to take my advice and have the other members of the harem drag her out of bed and beat her to a bloody pulp every time she so much as flicks an ear at you, so what do you want from me?"

Kathryn stared. "Have ye had that done?"

"I ordered it when I worked at the Conservatory, and I've ordered it done to a pokegirl name Gwen who lives on Caomh Sith; inside the harem, no, I haven't. Shikarou has assembled a harem that is willing to pull together so it hasn't been necessary." She sipped and put her cup down. "I was ready to order Dorothea beaten like that, but Shikarou settled her down without me getting involved."

"However, if Ruiling ever tries to rejoin the harem, she's got several beatings coming." She got a dreamy look. "And every pokegirl in the harem has offered to help, however I've decided to let Circe hold her down while Helen carves bits off of her."

"Is that likely to happen?"

"I don't know. I do know that she's back in Tomakomai, which means we may cross paths again and if we do, that bitch is going to pay for what she did." Branwyn blinked. "Sorry, I shouldn't be airing my anger at you. We were talking about you and Maeve. What do you hope to get from me?"

Kathryn sighed and looked uncomfortable. "I was hoping ye might be willing to help me train so I can get strong enough to beat Maeve without her knowing I was training at all. I know it's silly, but that's what I wanted to ask ye for."

Branwyn looked surprised. "You want to train with another harem? How's Devon likely to feel about this?"

I havna asked him about it. Would I have to train with yer harem?"

"I think so. Nanu would be a perfect opponent for you to practice on and the others will be happy to help." She chuckled. "And it would give Shikarou a chance to spend time with Christopher, something I'm sure he'd love to do."

Kathryn looked shocked. "Ye are not going to tell him are ye?"

"Of course I will. I wouldn't try to keep this a secret from him even if I thought Elizabeth or Dorothea wouldn't tattle just as soon as they could. In addition, Shikarou is an outstanding tactician and I'm sure he'd enjoy teaching you." She smiled as Kathryn looked slightly worried. "Don't worry; he's not going to want to tame you. He understands your heart belongs to Devon and we keep his plate very full on purpose, and the addition of the Blazicunt, Marzia, gives him someone else who wants a lot of attention. Fortunately, he's got plenty to give."

"So ye will speak to Shikarou and then if he says it's all right, then I'll talk to Devon."

"No, I think it might be better if Shikarou talks to Devon. They're both Tamers and Devon will find this very interesting."

Kathryn gave her a mulish look. "I dinna think that's wise."

Branwyn shrugged. "I don't care what you think. You can talk to Devon or not, but I will be talking to Shikarou and I'm pretty sure he'll be talking to your Tamer."

"I dinna want to do this."

"Don't lie to me; it's a waste of time. I'll ask Shikarou to swear Devon to secrecy before they talk. That will keep Maeve out of the loop until you're ready to let her know what's going on."

Kathryn mulled things over for a couple of minutes. "I dinna see where I have nae choice at this point, do I?"

"No. You can't control me and you've convinced me to help you. I don't like or dislike Maeve, but I don't want my godson around that kind of a troublemaker." Her eyes hardened. "I don't suppose you need help with Rhiannon, do you?"

"No, I don't. She hasna been a problem since we got back from the Dark Continent, for the most part. Why do ye ask?"

"Never mind." _I guess you still don't know what that bitch tried to do. I do and one day I'll be in a position to do something about it._

Kathryn frowned. "When are ye likely to talk to Shikarou about this?"

"Today. This sounds interesting and we tend to act on things like this fairly quickly. If I catch him by dinner, he'll probably want to talk to Devon first thing in the morning."

(05/20/99 0700 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

Devon rubbed bleary eyes and stared owlishly at Shikarou. "Do you have any idea what time it is? We Tamers are never supposed to see the sun come up, it's bad luck."

"I have a watch and the sunlight is good for you." Shikarou drew his wand and created two pint mugs of steaming liquid. "Have some coffee."

Devon took a gulp of his and sputtered as his eyes went wide. "What is this stuff?"

"Turkish coffee. Is there a problem?"

Devon stared at him for a moment and then took another much smaller sip. "This is your secret, isn't it?"

"Pardon?"

"This is how you don't sleep. You drink this stuff." Devon motioned with the mug. "I haven't had much and I'm suddenly wide awake."

Shikarou chuckled. "Now you know."

"So why are you here at such an ungodly hour?"

"I've got a complaint and a request. Which would you like first?"

Devon sighed. "I guess the complaint."

"Someone needs to learn to do inspections of ranches. Branwyn doesn't have time anymore and the next time someone calls us for one they are going to get told to and I quote 'drop fucking dead' end quote."

Devon nodded. "Yeah, I knew that Branwyn is our only inspector. It just so happens I'm finishing up the classes necessary to become certified, but I still need to get some practice making inspections before I'm granted full autonomy. We're supposed to have an inspection sometime in the near future; can I borrow Branwyn one last time so she can verify my skills?"

"You'll owe me."

Devon snorted. "Let's see, I already owe you for returning Maeve to me, rescuing Lamya, Tess and Dima, and for getting Poppet off my back. Oh, yeah and you're my son's godfather too. I suppose that won't add much to the balance."

Shikarou marveled to himself. This Devon was more mature and much nicer to know. "I'll try to keep things from being too onerous." He frowned slightly. "Later, we need to talk about what you expect from me as Christopher's godfather. If I understand it correctly, I'm supposed to be responsible for your son's religious upbringing and I suspect mine is different from yours."

"Don't worry about that. I just want someone to help me keep Christopher out of the same spiral I ended up in with Poppet." He shook his head. "I know you're strong enough to make her stop whatever she might be doing if you think you need to and you're far enough removed that you might see things happening before anyone else." He snorted. "Considering your relationship with her, you might have a better chance at that then I would. So what was the request you wanted?"

"I'll need your oath that, until I release you from it, this is between you and me only."

Devon looked startled. "Very well, I so swear."

"Without trying to step on your toes as a Tamer, are you aware that Kathryn talked to Branwyn yesterday?"

"She told me." He sighed. "Maeve has some issues that she has to deal with but, Kathryn's right, I've been too easy on her. She didn't really settle down the first time I had her until my alpha kicked her around for a while and maybe she does need it again." He frowned. "Don't tell me you actually want to help train her?"

"I suspect that if you have a peaceful harem, then my godson will have a more peaceful life." Shikarou smiled over his coffee. "If training Kathryn will help that to come to pass, then I've got a couple of weeks I can devote to the task, with your permission of course."

"If you want to help, then what can I say but thanks." Shikarou blinked in utter shock. "I understand that we need to somehow keep the training sessions a secret from Maeve, but I don't see how that can be done."

"I've got an arena in my tent. I hid it from you when you were staying with us, but I think it will work nicely for this purpose."

Devon grimaced. "Maybe I should go to Vale and study magic. Hatsumi has taught me a healing spell, but there is so much more to this."

"In a dozen years or so you may be better placed to do that."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to plan that far ahead? I'm just a little older than that."

"Yes, I do. However at that time Christopher will be older and unless you have more children you will have the time. If you asked Faelan, he might be willing to put in a word for you."

Devon looked thoughtful. "I think I'll do just that. So when do you want to start training Kathryn?"

"If it's possible, this afternoon would be perfect. She's going to have a lot of hard work to do, is she up to it?"

"She's a Scot and her honor is engaged. You could drag her across burning broken glass to get a win in that kind of situation and she wouldn't complain."

"That's good; by the time I'm done she's going to think I did."

(05/22/99 0700 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"Someone's coming." Nanu's quiet voice jerked Shikarou's attention away from the message he was recording for Tamara and he shifted on the bench as he looked around.

Tamara and her sister Belinda had a pretty strong rivalry and so he always sent them separate messages. He was careful to put slightly different information into each message so they had to be civil with each other long enough to find out everything he was telling them. Molly said it worked well, so he'd decided to keep up the game for a couple of more years.

Nanu recognized her first. "It's Maeve." She shrugged and resumed her position as his guard. Her pistols and knives gleamed and her neatly pressed gray camouflage halter top and shorts showed brightly against her white fur and long black hair. Her ears slapped idly against the backs of her knees.

Devon's Mini-Top came to a halt in front of Shikarou and put her hands on her hips belligerently. "What the fuck is going on here?"

Shikarou's ears flicked. "I'm dictating a message to a young lady and Nanu is standing guard." Nanu's eyes glittered with suppressed laughter.

Maeve's eyes narrowed. "That's not what I mean and you know it. I want to know why you are here at the Conservatory."

His ears went very still but his voice remained conversational. "Maeve, I don't like your tone. However, in the interests of peace, I'm taking a break from my responsibilities on Caomh Sith and visiting my godson." He smiled gently. "So does that answer your question?"

Her head jerked in a nod. "Yeah it does, at least in part. Why is Kathryn spending so much time in your tent?"

"She's got a problem and she asked Branwyn for help with it."

"What kind of problem?"

"That is none of your business."

Maeve's eyes narrowed again and she leaned forward. "I asked you a question. What is the problem she needs help with?"

"I'm done answering your questions, Maeve. You are not Devon's alpha and even if you were you have no right to demand anything from me."

She slapped him, her enhanced strength catapulting him off the bench. Shikarou rolled to his feet as Nanu shot her twice in the thigh, the armor piercing bullets shattering her femur. "Don't kill her!"

Nanu gave him an amused look. "If I was going to kill her, you'd be too slow to stop me." She had to raise her voice to be heard over Maeve's scream. As the Mini-Top started to crawl to her feet, Nanu chuckled and leveled her pistol. "Get up and I put the next one in your tiny brain." Maeve froze. "Well, that's interesting. It looks like she can be taught."

Suddenly they were surrounded by pokegirls from the Conservatory security unit. Nanu holstered her pistol as Poppet showed up. "What is going on?"

Shikarou spat blood. "Maeve hit me and Nanu shot her. Twice."

Poppet glanced at a Growlie. "Find Devon and tell him to get here right away."

"Yes, ma'am." She headed off at a lope.

"Heal her wound." Another pokegirl hastened to do the Unicorn's bidding as Poppet looked Shikarou over. "Are you ok?"

"She split my cheek but I'll be fine." He spat more blood. "It's already healing."

"THAT BITCH FUCKING SHOT ME!"

Shikarou smiled and winced when his cheek flexed. Bone gleamed whitely and Poppet paled. "Sounds like she's feeling better," he managed to get out.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HER FUCKING ASS!"

"Shikarou, don't try to talk, you're just making it worse." Poppet turned. "Maeve, shut up."

Maeve glared at her. "You aren't my Tamer," she snapped.

"I am." Devon touched her on the shoulder. "Be quiet." Paulette watched from behind him.

Maeve shook off his hand. "That bitch shot me and I want satisfaction."

Devon looked at Poppet who shook her head. "Maeve attacked Shikarou and Nanu was defending him."

"You don't deserve satisfaction." Devon's voice was hard. "And you attacked my friend."

Nanu touched Shikarou on the neck and spoke in a quiet voice. "Let me fight her."

"Are you sure? Do you think you can win?"

"It doesn't matter. You won't let her kill me and I promise that, win or lose, she will know she's been in a fight when I'm done."

"Very well." Shikarou raised his voice. "I think Maeve should be allowed to fight Nanu."

Maeve broke off her argument with Devon as both of them turned to stare at him. Maeve grinned. "Fucking fine by me, but she has to lose the guns. Knives are fine, but no guns."

"I don't need guns to beat you." Nanu gave her a nasty grin. "I don't need knives to beat you either but, since they are allowed, I'll use them."

Maeve growled. "You're dead, bitch."

Shikarou ignored the exchange. "Devon, what do you think?"

"I said it would be fine!"

The kami glanced at Devon's Mini-Top. "This isn't your decision to make Maeve. Devon?" Her ears went flat and she almost hissed.

The young man frowned for a moment and then smiled slightly when Shikarou's head moved in an almost imperceptible nod. "I guess that would be ok."

"Thank you." Shikarou gave him a slight bow. "Devon, would you run Maeve through a healing cycle? I'd like her to be at full strength for this fight. I'll do the same for Nanu."

Devon nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Poppet, would you show Shikarou where the arena is? I don't think he's been there before."

Poppet nodded. "We'll see you there."

"Come along, Maeve."

Maeve glared. "I'm going to beat her ass right now."

Devon gave her a hard look. "Paulette, bring her. Since she's going to be healed, she doesn't need to be conscious for the trip."

Paulette grinned. "You heard the man. Move or be carried."

"Devon!"

"You don't disobey me, Maeve, especially not in front of others. You've already attacked a Tamer, don't make it any worse." He led her off.

Poppet turned to Shikarou. "Do you wish to press charges?"

He snorted. "Am I the kind of person to do that?"

She smiled slightly. "Only if you see some benefit in it for you."

"Point." He shrugged. "Nanu wants to fight her, so that will be enough to satisfy me."

He frowned as Bellona came winging in to land. Her wings shimmered into nonexistence as she walked over and spoke to Nanu. "I have guard duty now." She glanced at Shikarou, sighed and used heal on his face. "You need to be more careful."

He shrugged apologetically. "How did you know what was happening?"

She blinked. "You have a harem full of pokegirls with premonition and telepathy and you ask me that?"

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I'm under surveillance all of the time, should I?"

"No, you shouldn't." Nanu smirked and began taking off her holsters. "Will you hold these for me, Shikarou?"

"I'd be honored to. I'll need your pokeball too." She nodded and handed it over along with her holster rig. "Now, let's get you healed up. I know you weren't injured but this will make sure you are at your best when facing Maeve."

She nodded. "I understand."

Poppet was watching with curiosity. "You have got to be the most stable Mini-Top I've ever met."

Nanu grinned. "I've got a Tamer who I have to beg to let me rest from time to time and that seems to be what I need. The last time I spent the night with him he filled every orifice I've got at least three times."

Poppet blinked. "Did he now?" She gave Shikarou a sidelong glance and he saw a flash of interest in her eyes.

"Yes, he did." Nanu rubbed her bum in memory. "I was very sore afterwards." She gave Shikarou an affectionate look. "He's always like that."

"Are you quite done? I seem to remember you are going to be late for your other favorite thing." Shikarou sounded embarrassed.

"Fighting and fucking, that's the best way to a Mini-Top's heart." Nanu laughed quietly and took his arm. "Now where is that healing unit?"

"You have a heart?"

She glared at him and then chuckled. "Everyone does. You just have to dig deeply enough in the chest cavity. You'll find it." They shared a laugh while Poppet looked at them as if they were crazy.

After they finished running Nanu through a healing cycle, Poppet took them to the Conservatory arena, which turned out to be a sandy clearing about thirty meters across. Trees ringed it on all sides and there was a judge's box halfway across it.

Devon arrived a few minutes later with Maeve, Kathryn, Paulette and Siobhan. He nodded to Shikarou. "Are you sure you want to do this? Maeve is of higher level than your Mini-Top."

Shikarou nodded. "Nanu is and that is enough for me."

Devon nodded and led his little group of pokegirls across the sand to the other side. "I have radios; do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all, in fact I expect you to use whatever resources you normally would. I will." _I will be using the communication spell I cast on the way here._ He glanced off to the side as Branwyn teleported in. "Morning."

She chuckled as she moved to stand next to her mother. "You didn't think I was going to miss this, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I was just wondering what took you so long."

Nanu frowned. "There is no guarantee that I will win this battle."

Branwyn nodded. "That is quite true. However, Nanu, you are one of ours and I will be here to see you battle no matter whether you win or lose, especially since this is your first official pokegirl battle since you joined our harem. I'm also recording it and later the harem will go over it together and critique it with you." She smiled warmly. "The only way I wouldn't be here to watch one of my sisters fight a pokegirl battle would be if I was in my pokeball awaiting my turn on the battlefield and, in that case, we would still record the fight for later review."

The Mini-Top looked surprised and then faintly pleased, which seemed to surprise her even more. "Thank you, my alpha." Nanu turned to Shikarou. "I am ready."

He nodded slowly and frowned as he looked around. "Poppet, we don't have a judge. Would you be willing to officiate?"

The Unicorn looked startled. "Damn, you do need a judge. Yes, I will." She moved to the judge's box. "Devon, are you ready to battle?"

He glanced at Maeve, who made a 'get on with it' motion. "I am."

"Shikarou, are you ready to battle?"

"We are."

Poppet picked up the official flag. "Begin."

**Do you wish for me to intercept Devon's radio traffic?**

"No, let's see if he has any surprises." Shikarou watched as Maeve advanced at a run. "Nanu, do you want me to command you?"

"Yes and no. Let me open the ball and after that cover for me." She waited patiently as Maeve made it halfway across the arena before casting lightning. The bolt blasted Devon's Mini-Top off her feet. Nanu dropped into a lope as she moved to meet her opponent.

Maeve rolled to her feet and charged, her arm beginning to glow with Chi power as she charged up her mega punch.

She looked a little worse for the wear, but Shikarou wasn't surprised, Mini-Tops were weak to electricity and that bolt had obviously taken a chunk out of Maeve. He had a brief mental flashback to when Nanu had bitten Kebi on the tail hard enough to nearly sever it and Kebi had responded with a double-strength thunder attack down her tail. Nanu had barely survived the blast and was still giving the Ria a wide berth.

"Nanu, at the last moment use leap." The Mini-Top bounced into the air as Maeve swung and missed. Nanu's attack smashed her to the ground. She rode the blow down, driving her full weight into Maeve's torso and leaped off as Maeve grabbed for her legs.

Before Nanu could get away, Maeve hit her with tackle, dropping her into the sand. She used pummel on Nanu and Nanu responded with a vicious nipple cripple attack. Maeve screeched and fell backwards from the rapid blows to her breasts. Nanu rolled on top of the screaming pokegirl and hit her with mega punch before jumping to her feet and backing away.

Maeve lay moaning for a moment before slowly climbing to her feet. She hissed something to Nanu, who responded by sticking out her tongue and cupping her groin. Maeve growled and closed cautiously, pulling her khukuri as she did.

Once she was close enough, Maeve lunged with a vicious swipe but missed as Nanu jumped into the air and hit her in the face with double kick. Maeve was knocked to the ground while Nanu used the momentum to flip in the air and land on her feet. Her hands flashed to her throwing knives and she hurled them into Maeve's back as she tried to stand. Maeve went down, twisting as she clawed at the knives in her back.

Nanu dove at her with a double edge attack and the impact raised a cloud of dust. When it settled, Nanu was pulling her knives from Maeve's body and wiping them off on her victim's clothes.

Poppet dropped the flag as Devon and his pokegirls rushed onto the battlefield. "Maeve is no longer able to battle. Shikarou and Nanu are the victors."

Branwyn grinned. "Take that, you bitch."

Nanu grabbed Shikarou. "I won!" She tugged at his clothes. "I fought, can I fuck now?"

Branwyn grinned. "Into the woods with the two of you." She watched with amusement as Nanu dragged their Tamer into the nearby trees.

(05/22/99 1000 Lairg, Blue Continent)

Devon looked at Bellona for a moment. "How are you? You look good." She did, she'd put on muscle since leaving his harem and seemed much more relaxed.

"I'm doing well, Devon." Her tone was noncommittal as she continued scanning the crowd for threats.

He turned to Shikarou. "You've been taking good care of her. I'm pleased to see that."

Shikarou picked up his beer. "Thank you." He glanced at Bellona. _What else am I supposed to say?_

She was still busy watching the other people in the public house. _There's nothing you can say that won't either hurt his feelings or make him angry, so you probably shouldn't say anything else._

So he changed the subject. "Maeve would have made a better showing if Nanu hadn't opened with lightning. She took almost perfect advantage of Maeve's primary weaknesses."

Devon snorted. "Yeah, well, Maeve also might have done better if she'd listened to me and my instructions, but she chose not to and paid the price." He glanced at his Nogitsune. "Siobhan here gives me less trouble than she does. I'm hoping her defeat by a lower level pokegirl will help." A smile fluttered on his lips as Siobhan snickered from where she stood behind him. "Maybe I'm hoping for too much."

"After you, she got weak Tamers and they let her be in control so long that it became a habit. She was gone for a year and it'll take a while to get her used to your way of doing things again." Shikarou shrugged. "Add in the Mini-Top's normal attitude and you've got a lot of work to do."

"I don't suppose your way of working with Nanu would be useful to me, would it?"

"Not unless you can frighten pokegirls with a look."

Siobhan blinked. "Sure you can," she stated flatly. Bellona snickered and the Nogitsune gave her an annoyed look. "You can't frighten me."

Shikarou sighed. "May I?" to Devon.

Devon looked curious. "She's challenged you. Besides, this I want to see."

"Ok. I don't normally do this as a parlor trick, but just this one time. Are you ready, Siobhan?"

The Nogitsune put her hands flat on the table and leaned down to put her nose almost against his. "Scare away, human."

Bellona chuckled. "Second mistake," she muttered.

Shikarou folded his hands on the table and looked up into Siobhan's eyes. Devon watched closely and jumped when Siobhan started and backed up suddenly, going into a defensive posture. Her eyes narrowed, her ears swiveled flat and her chest quivered as she growled softly.

Shikarou smiled and she relaxed, taking a deep breath. Devon watched the two of them closely. "How did you do that?"

"Please, don't show him." Siobhan's voice was shaky. "I don't want to see that twice."

"Very well." Shikarou turned to Devon. "It really isn't that important, but the underlying principle is that I show them that I am a predator and that I consider them to be prey. Most creatures respond to that on a very basic and instinctual level and it happens that pokegirls are no different in that regard." He smiled crookedly. "Actually, humans seem to be one of the few groups that have managed to learn not to listen to that part of their soul when it screams a warning at them. It appears to be a flaw in their evolution."

Devon frowned and shrugged. "Sounds Greek to me." He cocked his head. "Siobhan, do you owe Shikarou an apology?"

"That's not necessary." Shikarou picked up his beer. "She didn't call me a liar; she just wanted to see it for herself." He drained half the mug and glanced out the window. "So, how's life in jolly old Lairg now?"

Devon chuckled. "Interesting. There's a new Sheriff, but unsurprisingly enough, he's another Godwin. He didn't have any pokegirls, so the Mayor contacted the Blue League and requested two for him." His eyes sparkled with humor. "I think they intended to sell them if they were rare. However, when the new pokegirls arrived, there was a bit of a shock." He raised an eyebrow. "Poppet tells me that you may be to thank for that."

"I don't know if I should be thanked for it, but it was certainly my pleasure."

Bellona frowned. "Ok, why don't you stop patting yourself on the back and tell me what happened."

"I thought they might pull something like requesting free pokegirls from the Blue League and they did. They asked for specific types, but the law says that if the request can't be met, then suitable substitutes could be sent in their place. I had Aggie monitor for their request and I took care of it."

The DragonQueen gave him a suspicious look. "What did you do?"

"Alice contacted some of her friends in the police community and found two pokegirls who were looking for a challenge. The new Sheriff took custody of an experienced Growlie and an OfficerJenny a few days later and they've been making him toe the line ever since."

Devon grinned. "That's not all, they've also been looking for corruption within the Lairg government and I think that what they've found is going to end up causing the Blue League to send down some investigators for some official notice of what's been going on. The town might just get a long overdue cleaning."

(05/24/99 0800 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"May I have my son back while he still remembers me?" Leticia gave Shikarou a cross look. He was busy playing airplane with Christopher and the little boy was giggling as he soared around the room in response to the motions of Shikarou's wand.

Shikarou nodded. "Of course." The baby floated into his arms and he turned and offered the little one to the NurseJoy. "I thought you might enjoy the break from him."

She nestled her baby in her arms. "I do, but it's time for his feeding and my breasts hurt."

"Ah." He watched as Leticia carried the boy away and glanced at the smirking Pythia. "You have a comment?"

"I'm glad to see you like kids. You have several pokewomen who want some from you."

He shrugged and stretched. "That might not be a bad thing. Then again, it depends on the timing."

"Is there a bad time for a child?"

"Oh yeah. Personally, I think Devon is still a little young. The circumstances that resulted in Christopher weren't his fault and he and Leticia seem to be making a pretty good go at it."

Pythia gave him an odd look. "Will you breed me? I am, after all, the only one of my kind that we know of."

"I won't force you to have children, but if you want, I will." Curiosity stirred in his eyes. How old are you anyway?"

"I'm four years old." She smiled. "I was two months old when I was decanted and I've always looked like this."

"Boy, are you in for a shock or three." He frowned. "If you are the only member of your species, don't we need to name you?"

"Pythia works."

"Yes, it does. But that's your name, not the name of your species."

She tilted her head and licked her muzzle. "What would you call my species?"

"I'm not sure. We need to be thinking about it, though. Since you are my pokegirl, we want to do it instead of some idiot who has no clue what you are like and gives you and your kids some stupid name." He snorted. "I don't think you want to known as a HornFoxx or something like that."

"No, I don't think I want to be called that."

They headed down the hall and outside. "Where are we going?"

"The tent. I want to see how Kathryn's training is going."

Before they could get there, however, they were intercepted by Ming Die. _Devon would like to speak to you if you have a moment._

"Hello to you as well, Ming Die."

The Alaka-Wham smiled slightly. _Hello. Are you willing to meet with Devon?_

"I am. If you would be so kind as to show me where he is?"

_This way please._ She led them back inside and to an office where Devon was working at his computer.

"Thank you, Ming Die. Please have a seat, Shikarou." He settled back as Ming Die bowed and left. "We've gotten that request I warned you about for an inspection."

Shikarou smiled sweetly. "Drop fucking dead. Now that's out of the way, you want to use this to get your proficiency, right?"

Devon chuckled. "That's right."

"That's good. If you come back later and want to borrow Branwyn again, it's going to be time for one of those talks angry people tend to have. Where is it?"

"It's at a ranch in the Sunshine League." Devon typed in a command on his computer. "The Hina House Ranch in Blowjob."

"They actually named a place Blowjob?" Shikarou shook his head. "Who the hell names a place Blowjob?"

"I wouldn't talk like that to anyone from the Sunshine League," Devon warned. "Most people are very proud of the names of the places they come from."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I only try to mock things that are hard to make fun of. Blowjob is just too easy." He snickered. "Don't go to Blowjob, it'll suck the life out of you."

"Are you done?"

"No, but I'll internalize the rest." Shikarou leaned back_. Aggie, give me a report on the Hina House Ranch in or around the community of Blowjob. It's in the Sunshine League._

**The owner and operator is one Carlos Escobar. It's been in operation for several years and has a shady reputation.**

_I want specifics on the reputation. Investigate the possibility that the rumors are true. _

**A complete report will take a couple of hours.**

_Then that will have to do. Have Selene shift satellites around if necessary to give me realtime communications with that part of the world. I'm not happy with letting Branwyn out of my sight for so long._

Shikarou gave Devon a direct look. "What do you know about this ranch?"

"It's a ranch. Why?"

"Aggie says it has a shady reputation. Her words. When do you have to leave?"

"Not for another week. Please let me know what you find."

"I will." Shikarou rose to his feet. "I'll tell Branwyn about this."

"Thanks."

(05/24/99 0900 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"You really should think about putting a window in that door."

Shikarou glanced at Pythia as he reached for the arena door. "Why?" He opened it and the door was ripped out of his hands to slam against the wall as he was smashed against the wall by a fierce wind that blasted through the doorway.

It died suddenly and he heard Kathryn's voice. "Sorry!"

Pythia pulled him to his feet. "So we know when it's safe to go in." She was obviously trying not to smile, but her quivering ears gave her away.

He brushed himself off and tried to appear nonchalant. "Maybe you have a point."

Once inside, he looked around. His harem was broken up into teams which were working to teach each other the attacks they knew in order to increase their individual flexibility. Yushiko and Branwyn were with Kathryn, who looked extremely embarrassed as she watched him. She relaxed when he waved and grinned to let her know everything was all right.

Shikarou glanced at Pythia as she shut and bolted the door. "Be off with you." She nodded and flew off to join one of the groups. It was agreed that he was as safe here as he could be anywhere and this was one of the few places he didn't get a bodyguard. Early mornings were usually for learning while afternoon training was for combat. In the mornings he either tended to circulate and assist where he could or else he spent one on one time with someone who was working on her magic. Today he was circulating.

When he got to Kathryn's group, he stopped briefly and watched. He and Branwyn had discussed it beforehand and decided that they were not going to teach any of Devon's harem any magic that unless there was some kind of reciprocal agreement between the Tamers, which at this point didn't exist. That meant they would focus on teaching Kathryn how to creatively use the attacks she had and work on her strength and endurance.

Afternoons would be spent fighting her until she dropped, healing her and fighting her more. It was rough on the Ladyien, but she was already showing a great deal of improvement and was starting to put on some muscle. It was also doing wonders for her confidence, which was one of the real reasons she did so poorly in fights. Shikarou suspected that Devon's training program was going to get a serious revamping in the near future.

Kathryn was actually following the same training regimen that was used in Shikarou's harem three days a week. Two of the remaining four days were spent resting. The other two days were for tactical training, where Branwyn, Pythia, Circe and Bellona got to be Tamers and command their own "harem", which they used in combat against each other and against Shikarou. Bellona still needed a lot of work, but she had good instinctive tactical skills and showed a lot of promise.

During the tactical combat sessions, sometimes he was a Tamer and sometimes he played the part of a pokegirl and battled. This gave him a chance to get a workout and also let his harem know he was willing to take just as many chances as they did. On those days his harem got a lot of practice with their healing spells, since he didn't have a pokeball and couldn't be run through the PPHU.

Allowing your pokegirls to try to kill you was technically illegal, so the tactical battle days were on hiatus while they were training Kathryn. Shikarou missed them.

His reverie was interrupted when Elizabeth slammed into him and hugged him tight. "I DID IT!" She kissed him happily and spun him in a circle.

"That's good. What did you do?"

"I learned it!" She almost bubbled with glee. "Finally." Over her shoulder he could see Circe and Pythia watching with almost identical expressions of amusement.

Elizabeth tightened her arms around him. "Here, let me show you." She closed her eyes and screwed her face up in concentration. Suddenly, they were standing on the other side of the arena. Her eyes opened and she giggled. "See, I teleported!"

"That's wonderful!" Shikarou hugged her hard enough to make her gasp. "I'm so proud of you."

Elizabeth beamed. "Thanks." She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I've been trying to learn this for so long. I've got a lot to learn yet, but I want to be more useful." She grinned up at him. "I wouldn't want you to think you could dispense with my services."

"I wasn't thinking anything close to that, but you have certainly given me another reason to keep you around. Now, you need to get back practice. If Branwyn catches you hanging on me during training, she'll pull your name from the lottery."

Elizabeth got one more kiss before happily returning to her training. Shikarou glanced at Circe. _I'm pleased to see she mastered that move. Good job with her training, both of you._

The Alaka-Wham twirled an antenna in a slow circle _She's very enthusiastic. She still needs to work on her power and control, but she's got the potential to be very strong. I suspect she wants to be one of your primaries and that will keep her working hard._

He nodded and continued on his rounds.

(05/24/99 1700 Blue Continent, 1000 Blowjob, Sunshine League)

"I don't fucking believe this." Carlos Escobar closed his eyes for a moment and then stared at his computer screen again. Nothing had changed. "Shit."

Hephzibah looked up from where she was filing her nails. "I take it you aren't getting that threshold Neo Iczel."

"What? Oh, that. Who cares, we've got bigger problems." He smacked his monitor. "Someone didn't stay bought and now we are getting an inspection next week."

The Succubus blinked. "We're getting an inspection? We've never had one before, at least not that I remember."

He gave her a withering look. "You idiot, that would be because I pay certain members of the government to keep this from happening to me. This is the first time they've failed to come through."

"So, you pay the government inspectors off." She shook her head. "They don't make much, it shouldn't be that hard."

"The inspector won't be a Sunny. We get inspected by someone from another ranch. Probably he won't even be from the Sunshine League." His mouth set as he scrolled down. "The inspector is coming from the Blue League. The Harris Conservatory." He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I know that one. Damn, I can't remember." He hammered keys and the screen changed. "Here we go. Oh, this one. Yeah, I remember it. It's run by a pokegirl."

Hephzibah looked up. "Pokegirls can run ranches?"

"Don't go getting any more dumb ideas." Escobar picked up a rubber ball from his desk and bounced it off the Succubus' head. Her eyes glittered. "Don't even think it."

She watched him for a moment. _Some day_, she promised herself. "So how's a pokegirl in charge?"

"There's a human figurehead. His name is," Carlos hit more keys, "Devon Harris. Hey, he's on the inspection team as a secondary." His eyes narrowed. "The primary is Branwyn Urufu." More keys were abused and his shoulders slumped. "We can forget about bribing this one."

"Why not?"

"Her Tamer just took down a fucking Widow, solo. I don't have enough money to get her attention, much less bribe the bitch."

"She's a pokegirl?"

"Yeah, a Unicorn."

Interest lit up Hephzibah's eyes. "I've never tamed a Unicorn."

"Don't get your hopes up. I doubt she's here for a good time."

"Well now, we'll just have to see about that. So why is this inspection such a big deal?"

"First of all, they'll check the books and might find the irregularities in our acquisition program. They might also find out that we've been dealing with the Night Watch. At best, I'll get arrested and you'll get wiped and sent to some combat harem. At worst, I'll get turned into a pokegirl and sent along with you." He snickered. "And some very prominent families might get outed for having less than pure blood, which of course could be bad for them; bad enough that they might take it out on us."

The Succubus frowned. "I don't think that would be a whole lot of fun."

"Really? You think?" He snorted. "I've got a week, that's not going to be enough time to get rid of my special girls."

"Shoot them."

"I'd rather shoot you, you stupid whore! They cost me a lot of money and no idiot from the Blue League is going to shut me down." He reached for his com. "I've done enough favors for the Night Watch; it's time they paid me back for a couple of them."

"And if they don't?"

"The Blood Continent is nice this time of year." He tapped some keys. "Ok, they haven't finalized their agenda yet, but there's enough here I can go ahead and send a message to the Vigo letting him know there's a problem."

(05/28/99 0630 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"Fuck!" Maeve stumbled forward and turned to glare at her tormentor. "Stop shoving me, goddamn it. Why the fuck are you doing this?"

Hatsumi gave her an even look. "You can walk or Hatsumi can carry you by your ears."

"Damn it, the sun's not even up." Hatsumi shrugged. "Shit."

"Hatsumi had orders. Get Maeve up and let her have her weapons. Then Hatsumi is to make sure you go to the arena." Her eyes narrowed. "You do not want Hatsumi to carry you."

"Orders? From who?"

"Less talk, more walk."

Maeve started walking again. "Fine. Who ordered this, Devon?"

"No, Hatsumi's master did not order this. Hatsumi's alpha ordered this."

"That bug is going to pay this time." Maeve sped up. "I am going to make her regret this when I pull her wings off."

She ground to a halt as she came out in the arena. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"You need to understand something right now, Maeve." Branwyn smiled slightly. "I am not your enemy, but neither am I your friend. Shikarou didn't do anything because he's trying to be nice to Devon, but you keep that attitude with me and I'll hurt you enough to make you evolve to Mini-Top all over again." Her smile broadened. "I'm here to referee and I brought some muscle to enforce my decrees." The smile vanished. "They will not hesitate to pound you into a bloody pool of contriteness if I tell them to."

Maeve looked around. "I don't see anyone else. Where's Kathryn?"

"She'll be along in a moment." Branwyn's smile was back. "Isn't that right, Elizabeth?"

"If you say so." Maeve whirled at the voice behind her. Elizabeth smiled. "Hi." Her fangs gleamed in the predawn light. "Surprise."

Maeve turned back to Branwyn. "Where is Kathryn?" Her tone was calmer.

"She's on her way. We'll just wait for her."

Maeve folded her arms and fumed while Hatsumi moved to be near Branwyn.

Kathryn came along after a few minutes. The Ladyien looked around. "Good, everyone seems to be here." She glanced at Elizabeth and back at Branwyn. "Should I ask why ye brought her?"

"I wanted some backup to enforce any judgments I might have to make."

"Ah. Is she the only enforcer?"

"No, Pythia's setting up the recorders."

"Very well." Kathryn turned to Maeve. "Good morning."

"What is going on here?"

"I am tired of putting up with ye." Kathryn's wing cases fluttered. "So it's time we had a talk about how life is going to be in the harem."

"Oh really?"

"Aye. We can either have this talk now, or after I beat ye in battle." Kathryn was working hard to use Branwyn's advice to remain calm no matter what. "But in either case we are going to have that talk. Which way would ye rather it be?"

"Bug, I am going to enjoy this so much." Maeve grinned. "Your ass is toast."

Branwyn nodded. "Challenge given and accepted. Maeve, move to the other end of the arena."

"Let her do it," Maeve sneered.

"I told you to do something. Do it." Maeve blinked at Branwyn's tone.

"And if I don't?"

"I brought a healing machine with me, Maeve. Do not test my patience."

Maeve glared for a moment and then loped to the other end of the arena and turned to face her opponent.

Pythia spiraled in to land next to Branwyn. "The sensors are in place and I'm recording."

The Unicorn nodded. "Remember when to stop."

"I will."

Branwyn raised her voice. "Maeve, are you ready to battle?"

"Yeah!"

"Kathryn, are you ready to battle?"

"Indeed, I am." The Ladyien's wing cases lifted.

Branwyn picked up the flag and waved the start. "Begin."

Maeve advanced cautiously as Kathryn lifted into the air. The Ladyien glowed briefly as she used speed storm and then blurred forward in a dive attack. Maeve dodged and Kathryn screeched to a halt and spun in place.

Maeve hit her with uppercut, knocking Kathryn away and causing her to spin end over end for a few seconds until she could regain control. Maeve charged, but Kathryn used vortex before she could close.

The tornado threw the Mini-Top a dozen meters into the air and she squalled as she plummeted to the ground. She landed hard but shook it off and quickly rolled to her feet. Kathryn had used the time to grab some altitude and hit her with a dive attack, smashing Maeve into the trees surrounding the battlefield.

Branwyn raised her flag. "Hold. Maeve, return to the arena."

Maeve appeared and paused, filling her lungs with several deep breaths of air before crossing into the battlefield.

Kathryn smiled as she hovered five meters up. "Yield and I'll let this end."

Maeve snarled. "Not a fucking chance." Her khukuri whispered from its scabbard and she advanced.

"Suit yerself." Kathryn's squall attack blasted Maeve back out of the arena and once more into the trees.

Branwyn sighed. "Kathryn, if you deliberately throw her out of the arena again I will give you a penalty."

"Aye. I won't do it again." She drifted backwards as Maeve charged and used leap to reach the Ladyien. Kathryn used her increased speed to dodge backwards and as soon as she had room, hit Maeve with vortex again.

When the Mini-Top hit the ground again, she lay still for several seconds before slowly climbing to her feet. She picked up her knife and in a smooth motion hurled it at Kathryn, who dodged it easily and used vortex once more.

Maeve crashed to the ground and didn't move. Kathryn watched her for several seconds before landing.

Branwyn raised the flag. "You win."

Kathryn grinned. "That felt good." She turned to Hatsumi. "Pokeball?"

The Demon-Goddess tossed her Maeve's pokeball and the alpha recalled the Mini-Top.

Branwyn was setting up the PPHU. "Here." Kathryn handed her the pokeball and the Unicorn cycled it through and released Maeve.

Pythia nodded to Branwyn. _I am no longer recording._

_Good._

Kathryn looked her over. "Aye, I beat ye. I am the alpha and ye will do as I instruct. I will not fight ye again like this. The next time ye misbehave, I will have Hatsumi and Paulette beat ye. If ye don't believe me, ask Rhiannon about what happened to her when she started choosing which of my orders she wanted to obey."

Maeve gave her a surly look. "I will." She picked up her khukuri and slid it back into its scabbard.

"Good, ye do that and listen to what she says to ye." She sighed and rubbed her chest. "Now get back to Devon's."

"Just a moment." Branwyn smiled. "There's just one more thing. Pythia."

The G-Spliced teleported, coming out behind Maeve and grabbing her, lifting the Mini-Top and pinning her arms.

Maeve yelped. "What the fuck?" She tried to struggle.

Branwyn stepped up to her and drew Maeve's khukuri. "Did you know I got my first Harris knife when I was four?" She slid the edge gently down Maeve's chest as Kathryn stared in shock. Maeve froze. "I've been using them ever since." Her eyes narrowed. "You attacked my husband. You attacked their Tamer." She gestured with the knife at Elizabeth and Pythia. "If you ever attack my husband again, outside of a real battle, you and I are going to have another talk and you are really not going to want that to happen." She touched Maeve on the nose with the point of the knife. "This is the only warning you are going to get."

In a smooth motion, she cut Maeve's throat to the spine. Maeve gurgled and blood sprayed over Branwyn and the surrounding sand. Branwyn leaned forward. "I'm serious." She watched Maeve's eyes glaze and returned the Mini-Top to her pokeball.

She handed the pokeball to Elizabeth. "Cycle her through again." She turned to Kathryn. "Do you have a grievance against me?" She wiped the knife off on her dress and dropped it in a clean patch of sand.

Kathryn closed her mouth. "I dinna know what to say to ye."

Hatsumi chuckled. "Hatsumi thinks you should say thank you."

"She tried to kill Maeve!"

Hatsumi shook her head. "If the Unicorn had wanted to kill her, Maeve would be dead. Hatsumi thinks she gave a very good lesson."

Elizabeth offered Maeve's pokeball to Branwyn. "All done."

Branwyn took it and handed it to Kathryn. "Do you have a grievance against me?" she asked again.

Kathryn stared at the pokeball in her hand and her mouth firmed. "No. I do not." She handed the ball to Hatsumi, who tucked it into a pocket. "If she goes to Devon, I will have to tell him the truth."

"I understand." Branwyn shrugged. "We will deal with things as they happen. You'd better get back so you can get healed." She looked down at herself. "And I need a bath."

Kathryn nodded. "I'll see ye later."

(05/28/99 2000 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"Should I be mad at you and Branwyn?" Devon's look was not quite a glare.

Shikarou smiled slightly. "No."

"Your alpha almost killed Maeve!"

"Almost being the important word in that sentence." He sighed. "I agree that she went a bit overboard, but the truth is that if Nanu hadn't shot her, I was considering something almost as bloody as I got up, and her pokeball wouldn't have been around to keep her alive."

"Lovely, you're both unbalanced." Devon glared at the wall.

"No, I just don't take being attacked very well." Shikarou smirked. "Branwyn is unbalanced. So, how's Maeve doing?"

Devon transferred his glare to Shikarou and then looked down. "She's polite." He glanced up. "If you tell me that I should be welcome, I'll hit you."

It took an effort, but Shikarou managed to keep any hint of the vast amusement he felt from showing. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm leaving for the Sunshine League the day after tomorrow." Devon frowned. "We'll be coming out near the city of Diversity and I'll keep you apprised of our progress."

"I appreciate that." Shikarou leaned back. "You still want Branwyn to go with you? She could just meet you at the Hina House Ranch."

Devon grimaced. "Yes, I do. While she's crazy, it's like Poppet being crazy. The only difference is she's insane on the subject of you instead of the Harris family." A tiny smile appeared. "As long as I don't ambush you, I should be fine."

"So how is your harem?"

Devon shrugged. "Quiet. Kathryn is as happy as if I got her a bag of raspberries and Maeve is polite. I know it won't last, but things look ok. I think it's a good start, at least until Maeve and Rhiannon butt heads."

Shikarou snorted. "That one you should sell tickets to."

"I'll have to in order to pay for the damages to wherever we happen to be at that point." He rubbed his forehead. "Did you ever find anything out about the Hina House Ranch?"

Shikarou grimaced. "Mostly rumor. Carlos has an unofficial reputation of being so crooked that he resembles a spring. However, the most interesting information comes from the pokegirl section of . There are several pokegirls who claim that they came from influential families who sold them to him under the table. Families that claim to be completely pure blooded and are in positions they would lose if it became known that they had daughters who went through threshold. Some of them belong to the most powerful anti-pokegirl group in the Sunshine League."

He frowned. "Interestingly enough, the people they claim to have been are all missing. Some of them have been reported as runaways, some as just missing and a few are kidnapping cases. None of them have been solved and the police have no leads, at least not officially." His ears slid halfway back. "In a curious turn of events, several of these were never reported in the press or anywhere by the families. No press conferences, no appeals for public aid, nothing. And several of the families received a lot of money around the time the girls left home. All of them received a good sum within a year of the disappearances; I guess some of them were smarter about it."

"I haven't had Aggie audit their finances, and at this point I don't intend to. However, Branwyn will be using her to audit the Ranch and account for every centicredit that passes through there." He shrugged. "Mainly to satisfy my curiosity. I suspect that even if we find some financial irregularities, they won't be enough to get the Sunshine League involved, a very cursory search of his com records and email hints that he's got a lot of friends in the Sunshine League. We'd probably have to find him over the body with the bloody knife in his hand before they'd do anything about it."

"There are also a couple of indications that he's involved with organized crime. There is a Team-like group down there called the Night Watch and they may have some links with him." His frown returned.

"They're pretty strong in parts of the Sunshine League, but you aren't going near their stronghold city, fortunately. If you were, Branwyn would either not be going or I would be traveling with you."

Devon stared at him. "Why hasn't the Sunshine League gotten involved, if he's working with these criminals? It sounds like you have enough rumors to start an investigation into the matter if nothing else."

"They don't know everything I do." Shikarou looked modest and then grinned. "Aggie pulled these reports together from every jurisdiction and security organ in the Sunshine League as well as from . These groups don't talk to each other very much and have not put things together as I have. Aggie is very good at her job."

"Why don't you send this to their attention?"

"That's not my problem and would reveal that I have the capability to penetrate their security at will. They would not be happy to know that and would try to find out who could do it."

"Why are you telling me this then?"

"First, my wife is going with you and I want you informed. If Escobar is as dirty as the rumors indicate, he may not be very happy about the upcoming inspection. I don't know what his resources are, but forewarned is forearmed." His mouth firmed. "And if he hurts Branwyn I will…" He blinked. "Let's just say I won't be happy and he doesn't want that."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 69

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 56

DragonQueen Bellona 50

Seraph Dorothea 49

Ria Kebi 47

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 46

G-Spliced Pythia 45

Sphinx Lorelei 42

Vampire Elizabeth 42

Blazicunt Marzia 39

Mini-Top Nanu 39

Hun Hanmei 28

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village


	25. Chapter 25

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 25: Going Visiting

(06/07/99 1400 Blue Continent, 0700 Windy Shores, Sunshine League)

"I _really_ think this is a bad idea."

Shikarou sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Branwyn, if it's any consolation to you, so do I."

"So why are you going to do it?"

Elizabeth put her hand on her alpha's arm. "Because he said he would." She gave him a glance filled with a multitude of different emotions. "And because I want to do this and he wants me to be happy."

The Unicorn sighed. "I can't talk you out of it, can I?"

"I will not be foresworn." Shikarou chuckled quietly. "And while I did not swear an oath to Alexia, I will not ignore my obligation to complete what I said I would do. Besides, there are some people that need to be punished for their stupidity or cruelty and the Davenports are both stupid and cruel." He gave her a wry smile. "On the other hand, she's not my pokegirl and I'm not going to take any major risks."

Branwyn gave him a long look and then nodded. "All right, what can I do to help?"

"I want you to take all my other pokegirls and gear. This is going to be hard enough for me and if I screw this up I don't want to give the authorities the opportunity to take my ladies from me while I'm working on escaping from their clutches."

"I'd be glad to. Windy Shores isn't known for welcoming pokegirls or men with large amounts of pokegirl traits. How are you going to do this?"

He grinned. "Magic." He quickly shed his backpack and other gear, handing everything to his wife as he did so.

She stuffed everything inside his pack and draped it over her shoulder. "I want to see this spell."

He nodded and cast it. A slight glow surrounded him and when it faded he'd become a normal looking Caucasian human male with short blonde hair and icy blue eyes. "How's that?"

"Impressive." Branwyn gave him a quick once over. "Can you take the shape of anyone?"

"If I've seen them, yes. Why?"

She grinned. "That means I'll get to have sex with my favorite vid stars." She gave him a coquettish look. "You will help a poor girl's fantasies to come true, won't you?"

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I'm sure we can work something out." He turned to Elizabeth. "I suspect they will scan anyone entering the city. Considering how paranoid they are, it's something I'd do. So, what I want to do is enter the city without you and call you when I'm ready. Then you can teleport in to where I am."

She nodded. "You do realize that this sort of thing would be easier if we were delta bonded."

"It will happen if it's meant to."

"I know. I just find it frustrating. I want to be one of your favorites."

Branwyn patted her on the shoulder. "You're doing a good job of it; you just need to give it a little more time." She turned to Shikarou. "So what's my role in this?"

"You are my escape route. While I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to welcome Elizabeth into my life, I didn't really enjoy the whole jail experience other than that, so you are the leader of my rescue team if I end up there again. If I have to escape on my own, I won't guarantee a zero fatality rate." He flashed a grin. "I won't even guarantee that I'll try for one."

"That sounds like a reasonable plan." Branwyn gave him a quick kiss. "See you later." She vanished.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I've heard horror stories about what happens when you are left alone."

He snorted. "You are one of those stories."

She giggled. "Oh, yeah. Well, be careful." Wrapping her arms around him she hugged him tightly. "Send for me as soon as you can," she whispered to his neck.

"Just as soon as it's safe." He hugged her back and then stepped away. "Now you need to go."

She nodded and vanished as he turned and briskly walked towards town. He would have enjoyed the opportunity to stretch his legs, but he was supposed to be human and while the transformation spell redid the way he looked, he wasn't interested in using it to limit his natural abilities. He suspected that running at more than twenty kilometers an hour would be slightly out of character.

This meant that it was after 0900 when he'd covered the nine kilometers to the outskirts of Windy Shores. Located on the site of San Diego, California, Windy Shores had survived the years relatively unscathed physically. In part that was because its soul had been damned early on by the Wolcott family. It boasted a population of over a million persons and while most other cities of that size would use the word 'bustling' to describe itself, Shikarou could feel a psychic miasma that acted to drain the vitality of the populace.

Legend had it that sometime during their reign over Windy Shores, the Wolcott family had been cursed, and considering the magical ambience, Shikarou could believe it.

Windy Shores also proudly held the distinction of being possibly the most virulently anti-pokegirl city on the planet. Here pokegirls were considered subhuman at best and beasts at worst. They had no rights whatsoever and anyone who consorted with them on anything more than the most basic level was suspect. There had even been one wit on the city council several years ago who had tried to get an ordinance passed that would have prosecuted anyone taming pokegirls under the old bestiality statutes, but it had died in committee. The official reason was that pure-blood humans couldn't be expected to perform the menial jobs that were the only employment pokegirls could get but Shikarou suspected it was more that the powers-that-be didn't want to give up their sex-toy pets.

Most Tamers went out of their way to avoid the city entirely.

Unfortunately the kind of prejudices seen in Windy Shores had a tendency to become self perpetuating in a generation or so and the ones here were deeply entrenched indeed. By this time, he suspected that the best way to root out the problems here would involve the use of large amounts of poison gas or a tacnuke. On reflection, however, he decided that anything like that would probably be blamed on a pokegirl or group of pokegirls and the survivors would become even more repressive.

So, while the city was filled with people, there was a distinct lack of energy in the air. Instead, there was a sort of gritty dismay that seemed to slowly coat the edges of your soul and bleed the joy from your heart.

Every block had cameras stationed, looking in all directions. Shikarou knew that these constantly scanned the passersby for pokegirls and compared them with a central registry. These systems worked automatically and scanned for both mobile pokegirls and occupied pokeballs.

Any discrepancies and the WSPD would be dispatched to bring the pokegirl (or suspected pokegirl) in for questioning. Often they were never seen again. The ones that were released nearly always showed signs of physical abuse or were heavily drugged as part of the questioning process. Often they also showed signs of sexual assault. In any case only the owners might be outraged and they had no real recourse under the city's laws.

Considering that most pokegirls knew what was likely to happen to them at the police stations and were therefore often less than eager to go with the authorities, the WSPD was one of the most heavily armed police forces on earth and tended to deploy in assault squads for everything from serving warrants to issuing tickets for jaywalking.

Shikarou was in no hurry to make their acquaintance.

In short, he thought with a smile, Windy Shores was the antithesis of everything that Caomh Sith stood for. It was fortunate for the denizens of this fair community that they were so far from the Blue League or Shikarou would be very tempted to make the destruction of this place his own personal project for the next century or so.

He stopped off in a small shop and purchased an electronic map of the city along with a news download to his handheld, being careful to use only coins. The Davenports lived in an area called The Heights and he wasn't quite sure where it was located.

Another shop yielded a cheap backpack and some fluffy bath towels, which went into the pack.

He pulled up the map on his display and charted a route to the Heights. As he walked, Shikarou pulled up the news for a review. Apparently there was a district somewhere around the old naval base where the police wouldn't go. It was being reviled by the mayor as a haven of pokesymps. He suspected that meant pokegirl sympathizers and Aggie soon confirmed it.

It also appeared that pokegirl rights groups tended to travel to Windy Shores to agitate against the establishment. Most of them were apparently working to try to convince the entrenched hierarchy that they were in the wrong. It wasn't working, especially since the other groups that came here to protest seemed to have a lot of free time as well as access to homemade explosives and thermite which they seemed to use liberally on the local buildings. Unlike the protesters, the terrorists had managed to create an effect; they'd polarized the city against the pro-pokegirl groups. It made him wonder if the terrorist groups were legitimate since it was entirely possible that the local authorities had created and used them to justify their draconian policies.

His reading had taken him into The Heights proper and he stopped at a street corner to look around. The place was full of old money mansions surrounded by ubiquitous three meter high walls and automatic gates. Security cameras were visible at the gates and he was sure that more discrete systems guarded the walls themselves. He smiled slightly and began walking again. Where there were security systems there were computers and where there were computers Aggie could go.

_What have you got for me? _

**Your shirt is ugly. That being said, all of the security systems here have emergency codes for the local police station. I have entered the local police station computers and used them to backtrack to here. I'm ready to suppress all of the security systems for the whole area if necessary, but it should only be necessary to erase you from the data streams as you cross them.**

Aggie injected field of view markers for the security cameras in his line of sight. One wall on a property down the road a little way flashed blue three times. **That is the Davenport estate. I've downloaded the plans on file at the police department, but it is four years old. I'm in the process of building a more current plan from the security cameras on and around the property. They appear to have only non-organic security because financial records do not show them paying any living guards.**

_That will certainly make things easier. I'll leave the area and return and at that point make me invisible to the electronics on site. Give me a path._

**Here is your path.** A jagged line appeared on his vision. It traced around as many of the security camera viewing zones as possible. Shikarou noted it but didn't follow it. Yet. **Do you want to do this in the daytime or at night?**

_In the daytime I can always claim to be admiring the mansions. At night the police will presume that I'm a thief casing houses and that's always much harder to explain. Of course, once I'm on the property itself I suspect that I'll be out of reasonable excuses._

An hour later he was back, following the path Aggie laid out for him to the section of the Davenport property that had the least security coverage. He looked around casually and hopped over the wall as soon as he assured himself that he wasn't under observation. Once on the other side, he went to ground and waited: looking and listening. This form he wore was annoying in that regard; his ears wouldn't train properly and didn't hear as well in general.

A few minutes later he rose and sniffed the air carefully. Nothing. No dogs, no pokegirls, nothing. He moved silently through the sculpted lawn and circled around to the side of the house.

It was a nice mansion, set well back inside the estate. The landscaping was done to create the illusion that nothing was around for miles and that meant the house wasn't visible from the road.

**Security recordings indicate that the parents left earlier today in separate limousines. Rick has a meeting in town and Yvette is going to a spa. All of Alexia's siblings are grown and only one is still living at home, a brother named Clint. He is currently downtown at the Windy Shores University where he is a pre-law student.**

_What about staff?_

**Two maids, one downstairs and one upstairs. There is a cook and two chauffeurs. None of them live on the property. All were hired right after their daughter Kiera went missing over a year ago. None of the staff is present after 2200 hours. The last to leave are usually the chauffeurs. **

_Right now?_

**The maids and the cook. Where do you want to enter the house?**

_The second floor is usually the best entry point. Once I'm inside, the attic is often nice and empty and a good place to wait._

He jumped onto the porch on the second floor and peered inside the French doors. A murmured spell and the lock clicked. He pulled lightly and frowned when the door didn't open. He murmured the spell again and once more the lock clicked. He tried the door again and glared briefly at it when it silently opened to his touch. "Idiots. Them and me."

He carefully shut the door behind himself and looked around slowly. "This must be the master bedroom. Maybe I'll skip the attic." It was richly furnished and the personality it displayed was about as warm as a glacier. A quick search revealed that there really weren't any good hiding places here. "Attic it is."

He slipped out into the hall and cocked his head, listening. He made a quiet disgusted noise and rotated his head slowly to compensate for his ears. There was quiet singing from downstairs and muttering from up the hall to his right. "Now to find the attic."

He slipped down the hall and quickly found what he'd been hoping for, a narrow stairway that led up and ended at a door. He tried this one first and found it was locked, so one opening spell later he was in the attic.

It was the cleanest attic he'd ever been in. All the boxes were stacked neatly and even the eaves had been swept down recently. "What is wrong with these people?" he muttered.

He muttered the spell that changed him back to his normal appearance and wiggled his ears happily before settling down cross-legged. He pulled out his handheld and activated it. "Elizabeth." The AI accessed her records and called her.

The holographic display lit up with nothing but a huge eye. It blinked and a deep sepulchral voice said "Wwwhhhaaatttt?"

Shikarou chuckled. "I'm calling to let you know that I'm settled and if you are ready for the Urufu School Secret Technique number one, you can join me now."

The eye blinked. "_I_ hear and _I _obey." The display died when she killed the connection.

Suddenly Elizabeth was standing next to him. She looked down and dimpled. "Oh, I like you down there." Smoothing down her tight crimson dress she settled down next to him. "Where are we?"

"The Davenport's attic."

Elizabeth looked around the room in disbelief. "This is an attic? But it's clean." She shuddered. "It goes against nature. These people have got to go." She gave him a thoughtful look. "Think we can keep the house?"

"Let's see. There are several siblings who don't live at home, so we'd have to find them first, and this place is located in Windy Shores. Here they don't believe that pokegirls can be housetrained. Do you want me to have to take you outside on a leash so you can relieve yourself on the lawn?"

She snickered. "And every time you went outside people would be throwing pokeballs at you, like at Sadie Pokens."

"That guy was an idiot." Shikarou unfolded the wire stand on the back of his handheld and set it up.

"What are you doing?"

"I got a message from Thai the other day and since we're just waiting right now, I figure this is as good a time as any to reply."

"You seem to like him a lot."

"He reminds me of me when I was younger. Painfully determined. I think that sort of behavior should be encouraged." He settled back. "Aggie, message for recording. I want you to strip the surroundings out of the data packet and put in a forest glade instead."

"I want a brook." Elizabeth grinned. "One that babbles."

Shikarou gave her a flat look. "I've already got a babbler."

"I resent that. My name isn't Brook."

"Point taken. Aggie, no brook."

Aggie appeared in the holographic field. "Very well. I will put in a forest glade, sans brook, in the early afternoon. I will also slug the transmission with an address header from somewhere in the Blue League."

Elizabeth frowned. "Isn't that lying? I thought you couldn't lie."

Shikarou shrugged. "I'm not doing it. I don't want anyone to later be able to put us in this attic, so the fake background."

"Oh, that's not right." She grinned. "But it's perfect." She frowned slightly. "So what if a policeman asked you if you had ever been in the Davenport's house?"

"I'd almost answer the question. That usually works. Or I'd answer with a question of my own, say, 'do you have any proof that I was there?' and when he said no, I'd respond with 'so there you go'. So instead of lying I'd be clever."

"Clever gives me a headache." She pursed her lips. "However, it may be worth learning how to do."

"Trust me, it is." He turned the handheld so that both he and Elizabeth were in the field of the video pickup. "Begin recording."

Before he could say anything else Elizabeth grinned and waved madly as her fangs flashed in the light of the attic. "Hi! Sorry we didn't get to meet, but I'm Elizabeth." She gave Shikarou an amused glance. "And here he is, the man of mystery. I present without further ado, Shikarou!" She gave a big grin as she drew his name out slowly.

He gave her a slightly exasperated look and she grinned wider before leaning against him and draping her long black hair over the front of her crimson dress as she gave him an innocent look. "What?"

Shikarou sighed and gave a tiny shake of his head. "I'm sending Thai a message, so please stop that." He looked into the video pickup and smiled slowly. "Sorry about that. As she's already said, this is Elizabeth and she's my Vampire." Elizabeth waved again. "So to begin. Hello, Thai. How are you? I am well." He grimaced. "Now that's over, I'm glad to hear the potion helped and I'm pleased you were thoughtful enough to give what you didn't need to the other refugees."

"I've kept an eye on the village when I can and I'm glad to be able to report that everyone seems to be doing well. The construction is proceeding rapidly and it looks like everyone will have some kind of permanent shelter before fall. Hidden Bra Village isn't a bad name, especially since I just left a place called Blowjob." He smiled slightly. "I know I shouldn't make fun of it, but I just can't help myself."

He took a deep breath. "Anyway, yes, I gave the money to an orphanage. Frankly, they need it more than I did and I'm glad they sent you a thank you. I must, however, correct you in that you are wrong as far as not knowing anyone who'd just give away a million credits. You see him every time you look in the mirror." He grinned. "After all, the money I got came from you now, didn't it?"

"I've got a friend who works for a local pokegirl ranch and she was nice enough to tell me how much your bounty had been." He flicked his ears slowly. "You haven't asked for this piece of advice, but I'm going to give it anyway. When I was not much older than you, I got a very nice bounty for some monsters I destroyed. I gave some away and wenched some away and even bought some presents for those around me. It didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would."

"You won't be a Tamer forever and if you invest some of that money now, when you are ready to hang up your pokedex you'll be able to afford to live quite comfortably. It's great to give to charities and such, and since you have a Cherry, I'm sure you've heard about the karmic rewards involved; but you can't eat karma and it won't keep the snow out." He shrugged. "What I'm saying is, don't forget you deserve some of that reward and you are a needy person too. Besides, if you don't reward yourself, then you might lose the next big fight and if you'd won it, you'd have another bounty that you could use to help others."

Elizabeth smirked. "And you might be dead. That wouldn't be any fun either."

"Elizabeth, hush." He paused for a moment and then continued. "My brother has a Megami-sama who likes to spend other people's money and he eventually ended giving her some and changing his access codes so she couldn't get the rest. She was allowed to spend her money on whatever she wanted. Surprisingly enough, she did manage to spend some of it on trinkets for herself, so I believe she's not completely beyond hope." He snorted. "I've got a Seraph myself, and while I wasn't comfortable with the concept in the beginning, we've worked out a strong relationship. She makes suggestions instead of giving orders and I keep her around." A smirk played around his lips. "I don't buy into that whole Celestial superiority claptrap and just because some pokegirl has the word Celestial attached to her pokedex entry does not mean she's my boss."

"Thanks for the compliment on my harem. I think I've worked hard to make them happy and I'm proud enough that it shows that it's probably a sin."

Elizabeth grinned. "He works _very_ hard to keep us happy and it motivates us to work hard to do the same for him." She patted his groin and he smacked her hand away as she giggled.

"Who's sending this message?"

She blew him a kiss. "We are." She winked at the video input and heaved her chest at it. "If your nasty Celestial gives you trouble, try spanking her." She gave Shikarou a sly grin. "They all seem to like that."

"They do not!"

"Svetlana does."

"Thai does not own Svetlana. He's got a Cherry, not a Megami-sama."

"Hey, what does Dorothea like?" Elizabeth gave him a curious look.

"That is none of your business." He sighed and returned his attention to the pickup. "Sorry about that. Elizabeth has this obsession about my Seraph." He rolled his eyes. "She's a horny Vampire and I think she's got the hots for Dorothea."

"I can clear that up right now. I do."

"May I finish my message to Thai?"

"Since you asked so nicely, go right ahead."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear you're doing well on your journey and I hope you'll take the time to continue corresponding with me. Most of the messages I get are paperwork from one of my ElfQueens or some cute messages from a couple of pokekit sisters who don't like each other very much right now." He sighed again. "I love children, but budding teenagers are the worst part of them growing up."

"It's nice to hear from someone who just wants to say hi and I'll even try to cut back on the lectures."

"Oh, and it's not the number of pokegirls you have in your harem, it's the quality of the relationship you have with each of them. Take Elizabeth here. She's young, vivacious, annoying and she drinks my blood every day and I wouldn't trade her for Sexmet and Bastit." Elizabeth hugged him hard enough to make him squeak.

"May the random factors align in your favor and good hunting." He sighed. "I'd try to record this message again, but this is the probably the best version I'd be able to get."

"Sayonara Thai. Shikarou clear." The recording light went out. Shikarou folded up the wire stand and slipped his handheld back onto his belt.

Elizabeth traced a finger up his leg. "So what do you want to do while we wait?"

"I'm not sure, but I do know that I don't want to leave big puddles of DNA for anyone to analyze. The rule for this kind of operation is 'leave nothing you bring, take nothing you find'."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. Suddenly she brightened. "Would you read to me?"

"I know you can read."

"Yes, but I just like to hear the sound of your voice." She smiled. "It's nice and deep and rumbley." She curled up against him and rested her head on his chest. "Or you can tell me a story, since we don't have any books."

He chuckled. "That sounds like fun."

(06/08/99 0630 Blue Continent, 06/07/99 2330 Windy Shores, Sunshine League)

Shikarou stood at the top of the stairs to the attic and his ears rotated slowly as he listened. Slowly he moved to the hallway and once more he stopped and listened. Elizabeth waited patiently in the doorway to the attic, her eyes moving constantly around the area she could see. The hallway was dimly illuminated by tiny lights set in the ceiling, but to her it was more than bright enough.

Finally Shikarou waved her down to join him. She floated down the stairs and hovered just behind his back, close enough he could feel the heat from her body. He cocked his head and whispered to her. "I sense three people. Two are in the master bedroom and one is somewhere downstairs. The one downstairs is moving around and is likely to be awake."

Elizabeth nodded. "That one first." Her teeth flashed in the low light. Shikarou nodded and headed silently down the stairway to the first floor with the Vampire drifting gently behind him.

The house was richly furnished, but like the master bedroom, the mind who'd planned out the whole house was one with little warmth. Everything was hard and straight lines predominated with a limited range of color. Furniture tended to be white or black and the decoration were expensive but austere. The place smelled almost antiseptic.

Light flared to their right and both of them flattened against the wall as a door swung open and a figure appeared, carefully balancing a plate of food along with a bottle of some kind. Shikarou's nostrils flared as the light cut off. Ham, bread, cheese, beer, human, male. He watched as the man headed into another room and kicked the door shut as he went past it.

Elizabeth tapped him on the shoulder and spread her hands in a questioning motion. Shikarou shook his head as he made a mental note to start teaching his harem the nonverbal battle language he'd been taught in the militias. He moved his hand in a 'wait here' motion and eased down the passage to listen at the closed door.

He frowned and glanced back to see Elizabeth watching anxiously. He grinned at her and tapped his chest before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She blinked and then a joyous smile slowly bloomed on her face.

He slipped back to where she hovered and she hugged him suddenly. "You felt me!" she whispered excitedly.

His eyes narrowed. "Mind on business," he hissed. She blinked and sobered, nodding somberly as she released him. Still, her eyes danced with glee. "He's alone. I want you to phase us through the wall while invisible and I'll take him down with sleep."

"Ok." Elizabeth lifted and cradled her Tamer before drifting down the hall. Shikarou readied himself and nodded once. They became invisible and drifted slowly through the wall.

Clint Davenport was chewing noisily on his sandwich when the sleep spell sent him into a slumber. He slumped forward, falling face first into his plate of food as he began snoring softly.

Elizabeth pulled his head back with a grin. "Wait." She blinked as Shikarou shed his backpack and pulled out a towel. "Use this to catch any stray blood."

"Is there anything you didn't think of?" Elizabeth asked with a slight frown.

"I certainly hope not."

The Vampire draped the towel around Clint's neck before pulling his head to the side and sinking her fangs into his throat. She swallowed once and lifted her head. "He doesn't taste that great."

Shikarou checked Clint's throat. "He looks infected." He healed the wound.

Elizabeth wiped off the man's throat and handed Shikarou the towel. "He is. I gave him enough venom to infect ten humans." She smiled briefly. "Don't worry, I still have plenty."

He squeezed her hand. "Are you all right?"

She shrugged. "I haven't fed from anyone but you since we met. His blood isn't sitting well."

"Do you need a quick nip of mine?"

She hugged him suddenly. "Thank you, but I want to rinse well before I bite you again. Don't want to accidentally turn you into a Vampire." A quick grin. "I like you being male."

He smiled. "I'm immune."

"Are you sure?" She looked confused when he nodded. "How do you know?"

"I was never treated after we left the prison." Shikarou smiled at the sudden flash of fear. "My choice. I noticed that I had none of the signs of transforming and decided to test my theory that I was immune."

"What if you'd become a Vampire?"

"I wouldn't have let it go that far." He grinned. "If I had started to show any signs of changing I would have gotten treatment immediately. In fact, Branwyn had a team that specializes in treating Vampire infections on standby for two weeks. It cost a lot of money, but it made us both feel better to know it was waiting for me."

"Oh." Elizabeth cocked her head. "Then I would like a drink. Maybe it'll settle my stomach."

Shikarou offered up his wrist. "Enjoy."

Elizabeth gave him a slight smile and sank her teeth into his artery. She made a happy noise and drank deeply before licking the bite until it closed. "Oh, much better." Her pupils dilated slightly. "Ambrosia compared to his drivel."

"Come on, we've got two more to do."

She giggled. "Ok." Elizabeth scooped him up, phased through the door and headed up the stairs, still cradling her Tamer. She set him down on the landing and grinned. "Lead on, lover."

Shikarou headed back to the master bedroom and listened. "Ok, they're in here." He blinked and frowned. "Elizabeth?" She was nowhere to be seen. "Crap."

Suddenly she stuck her head out from a wall. "Over here," she hissed.

He went over to her and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Come on." She phased and pulled him through the wall. "I need your help."

The room they were in was decorated in pinks and reds and still somehow it was done in a very clinical fashion. "Where are we?"

"This was Alexia's room."

"Why are we in here?"

Elizabeth sighed and took his hand. "The only thing I miss from before I became a Vampire is a couple of my toys. Alexia and I spent some time talking while you were inspecting the Hina House ranch. She really missed two things, her diary and her Elsie, who is a cow doll."

"Do you remember what I said about taking stuff?"

"Yes, I do, but this is important." She frowned. "Alexia kept her diary behind a loose board in the wainscoting. Nobody knew she had one. Help me find it."

Shikarou muttered a spell and a section of the baseboard glowed blue. "There."

Elizabeth kneeled and stuck her head through the wall. "I need a light."

Shikarou summoned a light globe. "Here." Elizabeth grabbed it and shoved it through the wall before following with her head again.

"I found it." She reached her free hand through the wall and pulled out a small diary. "Here." She dropped it into his hands before reaching into the wall again and pulling out a small brown plush cow. "And here's Elsie." She pulled her head out of the wall and grinned. "I'll bet her parents tore this room apart looking for it."

"Why would they do that?"

"It's from a milk company that existed before Sukebe came along and is quite rare. Bordeaux, I think. No, Borden. It's very valuable." She grinned. "Alexia wasn't supposed to ever touch it."

"Let me guess, it was her favorite toy."

"How did you know?" Elizabeth looked surprised.

"I've had children of my own. Trust me, it makes perfect sense."

"Ok." She stuffed the toy and the diary into her backpack. "I'll make sure these get to Devon with a note explaining their significance. It would be better if they came from him. She'll know we gave them to him in the first place."

"Ok. Can we finish infecting her parents now?"

Elizabeth smiled sweetly. "Sure, why not." She carried him through the wall and into the hallway again. "Where were we?"

He sighed and pointed at another wall. "In here." Elizabeth grabbed him again and they passed through this wall to enter the master bedroom.

"Oops." They were standing inside Yvette Davenport. Elizabeth moved out of the bed as Shikarou cast another sleep spell on the already sleeping couple.

Elizabeth looked them over critically as Shikarou pulled out the towel again. "Boney bitch, isn't she?"

The Davenports had kicked the coverlet and sheet off the bed. Elizabeth was right, Yvette was one of those women who dieted her way through life and it showed. Her face was all hard angles and planes. Rick was the same way.

"Yeah, but not enough to worry about you breaking a tooth." Shikarou handed her the towel. "Thigh?"

"Yeah, I'd be afraid she'd bite me back if I did the neck." Elizabeth sniffed Yvette's leg. "Well, at least they haven't had sex tonight." She grinned up at Shikarou. "I wonder who gets to be the Tamer and who gets to be the pokegirl?"

"Who cares? I'm not interested in doing her. Bite her already."

Elizabeth nodded and sank her teeth into Yvette's thigh. She drank and pulled away, making a face as she did so. "Damn, I think she poisoned me."

Shikarou snorted and healed the wound as the Vampire moved around the bed and repeated the process on Rick. She snickered. "He got a boner when I bit him."

"I really didn't need to know that." Shikarou healed Rick. "Let's get out of here. I'll have Aggie keep an eye on the place and let us know if it doesn't look like it took."

Elizabeth snorted. "If they don't turn, it's because they are already too much Vampire for me to affect them." She wrapped Shikarou up in her arms. "Can I have another drink?"

"At the tent."

"In bed?"

"Don't push."

Elizabeth laughed quietly as they vanished.

(06/08/99 0800 Blue Continent, 06/08/99 0100 Windy Shores, Sunshine League)

Shikarou stepped away from Elizabeth and looked around slowly. They were roughly fifteen kilometers outside of Windy Shores, in a grassy clearing that was dimly lit by the slender moon. Branwyn was supposed to have set up camp somewhere around here and now they had to find it.

While he had considered heading straight for Caomh Sith, Shikarou had also taken time to ponder the fact that the Sunshine League had a magic school and therefore it could be presumed that most of the officials had at least a passing familiarity with magic, unlike most other Leagues. If the Davenports suspected for any reason that they had been attacked, a very competent mage could track the attackers to their destination, ergo they had decamped to here to wait for a little while. If someone did track them to this location with magic, Shikarou was prepared to lead them a merry chase around the world until he reached the spot he'd picked to discourage his pursuer from following him any further before returning home.

Of course, if it came to that, he intended to be _very_ firm in his discouragement and it was quite likely that someone wouldn't survive the encounter. He had no intention of allowing his efforts to help Devon destroy what he was building on Caomh Sith, even if it cost Shikarou his life. However, while a year ago he would have been ready to die, the fact was that he had become rather fond of this life once more and wasn't quite ready to enter the reincarnation cycle just yet or turn Caomh Sith over to Faelan.

There was a pokegirl rights group in the Sunshine League that was little more than a front for a gang of thieves and cutthroats, and he and Branwyn had carefully assembled a selection of clues that they would just happen to drop during their flight that would shift the blame to the Coalicion de la Liberacion del Pokegirl for what had happened at the Davenport residence. The CLP did more to hurt the cause of pokegirl freedom in the Sunshine League then advance it and their destruction would be applauded by other, more legitimate groups.

His musing was interrupted when a bright light exploded across his face. Instantly his pupils contracted to pinpoints in order protect his eyes against the light. Dimly he could see Elizabeth covering her eyes and hissing.

"Identify yourself!" A rough male voice barked harshly.

Shikarou mind raced as he blinked in the light. "Turn that off!"

The light dimmed and others came on. Shikarou could now see that he'd been hit with a jeep mounted spotlight and now the operator had activated the headlamps and running lights. There was movement in the shadows. A uniformed man stepped into view and snapped his fingers. "Id."

Shikarou offered up his pokedex. The letters WSPD glinted from the man's chest as he reached for it. "Windy Shores Police Department? You're a long way from home."

"Quiet." The man scanned the pokedex quickly and began pulling up the Tamer entry.

The pokedex suddenly went dead. **Naughty boy. He is outside Windy Shore's jurisdiction and has no police power here. It is an ongoing problem between Windy Shores and the rest of the Sunshine League that the city tries to enforce its laws outside the city's area. However this does explain his presence, the Windy Shore's authorities have been trying to expand their influence beyond the city proper and have been conducting random patrols of the areas around Windy Shores.**

_I wish you'd mentioned that earlier._ Shikarou flicked an ear. "Did you just break my pokedex?"

The man glared at him and almost threw it back. "No. Who are you?"

Shikarou put the pokedex away carefully. "You are outside your jurisdiction. Windy Shores has no authority here." He smiled. "Go roust someone else."

The man pulled a pistol and leveled it at Shikarou. "Here is my authority. What do you have to say now?"

A thought flickered through Shikarou's mind and he smiled coldly. "This: The human heat slows/ the base root withers and falls/ Behold the seed dies."

The man screamed and dropped the pistol as he clutched at his groin. Elizabeth blinked at the sight. "What happened to him?"

"Senryu curse of impotency." Shikarou glanced around and didn't see anyone else. "I think we need to be leaving."

"Where to?" Elizabeth squeezed his hand tightly.

Shikarou leaned over and whispered, "Has Branwyn taken you to the desert isle yet?"

"You want to go there?"

"Yeah. Branwyn can meet us there."

"Ok." They vanished.

(06/09/99 0800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"So how was the Sunshine League?" Faelan poured syrup over his waffles and handed the bottle to Svetlana.

Shikarou shrugged. "It was ok. The ranch needs a lot of work, but they're determined to make things right."

"Devon came back before you."

Shikarou grunted and focused on his plate.

Svetlana looked suddenly curious. "So what did you do during your extra time there?"

Faelan received a look from his brother that suggested that he should watch his back for the next couple of weeks. He gave Shikarou a weak smile in return.

"You're ignoring me again. It was something nefarious, wasn't it?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Nefarious. Now that's a good word. Yes."

Svetlana sighed. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"I'm not planning to. I discussed it with Dorothea and she had only minor reservations about what happened."

"I don't know if I can trust her judgment." Svetlana gave him an unhappy look. "You seem to be a bad influence on her."

Faelan suddenly grinned. "Pay up."

Svetlana blinked. "What?"

"Our bet. Sadie Poken's day, remember?"

She turned red. "That's not what I meant. Dorothea's not corrupt, she's just misguided. It's only temporary."

Shikarou frowned. "You two made a bet about me and Dorothea?"

"Svetlana bet me that Dorothea would put you on the straight and narrow as Celestials perceive it, and I said you'd bring her around to your way of thinking." Faelan smirked. "I think we can call the issue settled."

"I don't know if I should be amused or very angry right now." Shikarou's head swiveled back and forth as he looked from one to the other.

Faelan put his fork down and slowly straightened up as he said in a very soothing voice. "Remember that you like this inn and you don't want to level it. People live here that you would miss afterwards. That includes us."

"I'm remembering that." Shikarou had slight smile. "But it's good to remind me. It's interesting, though, that you would be worried about my anger. What have you heard?"

"Tengu Pass."

Shikarou blinked and his ears went flat. "Who told you about that?"

"Father."

"Ah." Shikarou took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He would be the one."

Svetlana looked at her Tamer. "What happened?"

"May I tell her?" Faelan's ears flicked slowly as he watched his brother.

Shikarou considered for a moment. "She won't give either one of us a moment's peace otherwise, so I suppose so."

Faelan nodded. "When Shikarou was younger he was sent on a mission to order a colony of Tengu to move away from a human village. They had a village on the side of a nearby mountain near a pass and it was deemed to be too close to the humans for safety."

"He took a younger member of the Royal Guard along with him, the son of a friend." He frowned. "I never heard any names given, would you care fill in that missing bit of information?"

"No."

"Oh. Ok. Anyway, they arrived at the Tengu village and were well received by the village elder. Shikarou explained what they needed to do and they informed him that they would move before a moon had passed."

"They were invited to stay the night and agreed. During the night, Tengu warriors lured the young kami away from Shikarou with the promise of a woman and murdered him. The next morning they presented the head to Shikarou and informed him that they didn't care who he represented, they were not going to move. It turned out that they were working with the humans to ambush travelers and eat them."

Svetlana made an unhappy noise. "What happened?"

"During the night the warriors from the human village had been summoned and the Tengu elder thought he had enough strength to cow a single samurai from the Empress' court. If it hadn't been Shikarou, he might have been right."

Svetlana held up a hand. "I want to hear this from him. What did you do, Shikarou?"

He looked at her levelly. "I leveled both villages, killed everything that lived in the area and cursed the land for a century."

She gaped at him in horror. "Children too?"

"Children, infants, everything down to the mice in the granaries."

"You have that much power?" There was a touch of fear in her voice. "I've never seen anything like that here!"

"I don't know if you are aware of this, but I am supposed to be allowing my pokegirls to do the fighting here. It's part of my cover." He leaned back and gave her an amused look. "Besides, I'm usually an adherent of the school of minimum application of force in the right place."

"What did you do to atone for your actions?"

"The Empress said it wasn't necessary. I did her will."

"Just how powerful are you?"

"I'm a two hundred and fifty year old combat mage who's been training since I was six years old. I've also been keeping up my samurai skills as well as my martial arts." He cocked his head. "I think the best answer to your question would be 'enough'."

"Have you been training here?"

"I have. In part my training has been teaching members of my harem some of my magic, but I've also been spending some of my free time in actual training."

"What do you want to do after things settle down?"

Shikarou smiled slowly. "I'd like to teach. I've been kicking around the idea of some kind of magical school, but I don't know if Faelan would be interested in it and so far I've only got one prospective instructor, me."

"I'll also have to teach the family martial art. Faelan knows a lot, but I'm a master." He shrugged. "So in a couple of years I suspect I'll have both feet nailed firmly to the ground right here in Caomh Sith for at least a decade, if not more."

Svetlana frowned suddenly. "How can you have a cover here? You freely admit both that you are a kami and an offworlder."

"Yes, but most people won't believe me and the few that do have no idea of what I'm capable of." He snorted. "Of course, right now I wonder about that myself. Pythia says I have to accept who I am and master my innate powers, but I seem to be developing more of them and I don't know when this will end."

Faelan shrugged. "Father is still developing new powers and he's how old?"

"You are so full of good news these days." Suddenly he brightened. "Maybe it means that someday I'll learn how to fly."

"You know, I've never understood that. Don't you know any flying spells?"

"Several, but they don't work for me. I can teach others how to fly with magic but the best I can do is levitate." He sighed and leaned back. "My one real dream, denied to me. I guess it keeps me motivated to learn in the hopes that someday I'll find a way to soar in the sky."

Faelan started to reply and paused. His eyes lit up and a smile slowly spread across his face as he looked past Shikarou.

He sighed. "Alright, so what has just made you so bleeding happy?"

Faelan gave him an amused glance. "Derdekea, Branwyn and Molly just walked into the bar and they've got a visitor with them. I guess they want the Lord's justice."

He got a grimace back. "I'm going to turn this over to you eventually and then I'll get to smirk at your antics."

Shikarou listened to the group halt behind him and sighed. His nose twitched at a familiar but unknown scent. His brain was still processing the newcomer's smell when Faelan grinned broadly. "Father!"

Shikarou whirled around in his chair to see the pokegirls gaping at the newcomer, who smiled warmly at Faelan. "It's good to see you." His expression changed to surprise as he shifted his gaze to Shikarou. Ears flicked. "So this is where you went. That's going to complicate things no end." He swept Shikarou up in a hug. "I'd been worried that you'd died, but this explains why I couldn't contact your shade."

Faelan got hugged too before their father turned to the pokegirls. "So is someone going to introduce me to your very protective friends?"

Shikarou chuckled as his shock faded away. "Father, this is Branwyn, my wife and alpha, Molly, who is the commander of the guard and Derdekea, who is a member of Faelan's harem. The lady sitting with Faelan is Svetlana, another member of Faelan's harem and his alpha. Ladies, this is Kerrik, our father." He frowned slightly. "So how were they protective?"

Kerrik bowed to the pokegirls. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." He gave Branwyn another bow, this one much deeper. "And greetings and welcome to the family. I'm very pleased to see that such a beautiful and obviously intelligent woman was willing to look beyond my son's faults and realize he has some value."

Branwyn flushed. "Thank you, sir."

"Sir? You are my daughter. Kerrik is fine."

Shikarou caught Svetlana giving Branwyn a look of undisguised jealousy and hatred. _Father, greet Svetlana as well, as Faelan's alpha she ranks with Branwyn and she loves him very much. I suspect they will marry before too long. If not, I'll just marry them as lord of the land._

_Your telepathy has grown stronger. Later this harem and alpha business will have to be explained to me._ Kerrik turned without a pause to face Faelan and bowed to Svetlana. "So when will the two of you marry?" He included Shikarou in the next mental conversation. Shikarou included Branwyn. _Faelan, do you love her?_

_I do, father. I intend to marry her when I can._

_I don't see anything wrong with right now. Trust me, the first marriage is the hardest. Don't worry, I'll arrange it. Remember this technique for your own children._

Svetlana look startled and then turned beet red. "We haven't talked about it or anything yet. It's really not that important."

Kerrik's ears flicked slowly. "You have spent a great deal of time with my son and you haven't learned that you cannot lie to us? Your love for him is obvious for all to see and even though he's probably unworthy of it, I insist that the two of you marry and soon."

_I see where you got your tendency to act like a force of nature._ Branwyn gave her husband an amused look as Svetlana turned white.

Faelan ducked his head. "As you command, father. Svetlana, will you marry me? I love you very much."

Svetlana stared at him. "Yes." Suddenly she burst into tears and ran out of the bar.

Faelan got up to follow and paused. "Is that normal behavior?"

Kerrik gave him quick smile. "It's well within normal human parameters, yes. I suspect that she's very happy right now." Faelan nodded and hurried away.

Shikarou turned to Derdekea. "Why don't you keep a surreptitious eye on the two of them?"

She nodded. "I will. If there's any trouble, I'll send Amy. God, it's about time. I hope she calms down now." The Fallen Angel left quickly, pulling her com from her belt as she did.

"Thank you, Molly." The Denmother nodded and left. "She's a woman of few words."

Kerrik nodded. "Some of them are, but it doesn't make them any less." He settled down in Faelan's chair and watched as the two of them joined him. "So. Care to explain?"

"Care to explain what?"

"Oh, how about how you came to be here before me when it took me forty seven years to relocate this universe, a stolen base seed that turns up here, why Faelan gave you half of the rights to this world and me none and all about pokegirls." Kerrik smiled. "Let's start there. Or would you rather talk about just how angry your mother is at you right now?"

Shikarou looked interested. "She's angry?"

"Oh, yes."

He grinned. "Good."

Kerrik looked surprised. "Actually it's not good, but why are you happy about it?"

"Pallaius left a diary. I found it after her death and it turns out you were right, she was sent by mother to bring me to Japan. Mother wanted access to my power." He sighed. "I still love her, or at least her memory. However, I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd discovered this while she was still alive."

"You'd probably have let her talk you into believing that what it said was harmless. She was very good at that, but then her powers ran towards making people agree with her."

Branwyn looked startled. "His own mother and his wife manipulated him? That's appalling!"

Kerrik nodded. "Amaterasu is not one to let blood get in the way of politics. That's why I don't go to court that often. She may have found Shikarou repulsive when he was young, but once she realized just how much his power could help her, she also realized that the very things she didn't like would help her to cow both her enemies and her allies." He looked at Shikarou. "She's determined to return you to her service, which is why I can't stay long. If she finds out where you are, she'll send members of the guard to retrieve you and I'll have to kill them. I suspect she won't like that very much." He shot a glance at Branwyn. "And you being married to a gaijin, no matter how good a person she might be, is not in her plans."

Branwyn stared at her husband. "Did he just say your mother is _Amaterasu_?" She blinked and turned to Kerrik. "Did you just insinuate that his mother would have me killed?"

"You are a very clever woman." Kerrik gave her an admiring smile. "I suspect I'm going to enjoy having you in the family."

"Yes, my mother is Amaterasu." Shikarou gave the Unicorn an unhappy frown. "I didn't mention it because this is how I figured you would react. And how Yushiko and Fumiko would respond does not bear thinking on."

"Your mother wants to kill me!" Branwyn's voice began to rise.

"She doesn't know you exist yet," Shikarou disagreed. "When she does is when she'll want you dead."

Kerrik touched Branwyn on the arm. "And that is why I can't stay long. As long as she doesn't know Shikarou is here, she won't try to come here to collect him." He sighed. "And I won't have to openly confront her over our son."

"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but she's part of the religions here, too. We are talking about the goddess Amaterasu, right? Just how could you confront her?" Branwyn gave Kerrik an incredulous look. "She's a bloody goddess. That's like trying to confront Typhonna."

Kerrik's ears flicked unhappily. "Yes, she is a goddess and yes, I've reached my limit in regards to her behavior as far as Shikarou is concerned. If she does come here, I will stop her."

"Oh, and are you a god too?" She blinked when Kerrik tugged at an ear and looked away. "Are you?"

He shrugged. "I'm a mage."

"You didn't answer the question."

"You are a bright one. No, I didn't and I'm not going to." He smiled. "Usually if someone asks if you are a god, it's wise to say yes, but if it's not the truth, …" he trailed off.

Branwyn gave him a stern look. "You can't fool me. That only sounded like you're not a god. You never did answer the question."

Kerrik beamed at her. "Oh, you're going to be fun." He turned to Shikarou. "So what exactly is a pokegirl?"

"They appear to be human or mostly human organisms that have otherworldly DNA infused into their line. Usually the DNA is pokemon, but there are some that I've never heard of as being pokemon. Some are Celestial in nature and others are Infernal."

"Excuse me, but I have a question that I'd like answered." Branwyn interrupted. She glared at both of them. "I seem to remember having the floor."

Kerrik glanced at Shikarou. "I'm sorry." He turned to Branwyn. "Forget all about Amaterasu being my wife and his mother. Forget your suspicions that I am a god." He looked puzzled. "What was your question?"

Branwyn blinked. "Now let me get this straight. Shikarou's mother will want to kill me if she discovers that I am his wife?"

"Yes. I'll do everything I can to keep her from finding out he's here and if she does, I'll protect you if you need it. Now I believe you were telling me about pokegirls?"

"There's not much more to say. They have been engineered to need to have sex on a regular basis or they will go feral, which means that their intelligence will be submerged beneath a shell of animalistic behavior. I'm not sure how taming keeps them sane, but it works."

"They manifest a variety of abilities and some can be taught magic." Shikarou shrugged. "The problem is that they are all female, which lowers their value to Tirsul."

"What is the population of males?"

"Ten percent of the overall population or less."

Kerrik blinked. "That is worse than Tirsul. And the Tirsuli women would not take it well if their males started migrating to here. Not that we need more attention." He frowned. "I presume that if you'd known about this, you'd have found somewhere else to travel?"

"Yes, but it's been ok." Shikarou took Branwyn's hand. "I found love again, and frankly I thought that unlikely, if not completely impossible."

"So, am I likely to get grandchildren out of this marriage?"

Branwyn grinned as she turned red again. "Lots." Shikarou blinked in surprise and her smile broadened. "I'd have told you at the right time." Her smile faded slightly. "I'm unlikely to be his only wife and some of them will look less human than me."

Kerrik grinned. "I doubt they'll be more beautiful."

"You know, Shikarou, you might want to take notes on what your father says to me. He's very nice."

"Great. Thanks, dad, just raise the bar that much more."

"Glad to help. Seriously, Branwyn, not all of my wives are human, so if you and Shikarou bring others into my family, I will welcome them all." Kerrik smiled again. "I suspect that with your guidance, he won't be tricked again and all of his wives will be worthy of the family name."

"Hey, what is the family name?" Branwyn frowned. "Shikarou had no name and Faelan is a Wolf. What are you?"

"Right now, I'm a Wolf, but I wasn't born with a surname. I take them and discard them as needed. However, we are all members of clan Tsukiken and I am the clan's founder." He smiled. "We've never bothered to keep to any specific formulas. People have learned that impersonating family has its own hazards and over the years the incidences have tapered off to almost none."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "Branwyn Tsukiken." She shook her head. "No, I have enough problems getting them to spell Urufu correctly. That silent T would be a killer." She turned back to Kerrik. "So how long can you stay?"

"For several hours, maybe a day." Kerrik leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. "Shikarou's mother has agents everywhere and while she won't know that I've found him, if I start importing a whole lot of merchandise from here to Tirsul, she may start asking questions that could prove awkward to be truthful to without giving away your location." He frowned. "Especially since you are listed as one of the co-explorers in the beacon record and that will become public record as soon as the information on this dimension is published. Suppressing the news about this place means that I can't do any business here, at least not for a while." He glanced at Shikarou. "Unless you want to face your mother right now?"

"I'd rather try to pass shards of glass."

Kerrik nodded. "I understand. I'm beginning to wonder just how much longer she and I are going to stay together." He shrugged. "But that is neither here nor there."

He leaned forward. "So, how about a pokegirl battle?"

Branwyn chuckled. "Do you want to be in one or do you want to watch one?"

Kerrik looked surprised. "Me? Fight pokegirls? Surely you jest. Watching will be just fine, at least for this once."

"Not much of a watcher, are you?" Branwyn teased.

"I prefer to be a participant." He replied loftily.

"Then we should get you your Tamer's test right away and your first dozen or so pokegirls. If you're like him, you'll need that many so they'll all survive your attentions."

"I'm sure I'd love the experience, but sadly I suspect that a group of unusual women who follow me around asking to be tamed would be a pretty sure sign that I'd been somewhere new." He smiled slightly. "However, when Shikarou's mother has found something else to obsess over, I think I'll be back." He nodded to Shikarou. "As the eldest, you are in charge here, or at least I presume this to be so?"

"As much as any of us are."

"I've got some supplies for you then. Odds and ends, although I presume you do want the other base seed I brought. It's a scientific facility as opposed to your warehouse."

"I grabbed the first one I found. You didn't mark them well."

"I didn't expect anyone to steal them. How rude of me. If I were a better person I'd rush right home and correct that immediately." He flashed a quick grin. "Sadly, I just increased the security on them. I'm such a bad person. I'll leave you a way to get in touch with me in case of an emergency and I'll send you more supplies if you need them. Otherwise you probably won't see me again for another decade. The time differential between the universes is one for ten, so a century will pass on Tirsul. Your mother should have another project by then."

"The soil here is salty due to the ocean. Could you provide us with some crop seed that will thrive here? We're slowly improving the fields, so eventually we'd also need one that also does well without the salt."

"Several multipurpose crops come to mind. Some fruit types as well. I'll get you a sampling along with information on their care. Would you also like some livestock? The information on the beacon hinted that animal meat is a luxury item here."

"Yes, I would. Most people eat only fish and some poultry. I'd also like a full set of educational records for the teachers in the bases."

Branwyn cocked her head. "If we are wishing for stuff, do you have any flowers that would thrive in this soil?"

"They'll be my wedding gift to you."

The Unicorn flushed slowly. "No one has given us any wedding presents. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, daughter. Anything else?"

"How about a military grade weaver?"

Kerrik blinked. "Are you planning on conquering this planet?"

"Someone keeps trying to kill me and my family."

"Oh. Done."

Branwyn blinked. "Done? No thinking about it?"

"I have two sons and one, soon to be two daughters. Shikarou is one of my most independent children and I know he wouldn't ask me for help unless he thought you were in danger. He never worries about himself, so I'm afraid you are going to have to do it for him. However, if he can bend enough to ask for help, I will most definitely give it." His smile hardened as he looked into her eyes. "I will provide him with the means to protect you because, if nothing else, when I return here in ten years if I find that someone has killed my family without cause and no one was able to exact the death price from them, I will do it myself and sometimes I can be a little over enthusiastic in my smiting." Branwyn shivered at the look in his eyes.

His features relaxed and so did she. "Now I believe I was offered a battle?"

Branwyn looked at Shikarou and her face held an expression eerily similar to the one Kerrik had shown just a minute previously. _If you get Faelan to agree to this, I want Svetlana. Win or lose, I'm going to enjoy kicking her around for a while._ "We'll try to give you a good one."

Name: Urufu Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 71

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 56

DragonQueen Bellona 51

Seraph Dorothea 49

Ria Kebi 47

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 46

G-Spliced Pythia 45

Vampire Elizabeth 43

Sphinx Lorelei 42

Blazicunt Marzia 39

Mini-Top Nanu 39

Hun Hanmei 28

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village


	26. Chapter 26

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 26: Preparations

(06/09/99 1100 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Kerrik looked around at the assembled pokegirls as he accepted a glass of wine from Helen. "They are certainly varied, aren't they?"

Both Faelan and Shikarou had released all of their pokegirls for Kerrik to meet. Faelan grinned at his father. "That's right. My harem is much smaller than Shikarou's but quality often triumphs over quantity."

That got him a hard look from Nanu. "I should kick your puny ass for that crack." Tension suddenly ratcheted upwards as pokegirls began to bristle at each other.

"That is enough!" Shikarou glared around at everyone. "Nanu, that was uncalled for."

The Mini-Top flicked her ears. "Sorry," she muttered in Faelan's direction. "But it was a dumbass statement."

"So we'll shove the words down his throat on the battlefield." Nanu perked up at her Tamer's reply. Shikarou turned to his brother. "How do you want to do this?"

"Zorione isn't ready yet." The Penance turned at his words and shook her head wildly. "You think you are?" She nodded. "All right." Zorione beamed as he turned back to Shikarou. "Six on six, single?"

"That should give dad the best show." He looked around at several expectant pokegirls. "Branwyn, Lorelei, Nanu, Kebi, Marzia, and," he frowned and looked around. "Helen, where are you going?"

"I was going to go work on dinner," Helen replied in a carefully neutral voice as she nodded towards the door of the arena.

"That's going to have to wait. Give me your pokeball."

The Milktit's eyes widened. "You want me to fight?"

"You tell me you're ready for real battling. Now it's time to prove it."

She suddenly hugged him. "Thank you. I'll work hard to make you proud of this decision."

He dropped his voice and hugged her back. "Helen, I am already proud of you. You really don't have anything to prove to me."

Helen handed him her pokeball and rubbed her muzzle against his cheek. "So I'll make you prouder."

He smiled and returned her before collecting the other five pokegirls he intended to battle with. The rest of his harem moved to where they could easily see the battlefield and settled down in the stands. Circe pulled Kerrik along with her to a convenient place to sit.

Fang was officiating. "This pokegirl battle is between Faelan Wolf and Shikarou Urufu. It will be a single pokegirl battle starting with six pokegirls each and will continue until one side is no longer able to battle." He raised the green flag and dropped it. "Begin." The view seemed to flicker slightly as the arena's forcefields slipped into place to protect the bystanders.

Two pokeballs went flying through the air. Faelan had chosen Tetsuyo, his GunValkyrie, while Shikarou released Marzia the Blazicunt.

Marzia raced forward, glowing briefly as she used focus energy while Tetsuyo's tribarrels rotated out of storage and began to spin up to speed as she lifted off to hover with her antigrav units. Tetsuyo opened fire and with a roar plasma bolts raced downrange.

Marzia dodged the stream of cyan bolts and unleashed a fire blast attack as Tetsuyo corrected her aim and hosed the twin streams of 3 cm plasma onto the Blazicunt. The attack knocked the pokegirl sprawling and she quickly rolled to her feet.

The fire blast enveloped the GunValkyrie and she screamed before dropping from the sky. The cry quickly died and the pokegirl was unconscious before she hit the ground.

Faelan retrieved Tetsuyo while simultaneously releasing Amy. "Confusion," he ordered.

The Cheshire's eyes flashed green and Marzia staggered as she unleashed a flamethrower attack that went wide.

Marzia used flamethrower again and cursed in frustration when Amy teleported away. Shikarou spoke. "Marzia use napalm all around the battlefield." Small bursts of flame shot around the battlefield and settled down to burn merrily.

There was a yelp as Amy teleported into the battlefield and emerged on top of one of the fires. Marzia whipped around and used another flamethrower attack but it was too late as Amy hit her with confusion again. The Blazicunt dropped soundlessly under the psychic assault, leaving the Cheshire untouched.

Shikarou retrieved the unconscious Marzia and released Helen. "See what you can do," he muttered, knowing the communication spell would carry his words to her, "or would you rather I guide you first?"

"Let me try on my own, but be my eyes." The Milktit grinned at Amy and used one of the techniques she'd learned from Elizabeth. The air seemed to dim around the Cheshire and there was an agonized scream that was quickly cut off as the dark matter attack went off.

"That much overkill was uncalled for," Faelan grumbled as he recovered the fallen Cheshire.

"That was quality, brother." Shikarou's eyes narrowed as Derdekea appeared on the field and immediately took to the air. The Fallen Angel opened the ball with a feather shuriken attack which slammed into Helen's hastily erected dark shield. The defensive move functioned perfectly, stealing most of the attack's strength. Helen was barely scratched and grinned at her opponent.

Light flared and thunder shook the arena as Derdekea used lightning on her opponent and Helen replied with thunderbolt. Both attacks hit and both pokegirls cried out, but it was obvious as everyone's vision cleared that the Fallen Angel had come off the worst in the exchange as the dark shield had absorbed part of the less powerful lightning attack.

Derdekea summoned her dark blade and used quick attack, dodging the dark shield and slashing at the Milktit as she raced by. Helen cried out and staggered, losing her concentration as well as the attack she'd been planning.

The Fallen Angel circled around and repeated the attack, which turned out to be a mistake as Helen summoned her energy blade and used double slash. There were grunts of mingled pain and fury as both attacks hit and did significant damage.

The battle had slowly pulled Helen closer to Faelan and he took advantage of this by returning Dedekea in mid attack and releasing Maureen, who appeared beside the startled Milktit.

Faelan had captured the Amazonlee while on his abbreviated pokegirl journey and had been working her hard ever since. Their training showed as the fighting type unleashed a furious gatling kick attack which smashed Helen into the dirt where she lay motionless.

Faelan chuckled over their comlink. "I sometimes forget how impressive a properly trained normal type can be. Tell her I said that was a remarkable performance."

"I will." Shikarou recovered his Milktit and released Lorelei. The Sphinx emerged already in her battle form and roared as her wings snapped forward and immediately released a feather shuriken attack which sent the Amazonlee flying.

Maureen rolled to her feet and Lorelei glowed briefly as she employed speed storm. The Amazonlee charged and the Sphinx vanished as she used teleport, appearing behind the fighting type and ripping her with saber claw, her immense strength shredding Maureen's clothing and skin as the Amazonlee tried vainly to twist out of the way. Maureen whirled, turning her spin into a hurricane kick which staggered the Sphinx.

Lorelei wagged a finger at her. "Naughty, naughty," and hit the gaping pokegirl with a pointblank feather shuriken attack. Maureen never had a chance and was blasted across the sandy floor of the arena almost to Faelan's feet.

Shikarou made a mental note to have a talk with Lorelei later, but not to be too annoyed at her behavior. Her attack did work and it showed a certain flair he didn't want to suppress if he could avoid it.

Faelan sighed as he recovered Maureen. "I yield." He left his area and walked around to offer his hand to Shikarou. "Good battle. Oh, I could have probably exchanged a couple more pokegirls with you, but we both know how it would have most likely ended and while Svetlana wanted the chance to kick Branwyn's carcass around, I suspect your wife would have made her work for it a lot more than she expects."

Shikarou grinned. "Yeah, and I figured Svetlana might be a bit much for Branwyn to swallow, no matter how eager she is to make the attempt. Maybe someday we'll let them fight it out. Good battle. That trick with Maureen was inspired."

"Thanks. I doubt Helen will allow herself to be tricked like that again."

"I certainly hope you are right. Overall she did well, though."

Kerrik came up and briefly eyed them both. "I have been assured by the audience that I have just witnessed a good battle." He smiled. "I would have thought so myself, but it's good to know my opinion was validated by the experts."

"That's an interesting variant compared to pokemon, being able to trust them to carry out attacks on their own." He shook his head. "Once I figure out how to engineer out the taming requirements, their descendants will make valuable members of the Tirsuli Confederation." He gave Shikarou an amused look. "It would be a lot easier for me if you would make up with your mother."

Shikarou snorted. "I guess it will just have to suck to be you."

Kerrik chuckled. "I don't suppose you have dozen or so different pokegirls that I can have for analysis?"

Faelan shook his head. "No, but if you can hold off a few days before bringing the stuff you promised, I can catch you some ferals. I've traveled all over the world and I'll assemble a cross section if I can."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "If he can catch a Ponytaur, I'll give you Hanmei. She's not big into team tactics and isn't working out. I'll also get an Ice Crystal so you can evolve the Ponytaur into a Frozenare, which will give you a chance to observe a stone induced evolution and give Hanmei a good reason to work with you. Huns are obsessed with having a steed and Frozenares are their ride of choice."

"That will do nicely." Kerrik rubbed his hands together briskly. "Shikarou, can I have a word with you?"

He nodded. "Let's go to my room."

Kerrik gave him a glance as they left the arena and headed down the hall. "Nice tent, by the bye."

"Faelan gave me the original spell and I modified it. He's modified my modifications and I've changed some of the things he's done. I doubt the person who created the spell would recognize it anymore." He motioned his father into his room and shut the door behind them. "So, what did you need privacy for?"

"A couple of things. First, I want to suggest that you make your peace with Svetlana. She's going to be your sister soon enough and she'll be your responsibility if anything happens to Faelan."

"She already is, but I see your point." Shikarou nodded. "She will be family and I need to make the effort."

"That's all you can do." Kerrik sighed. "I'm sorry I missed it when your powers started to activate. Stardust mentioned it to me and Pythia jumped in to ask if I could help you with mastery of some of them."

Shikarou looked interested. "Can you?"

"I can certainly get you started. I'll need to take a walk in your mind."

"Let me call Circe and Stardust. They've been a great help and I don't want to offend them by making them miss a crucial step in my development."

"Then by all means do so." A few minutes later, the pair of Alaka-Whams had joined them and they all had entered Shikarou's mind.

Kerrik looked around at the three of them. "This way." The hallway blurred as they lifted off the ground and raced down it.

"How are you doing this?" Stardust looked intrigued. "I didn't know one could travel this way."

"Since I know where I want to go, we can skip the intervening parts of the construct. It's only a tool and so I modify it as needed to accomplish my goal."

Stardust blinked and suddenly looked very thoughtful.

They touched down in the middle of another hallway and Kerrik nodded. "I thought so. I'd set up the ward here to end when your powers were ready, but something may have gone wrong." He touched a wall and it melted away to reveal another hall. Doors lined the passageway, each one of them ornately carved and decorated in different patterns and a boasting a large array of colors. "The access points to your kami and sidhe powers are down there." His silver furred ears flicked slowly. "As you know, each of us accesses our powers differently and so you will have to discover how to do so on your own. This will allow you to access the full range of your abilities that have developed so far. As you get older, new abilities will probably develop and old ones may become more powerful or change in more fundamental ways." A smile flickered on his lips. "I'm vastly older than you and I'm still acquiring new abilities and learning more about ones I thought were mature."

Circe cocked her head. "How old are you?"

"I'm old enough that it's just a number, but if I'd been born on your world it would have been before the advent of the Christian religion and I'd have been able to meet several pharaohs as well as Alexander the Great."

"Who?"

"Nevermind. Maybe he didn't exist here."

Circe chuckled. "No, it's just that if he wasn't a psychiatrist of note, my sister would have never heard of him. I know who he is."

Stardust glared. "Do tell, dear sister."

"He's a Greek that tamed the whole world."

Shikarou smiled. "Not quite."

Kerrik raised a hand as Stardust opened her mouth for a retort. "I have to leave soon, could you keep the fighting down until after then?" The Alaka-Wham transferred her glare to him before nodding reluctantly. "Usually only people are willing to drop everything for a good argument. I agree with my sons. You are people."

Stardust stared at him for a moment as a smile warred with a glare. The smile won. "I'm pretty sure I should be thankful for that."

"Yes, you should and you are quite welcome." Kerrik glanced at his son. "I've given you the information you needed to know and the rest is up to you. We should leave now."

When they were standing in Shikarou's room again, Kerrik gave his son a hug. "I need to find your brother and say goodbye. I'll need to get back home before I decide to set up a place on this island and stay for a couple of years." He smiled slightly. "Or centuries."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want, father."

"Thank you very much for that, but this is your home now, isn't it?" He continued upon Shikarou's definite nod. "I know myself well enough to know that I'd have to find somewhere I can be in charge and right now I've got more than enough of that going on at home. Maybe after your mother calms down I'll become a, what is it called, Tamer? Yeah, a Tamer here. Until then, I should keep my nose clean and my pants on."

Shikarou grinned. "Feel free to become the ruler here. I tried giving it to Faelan and he was smart enough to decline."

"So am I." Kerrik bowed to Stardust and Circe. "Ladies, it has been a distinct pleasure to meet you both. My son is very lucky that you've chosen to spend some of your lives with him."

Circe smiled. "Actually, we are both delta bonded to him and he couldn't get rid of us if he wanted to."

"Then he is truly blessed." Kerrik cocked his head. "Now I need to say farewell to Faelan. Hopefully I'll see all of you soon." He vanished.

Circe gave Shikarou a puzzled look. "Did you give him the key to access the teleportation block on the tent?"

Her Tamer shook his head. "Father is a law unto himself." He touched his belt. "So, let's get everyone healed and out and about because I really don't want to have to listen to Helen be quietly disappointed if I eat someone else's cooking." He smiled. "She's got the ability to incite guilt with just a single look."

Stardust rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. She caught me raiding the cookies the other day and before she could say anything, I was already apologizing. Me. The person who doesn't care what other people think of her. I swear it's some kind of sneaky psychic technique." She smirked. "Imagine some Tamer's response if Helen used it on his pokegirl in a battle and she started apologizing for attacking her? 'I'm so sorry. I promise it won't happen again.'"

The three of them shared a laugh before leaving the room.

(06/10/99 1215 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"I'm going to get salt spray in my fur because you don't care about me." Nanu gave him a hard look as he settled on the bench. It was a blustery day and the wind whipped up the waves as they raced underneath the pier, causing a fine mist of seawater to occasionally drift across the bench. The Mini-Top moved to put herself as far away from it as possible as she complained.

"If it's that bad, I'll wash you myself later."

Nanu smiled broadly. "All right." She sat down next to him and pulled off her t-shirt. "There. That's all better now." Her white fur gleamed in the light as tiny drops of water immediately beaded her fur. "Oops. It looks like I will need that bath you offered."

Shikarou shook his head slowly and unclipped his handheld. "I have three messages. One is from Poppet, one is from Thai Silvati and one is from Professor Stroak." He frowned. "I didn't give Stroak my com number."

"Someone did." Nanu draped her ears over the back of the bench and stretched luxuriously. "I wonder what your non-harem Unicorn girlfriend wants."

"Good question. Let's find out."

Shikarou keyed up her message and Poppet's head appeared in the air in front of them. She smiled. "Hey. I know I sent you a personal message yesterday, so I figure that right now you are asking yourself what I want and how much you can charge me for it; but I don't want you to run any errands today." Her smile turned seductive. "Well, I would like it if you came to see me again. If transport is an issue I'm sure we can work something out." Nanu made a disgusted sound.

"The reason I'm calling is to let you know that Professor Stroak is looking for you. He hinted that he wanted your help with something and I gave him your code." She turned serious. "I don't know what he wants; the old codger is playing coy with information again. I wouldn't have told him how to contact you, but he's prominent enough that defying him without a good reason can have serious repercussions, especially for anyone in a pokegirl related industry. Be careful in dealing with him. He didn't live to be as old as he is by being a doddering old fool. He just plays one very, very well. Maryanne isn't to be trusted either; she's his body and soul."

"I've found that if you act as if you buy his theatrics you can usually get him to drop his guard. God knows flaunting your assets at him is a waste of time, even if you had any he'd be interested in." She shook her head. "He's good at verbal judo and loves expensive food presents. He considers himself an epicurean and loves unusual foods, as long as they aren't too spicy. Maryanne is a sucker for chocolate, especially if it's filled with some kind of creamy center."

"Maryanne is the light of his life, but she's no great shakes as a cook, so something sophisticated will get his attention right away." She smiled again. "I just wanted to drop you a quick note. Don't be a stranger." The video ended and the image vanished.

Nanu leaned against him. "That wasn't very helpful."

"Actually, it was. I know now that Stroak is looking for me and Poppet thinks he wants me to do something for him. She also warned me not to tell him no unless I have a good reason and gave me some good pointers on how to bribe him."

"So, what is the message he sent you?"

Shikarou pulled it up. "It's text only and requests that I call him at my earliest convenience." He frowned. "They're several hours behind us so I'll wait at least another hour before giving him a call. Let's see what Thai has to say." He keyed up the message.

Thai appeared in the air in front of them. He glanced over his shoulder at two partially covered sleeping pokegirls. The image froze and Aggie appeared in the corner. "One of those is a Milktit, but this one," one of the forms was briefly highlighted in blue, "is a Milk Maid. They are very rare and it's unusual that Thai has one. They aren't found in combat harems and I'd had the impression he was building one. Milk Maids can't stand the sight of blood."

Nanu snickered. "They aren't found around Vampires either, then."

Shikarou ignored her. "Play message."

Thai started moving again. He turned back to the camera and scooted back a little on the chair before he smiled slightly. "Well, seeing as how I've been getting up at the most awful hours lately, I'll try to stay kinda quiet as I record this. I don't know how I managed to evolve that Milk Maid back there, but I'll just say I was lucky. When they wake up, I'll have to ask them if they want me to be their tamer. Anyway, good to hear from you and it's nice to meet you too, Elizabeth. Glad to do you're hearing well…" and he blinked, wiping from sleep from his eyes before he groaned slightly. "Sorry. Glad to hear you're doing well. Although I suppose the other way might be accurate too. Still waking up a bit here."  
"And I'm glad to hear about Hidden Bra; I haven't had a chance to check up on them recently. My Cherry has been trying to get me to go to Comupan Town here in Ruby for about a month now, without giving me a good reason. I haven't completely decided yet, but most of my possible methods of correcting her thinking haven't done anything. And I've tried Elizabeth's method already- sorry, but she just can't take a good spanking at all. She just curls up and doesn't want to be tamed afterwards. Might be something from before she thresholded, but she isn't talking about it at all." He shrugged slightly before blinking and looking off screen.

Nanu snickered. "Spanking a Celestial as a method of correction? You might as well give that up as a bad idea. Only death corrects a Celestial." A brief grin appeared. "Well, death and your dick." She kissed him on the neck. "You can correct me later."

"You are not a Celestial."

"So? You can still correct me."

Shikarou returned his attention to the message as Thai got off the chair and moved out of the camera's view briefly, reappearing with some kind of device in his hands as he smiled slightly and held it up on display.  
"I made this in the last week or so… I know it doesn't look like much, but according to the Milktit back on my bed, she's never been quite so empty all the time. I wonder if you might be interested at all in this thing, so I'm going to attach the blueprints file to this video message when I send it to you. Considering that this will let me go on my Journey without having to milk a Milktit for nearly all day, I figure that this could work out well for a bunch of people. Too bad I have no way of mass producing, but that's what ya get when you make something homemade, right?" he said, and then chuckled.  
"The design might be worth something to the right people, I think. I'm not quite sure who I'd find interested yet, though. I've got the patent pending, so hopefully I can get that through the channels before someone else comes up with it. So far so good, and I'll keep my fingers crossed."  
"And you know what? I can't say I blame you. I haven't met any Legendaries, but I can bet that most of them would be just as annoying as Celestials to try and placate. Besides, I can see that Elizabeth keeps your hands full and your blood drained, so it  
looks like you got quite the deal. Although, an Infernal having the hots for a Celestial… I swear, I've heard that somewhere before. Ah well."

He paused the message as Nanu stirred. "Care to tell me about the other half of that conversation?"

"Elizabeth was being cute and I mentioned to Thai that no matter how annoying she was, I wouldn't trade her for Sexmet and Bastit."

"Well, of course you wouldn't. That would be stupid and you wouldn't get the good part of that trade."

"Remind me to keep you away from Sexmet if she comes to visit. You'd end up shooting her and she'd tear you in half." Shikarou commented dryly. He resumed the recording.  
"And I'm going to stop arguing with you about the credits. Seems to me as if it could go on and on with neither of us winning… or maybe I'd wind up losing, so why tempt a losing record?" he asked, grinning slightly as he reached towards the screen, his hand disappearing off screen. A second later he nodded slightly towards them.  
"There, the file's attached now. Given the resources that you seem to have, I'm sure it wouldn't take much to come up with your own working model, if you needed one. You're welcome to it, if you find a use for it." He gave a wave and vanished.

"Aggie, display schematic." A series of engineering drawings appeared.

"Opinion?"

Aggie appeared in a corner of the display. "The theory is sound and the drawings appear to be accurate. The most expensive part of a pokepack is the digitizing equipment so the price will probably be comparable to that of a pokepack. This means that many Tamers will not be able to afford one; still, it could be used to facilitate transport of milk from farms to processing centers. If you don't mind, I'll forward the plans to Selene. She's got the time and processing power to see if any improvements are worthwhile."

"Do it."

Nanu tugged on his braid. "Cute kid."

"I don't think I'll tell him you called him a kid."

"I'm crushed." She nestled against Shikarou more firmly. "So what are you going to tell him about me? You're going to tell him that I'm perfect, right?" Shikarou made a noncommittal noise and she poked him. "Right?"

"I can't lie, remember?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I'm not perfect?"

"You're doing the talking here. I'm not saying anything."

"Do you or do you not think I'm perfect?"

"I think that perfection is an unattainable goal; so, no, you're not perfect."

"But I'm more perfect than most, right?"

"You are the most perfect Mini-Top I've ever had."

"Thanks." She settled against him again. Suddenly she frowned. "Wait a minute; I'm the only Mini-Top you've ever had."

"Quiet, I'm going to record a reply to Thai's message."

"Can I say something to him?"

"If it's not profane, then sure."

"Cool. Just a minute." She pinched her nipples a couple of times to make them stand out. "Ok."

He sighed. "Record."

Aggie gave him a sympathetic smile. "Recording message."

Nanu smiled at the handheld. "Hello, Thai. I'm Nanu and I'm another one of Shikarou's pokegirls. I'm a Mini-Top and although Shikarou is too modest to say so, I'm the most perfect pokegirl he's got." She glanced at Shikarou and her voice dropped dangerously. "Right?"

"You heard her words, Thai." Shikarou shook his head. "I just got your message and I wanted to thank you for the plans for your Milktit milking device. I've got a Milktit of my own, so something like that might come in useful."

Nanu laughed quietly. "If you try to tell Helen that she's going to get vacuumed instead of you feeding off of her, I want to be there for the explosion."

"Are you quite done?"

"Maybe. I'll let you know."

Shikarou's ears went back for a second. "I'll pass your compliments on to Elizabeth and congratulations on the Milk Maid. I understand they are very rare and I know you'll take good care of her. Also, congratulations on the Milktit. I'm rather fond of mine," Nanu snickered loudly, "and she's also becoming quite impressive in combat."

The Mini-Top's smile vanished. "You've got that right. I never thought she'd master thunderbolt, but she did and it packs quite a wallop." She started teasing one of her nipples with a finger.

"Do you mind?"

"No, it feels good." Her eyes slid halfway closed and she leaned back against her Tamer.

Shikarou rubbed his eyes and returned to the message. "Blood. As you can see, Elizabeth isn't the only one to keep me busy. I hope your journey is going well. Mine is going in fits and starts at best, but then I seem to be acquiring more responsibilities every day."

"Hanmei isn't working out, but I've arranged for someone to take her. He's supposed to be getting a Ponytaur to evolve to Frozenare, so she'll have a partner again and I think that will make her very happy."

Nanu smiled softly. "I certainly hope so, the way she keeps on moaning about how much she misses a properly cold pokegirl." Her free hand crept into her lap as she slowly spread her legs.

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I'd better wrap this up before Nanu gets too involved in herself and you can't hear me anymore over her." He snickered. "She's a loud one."

The Mini-Top's voice was husky and slow. "You do good work. I'm not like that for everyone."

"See you, Thai. Shikarou clear." He jumped up and jerked Nanu to her feet. "Let's get that bath."

"You'd better hurry," was her only response. Shikarou picked her up and ran.

(06/10/99 1630 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou leaned against the wall of the hot tub and flipped through his clothes as he searched for his handheld. He frowned and nudged Nanu, who stirred. "Oh, god, not again," she muttered. "My ass is still sore." A sleepy grin. "So is my mouth and pussy, but it's a good kind of sore."

There was no dealing with her when she was content like this, so he ignored it. "Have you seen my handheld?"

She gave him a sultry look. "You've already replaced me?" He gave her a flat look and she smiled again. "I think it got knocked in the water at some point. At least I shoved it out of the way and heard a splash."

Shikarou sighed and felt around in the hot tub for a moment before coming up with his handheld computer. He wiped it off on his shirt and called up Stroak's com number.

Nanu watched him with a slight smile. "Should I leave?"

"Just stay out of the pickup field."

She nodded and scooted to the other side of the hot tub before reaching for the wine bottle. "I've got what I need."

"Good." The com connected and he smiled as Maryanne appeared.

"Professor Stroak's laboratory. How may I direct your call?"

"I believe it's still morning there; so, good morning, Maryanne. I am Shikarou and the professor left me a message asking me to call him."

She smiled prettily. "I remember you. You threw that wonderful dinner for us. Let me see if the professor is available." She vanished and his com started playing some classical music.

A few minutes later, she appeared again. "The professor will be with you in just a minute." Before he could reply, he was back on hold.

"She's businesslike." Nanu placed her feet in his lap.

"Considering how many calls she probably gets insisting that Stroak drop everything to deal with someone else's emergency, I'd be that way too." He played with her toes and she grinned.

The screen flickered and Stroak appeared. "Good morning, professor."

He smiled and peered at Shikarou for a moment. "Ah, Shikarou. It's good to see you again. So, how can I help you?"

Shikarou took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know, professor, I know that you are not an idiot and I know that you sometimes act a little distracted as a tool." He smiled slightly. "However, if you are willing to drop the act, I'm willing to give you and your intellect the respect that they deserve."

Stroak sat up straight and gave Shikarou a measuring look. "Very well," he replied crisply, "I will. I asked you to call me because I have someone who's bothering me and I'm hopeful you can make them stop." He gave Shikarou a tight smile that held more than a hint of weariness. "It's been a little harried down here recently and I really don't need this on top of everything else." He gave a quiet sigh. "Unfortunately, he's respected in his field and I cannot just ignore him." There was a quiet mutter that Shikarou wasn't meant to hear but did anyway. "Not that I don't want to."

"I know how you feel, professor. There's a pokegirl researcher that I can't ignore a request from for a call. I'm sure he just wants to waste my time."

Stroak blinked and flashed a quick grin. "Touché. Now, my sources tell me that you are not only an offworlder, you are familiar enough with the phenomenon to have coined a word describing these visitors.' Other-dimensional' is what I've heard you use." He cocked his head questioningly.

"That's correct, professor. Interdimensional travel, while not routine, is fairly well known, at least among my family. Well known enough that we have come up with terminology for the subject."

"I was hoping that would be the case. So you are familiar with some of the techniques involved, are you not?"

"Some. My father is the real expert but I've paid attention when he's talking and I know enough to operate some portal generators without assistance."

"Excellent. Now there is a theoretical physicist who consulted with the people who inadvertently brought Ranma Saotome here last year. Did the two of you ever meet?"

"My brother observed the Sadie Pokens day where he spoke and I've reviewed the recording he made, but I did not meet him."

"Well, no matter. This physicist was just a consultant and he's finished a review of the data collected when Ranma arrived as well as when he left and he's claiming that there is a problem. My specialty is pokegirls and the surviving members of the portal project aren't on cordial terms with Dr. Banzai, so I was wondering if you would go down and talk to him. He's in the Blue League, in Ireland."

"You want me to look over the data? I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a physicist."

"No, but I've heard you have some remarkable friends who may be able to assist you. Someone named Aggie, I believe, may be of particular help."

"And where did you hear that?"

He smiled cheerfully. "Now, now, I understand you young folks can be a bit possessive about such things and I would like my source to be able to continue giving me information. I seriously doubt telling you about them would keep them healthy."

Shikarou's face smoothed. "And if I insisted?" Water splashed as Nanu sat upright, suddenly wide awake as she watched her Tamer intently.

Stroak looked shocked. "Are you threatening me?"

"I haven't threatened anyone. I merely asked a question."

"Please don't insist." He smiled again. "I know few people that I would like to get to know better, and you might just turn out to be one of that small group. Threats would probably not help."

"I see." Shikarou shook his head and Nanu started relaxing back into the tub. "Very well. I'll try to deal with your problem."

"Thank you. The man you need to talk to is Dr. Buckaroo Banzai at the New Avalon Institute of Science. It's located in New Avalon."

"How remarkable."

Stroak chuckled. "Yes, it is. Banzai is often away, so I recommend you call and get an appointment to meet with him. I recommend talking to Beverly. She's his secretary and she'll make sure your appointment coincides with him actually being at the NAIS."

"I will. I'll call him in the morning."

"Thank you." Stroak nodded politely. "Drop by when you get a chance, Shikarou. I think you and I have a lot to talk about."

"I will. Goodbye, professor."

The display blanked and shifted as Aggie appeared in it next to a map of Ireland. "New Avalon is located where the pre-fall city of Galway was on the south western coast of Ireland. The NAIS is one of several scientific research facilities in the area."

"Thanks. Do me a favor and see if you and Selene can find out how the professor knew about you."

She nodded. "I will. I'll put together a profile on Dr. Banzai and everyone associated with the portal project. Part of the initial team is dead; it turns out that they were murdered during a Team Trauma attack. It was that attack which resulted in the portal becoming unstable and bringing Ranma Saotome here."

"What was the original project's aim?"

"Point to point transfer in the same dimensional plane. I will have to do further research to determine the feasibility of their program, if you wish."

"I'm curious as to whether we could adapt the technology, but it's a low priority at best."

She nodded. "I'll see if I can free up some time to work on it." The display died.

Nanu shook her head. "I didn't understand a whole lot of that, what's going on?"

"Stroak wants someone to stop bothering him and he'd like me to try to make it happen."

"Oh, so we're going to beat someone up?"

"I don't think so."

"That's a shame. Maybe I'll get lucky."

(06/15/99 2220 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent, 1020 Sukebe Asteroid Facility, Somewhere in the Sol System)

Shikarou pulled his water bottle from his belt and took a deep drink before flipping his mask back up over his lower face. Pythia shook her whole body and droplets of sweat flew in the low gravity. "I hope we find the outer rim soon." Her voice was muffled by the mask she wore.

"You and me both." His mask muffled his reply. In the days they'd been exploring the station, they'd run across a couple of areas with unhealthy atmospheres so he'd had Selene run them up some air generating systems that they could wear.

They'd had time. When he'd called the NAIS offices, he had spoken to Beverly, who turned out to be a very nice Quillara. She had informed him that Dr. Banzai was out of the league and wouldn't be back for a couple of weeks. Because of this, she was unwilling to make any sort of appointment for Shikarou until she knew more of the doctor's schedule, but had promised to call him as soon as she could set something up.

There was a whine as one of the drones whipped by. They'd released over fifty of them and they were doing most of the work of mapping the station. Since there was an atmosphere of some kind almost everywhere, they had tiny propellers and airfoils for movement with a small gas reservoir for propulsion in places without any atmosphere. Shikarou and Pythia were primarily there to open doors and such when the drones reported a problem in their path.

They moved on; Shikarou skimming from place to place while Pythia flew behind him. Eventually, they reached the shut door where another drone hovered. It bobbed impatiently at them and arched away from the door to give them access. Shikarou sighed and explored the door carefully. Some of them had mechanical locks that could be disengaged to open the doors, but others had to be forced open. A few that they'd had to leave would have to be cut open later. "No access on this side." Pythia nodded and checked her mask before phasing through the door.

_I think this may be an airlock._ Her mental voice sounded excited_. There is an observation port but it's filthy. I'll see if I can clean it from this side._

_Do not try to go through that door until we can get the pressure suits._ Shikarou send a feeling of annoyance to her. _I'm not interested in you getting killed._

_Yes, my general._

The drone whined in his ear and he swatted at it. "Aggie, calm the fuck down. It may be an airlock, but your pestering me isn't going to speed things any." The drone made a spiteful noise and sped off.

His belt spoke. Actually, it was his handheld, but it was on his belt. "I'll map the areas around here and see if there is any correlation."

"You do that," he muttered. They'd jumped back to where Pythia had been in stasis and, working under the theory that it was the more straightforward path, they had proceeded along the axis of the station's rotation. It hadn't been as easy as he'd hoped, but the drones who'd backtracked along the path he'd followed when he first arrived on the station to get Pythia had spread out into a veritable maze and progress there was a crawl.

Once he found the exterior of the station he could get an idea of the size of the place as well as place sensors around the exterior that would make things easier. He also hoped to find the powerplant and if so, perhaps he could establish some kind of actual presence on the station and provide heat and air.

The other reason he was looking for the exterior of the station was that he was carrying in his backpack a small space vessel that had a manufactory built into it. He would launch it, and it would seek out a nearby asteroid for the manufactory's nanobots to remake into a modern habitat. He didn't want to use this station for raw material until he knew it held nothing of value and Aggie had vacuumed the computers. That might take years, considering the kludge of technology Sukebe had used in its construction.

So far he'd seen a Federation power conduit, some non-functional Imperial or New Republic droids and some kind of staff with a logo on it that he couldn't identify, but Selene said might match something in her data bank from a High Guard force lance, whatever that was. He's also seen three powercells from a Mark IX Concordiat powergun and he was not going to try converting this base until he knew that there wasn't a Bolo somewhere on it. If there was, he was going to claim it.

Frankly, he didn't think there was. A decent Bolo or even a small Concordiat warship would have been deployed to Earth and Sukebe would have won handily, without all of the trouble he'd had with Typhonna. However, he was beginning to suspect that Sukebe, while a decent mage and a fair geneticist, might not have been up on modern military technology or possibly might not have cared. After all, the guy couldn't have been a master of everything and it would have taken less effort to use one technology to build this station. For blood's sake, he'd seen symbols on one wall that had looked like some of the stuff on a Klingon children's book that sat in his father's library.

Of course, Sukebe had also very likely been an obsessive megalomaniac and sometimes they got tunnel vision about their obsessions.

Pythia phased back through the hatch. "I can't get it clean." She shook and dust flew. "It's filthy in there."

Shikarou blinked rapidly to clear his eyes and then wiped vainly at his face before staring at the grime on his hand. "Thanks a lot."

She chuckled tiredly. "I can see the future and it has lots of hot water and gallons of shampoo in it."

"I'll take some of that. We'll return in the morning with pressure suits and see what's on the other side of that hatch."

Pythia slipped her arm through his. "Shall I wash you first or you me?" she asked with a coy look.

He bumped his mask against hers. "We'll figure something out." She gave a throaty chuckle and they vanished.

(06/16/99 0600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent, 0600 Sukebe Asteroid Facility, Somewhere in the Sol System)

Each time I float in space and look out over the universe I am reminded that if the priests are right and the gods had their hand in the creation of this then indeed they are incredible in their might and imagination.

Each time I also remember that it is by the sweat of our bodies that we are here too, thus proving that we have our feet firmly on the path to join them.

– The Book of Anonymous Philosophy

_ Shikarou turned the electronic reader around and shoved it at his father. "What does this mean?"_

_ Kerrik put down his stylus and glanced over. "What are you reading? Ah, that book." He smiled broadly at his ten year old son. "That book is supposed to make you think and I don't think that giving you the answers will help it to do its job." He nodded to himself. "You are old enough now, let's get you fitted for a forcesuit and you can go see for yourself."_

_ "But I've been in space before and looked out into it," the young man protested._

_ "I believe Caspa mentioned floating. That hints you should go outside the ship."_

_ Shikarou frowned. "Caspa? No one knows who wrote the things in the Book of Anonymous Philosophy." He smiled wisely. "It's anonymous."_

_ His father was quick to disagree. "That's not always true. The people who submit things to the Book's approval committee often know and I know that Moonblood no Caspa wrote that in his journals," he cocked his head, "four thousand two hundred and sixty one years ago." He winked. "I have them and it just so happens I submitted that to the first edition of the Book twenty five hundred years ago."_

_ "I've never heard of the Moonblood clan." Shikarou pointed out with the arrogance of youth. _

_ "They don't exist any more. They were wiped out and their remnants absorbed by the Windstalker clan, who also no longer exist, having been absorbed by the Blue Wing clan over a millennia ago. I bought the Moonblood library from the Windstalker clan leader right after their victory over the Moonbloods."_

_ "But the Blue Wings are a tiny clan. They don't have the strength to absorb anyone."_

_ "Once, they were great enough that they sought to become rivals of our clan but now it appears that their time is almost over." Kerrik shrugged. "It happens. New clans appear and others disappear with the regularity of cesium decay. Not even the old clans are immune to time and events."_

_ "It will never happen to us!"_

_ Kerrik smiled. "Perhaps and perhaps not. Today, even members of the Tsukiken clan break off and form their own clans, hoping for greatness. Our numbers are many, but who knows what the future brings." He peered at his son. "Someday you will have to decide if you will carry our name or try to lift up one of your own. Not until that moment comes will you know what your decision will be." He rose. "Now, let's get you fitted for a forcesuit and we'll see if Caspa's words are still true."_

"So, father took me up and after I got my first forcesuit, we went into space and I spacewalked for the first time. As soon as I looked around, I knew that Caspa's words were still true." Shikarou glanced at Pythia as they floated near Sukebe's station. "I remember them again each time I go outside."

Her voice held awe. "I see what you mean. I feel great and insignificant at the same time." Her head twisted inside her helmet. "What is a forcesuit?"

"A spacesuit made of forcefields. We don't have the technology here, yet, to make them. Maybe the base father is bringing will have the right schematics, but Selene doesn't."

She nodded. "Did that moment ever come? The one where you had to decide if you would start your own clan?"

"Yes, it did and no, I didn't. I am a Tsukiken and desire to be no more or less than that." He grinned at her and began taking the spaceship out of his backpack. Pythia used her telekinesis to hold him stable while he worked to pull the meter long craft free.

Once it was out, he gave it a gentle push away from the station and watched as it began to drift away from them. Suddenly it accelerated hard, twisting to circle around the station before it dwindled and vanished into the depths of space.

Pythia gathered him into her arms as he cradled the backpack in his arms. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," he replied.

Once they'd phased through the hatch they had discovered that it was indeed an airlock on the outer hull of the station. Brief experimentation had proven that the wingless flight used by pokegirls, or at least the Neo Iczel who'd contributed to Pythia's genetic makeup, worked in space.

So Pythia flew him around the exterior of the space station while he placed sensors at locations as determined by Aggie. The work went smoothly and was soon complete.

"Are we done?"

Shikarou stretched in her arms. "For the moment. Now we wait while Aggie continues the exploration." He shook his head. "With the powered down droids and the booby-traps we've already found, I'm more than willing to agree with her that it's a little dangerous for us organics and let her do the work."

"Home then, my general?"

"Indeed."

(06/16/99 1530 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Mary burst into the tent. "Sir, the ferry has put in and there's a knight on it." She bobbed her head in an abbreviated greeting at the harem and Lynn. "Ladies. Your Majesty."

She turned back to Shikarou. "I don't recognize him; I think he's a member of the lowest rank. Gwen's watching him right now." She took a deep breath. "He says he's here under a flag of truce and that he has a message for you from the Queen."

Shikarou nodded and held up a cup. "Tea?"

"Sir, what do you," she broke off as he held up a hand.

"I want to finish my tea and let him stew in his own juices for an hour or so." He cocked his head. "I'm inclined not to allow his flag of truce, considering just how polite they haven't been to me or mine."

Mary blinked and then a slow smile appeared. "That's likely to anger him. He's used to being respected, at least by those who know of the Order."

"Good. I want him angry." Shikarou continued to offer the tea. "Gwen can keep him out of trouble. Sit down and tell me of all the fun ways I can irritate the hell out of him when I finally deign to appear."

Mary took it, settled down and started to talk.

(06/16/99 1530 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Sir Yancy tried not to glare at Gwen as they stood under the pavilion. It wasn't her fault that this Shikarou was an arrogant ass.

"Ah, here they come." He looked up at Gwen's quiet comment and gave the Dragoness next to him a glance. She was watching the oncoming group

Sir Yancy turned to watch them himself. His first thought was that Shikarou was not with them. He looked more closely and immediately recognized the turncoat, Mary, who appeared to be leading the little cavalcade. The picture he'd been shown before leaving the Order headquarters had shown her to be a serious looking, slightly unhappy woman.

In reality, he could still see the seriousness, but the lines of unhappiness were gone from her face and he briefly wondered if that had happened before she changed her allegiance or after.

The group included Mary, a Unicorn, several humans or, more likely, very near human pokegirls, some kind of Bunnygirl and a feralborne Ria wearing a skirt.

The person who appeared to be in charge was a Unicorn. This was probably Branwyn, reported to be the child of Poppet, the unassuming operator of the Harris Conservatory.

Poppet was an enigma. Back when she'd first arrived on the scene, the Order had made three attempts to capture such an obviously magical pokegirl and had lost five knights and their associated harems before deciding that it was a bad idea. From what the various other attackers had accomplished, also nothing, it had seemed they had been wise to cut their losses.

Unfortunately, the only information they had on Branwyn had come from Mary, and since no one was sure when she'd turned, all of her reports were suspect.

As the group approached, they began to settle into a formation of sorts. As the Bunnygirl dropped back Sir Yancy realized with surprise it was a Mini-Top. As the others approached, they spread out in such as fashion as to give her a clear line of fire for whatever attacks she might have.

Sir Yancy blinked as the Mini-Top drew a pistol and leveled it at his forehead. The Unicorn smiled. "I'm Branwyn and here are the rules. Shikarou has decided not to honor the request for a flag of truce." She glanced at the Dragoness as she stirred. "If you misbehave, Nanu is going to shoot your Tamer through the head." The Dragoness froze. "Good. I'm glad to see you can be reasoned with."

Sir Yancy glared at the Unicorn. "I demand to know why you are refusing to honor the truce."

"So far the Order of Pendragon has shown itself to be without honor and we don't trust you. Now, against my better judgment, Shikarou has agreed to meet with you and hear what you have to say, but there are conditions." She nodded towards the Dragoness. "She goes in a pokeball and you get relieved of everything that could be a weapon. Then you can meet with Shikarou."

The Dragoness stirred. "I do not belong to Sir Yancy. My name is Morgan. I belong to the Queen and I speak with her voice."

Branwyn nodded. "That's nice." She cocked her head and looked thoughtful. "Very well. Here're the new conditions. If you misbehave, Nanu will shoot Sir Yancy and the pokegirls behind you will tear you apart."

Sir Yancy turned to look behind him as Morgan looked over her shoulder at the two Alaka-Whams and the DragonQueen which had silently teleported in a few meters behind them. Bellona gave them a toothsome smile. "I think you would want to pay more attention to my alpha. We'll only become an issue if you get rowdy."

With an effort, Morgan turned her attention back to Branwyn as she spoke once more. "No, we don't trust you. Your saintly order of knighthood seems to specialize in skullduggery and ambushes and I'm unwilling to take any chances with my husband's safety."

Sir Yancy and Morgan exchanged a surprised look before he turned back to the Unicorn. "What if I find your conditions unacceptable?"

Branwyn smiled. "If you refuse our conditions then you will be allowed to board the ferry, which we are conveniently holding for you, and you will leave."

Sir Yancy looked surprised again. "That's it?"

"While Shikarou has not agreed to your truce, he has decided to grant you safe passage." Nanu made an unhappy noise, which Branwyn ignored. "In spite of some objections, he's the Tamer and it's his decision."

Sir Yancy gave the Unicorn a penetrating look. "Very well, I agree to your conditions." Morgan gave him a sharp look but remained silent.

"Good." She nodded to the Ria. "Kebi, search him and the Dragoness both."

Morgan frowned as Kebi bounded forward with a grin. "Wait, that wasn't in the agreement."

"If you want to be treated as a person and not balled, then you get searched. So, search or ferry. What is it going to be?"

Kebi watched with bright eyes and quivering ears, whispering something to herself as she rocked on her toes. Sir Yancy strained his ears and heard. "Hump, die. Hump, die. Hump, die." He sighed silently. The poor girl was obviously insane.

Morgan frowned deeply. "Very well, I consent to being searched. But I'm not wearing clothes and I doubt very much you will find anything."

Branwyn shrugged. "Kebi. Do Morgan first."

Sir Yancy watched as the Ria walked around Morgan, stepping closely around the Dragoness but as far as he could see, never touching her. Then she stepped away. "Kebi done."

"See?" Morgan asked triumphantly. "Nothing."

"Dragon lie." Kebi pulled a wand from her pocket. "Kebi find in hair."

Morgan went white. "You never touched me!"

The Ria gave her a smug smile. "Kebi good."

Branwyn chuckled. "Yes, you are. Anything else?"

"Plant on neck."

Branwyn sighed. "I can never understand your pidgin. Shikarou?"

His voice came from behind Yancy and Morgan. "She says that Morgan has an implant in her neck. We can probably let her keep it."

Sir Yancy turned to see Shikarou as he released Pythia's hand. He smiled broadly. "Since you agreed, I saw no reason to wait."

Branwyn gave him an annoyed look. "Yes, husband. Kebi, now Sir Yancy."

The Ria bumped the knight with her hip and walked to his other side and bumped him again. "All done." She giggled. "Knight wears panties."

Yancy turned white, then red.

"Stop teasing him." Shikarou held out a bag. "Give."

Kebi began pulling things from her pockets and dumping them in the bag. "Knight have knives. Lots. Even in panties. Wand." She held up a gold ring and Sir Yancy jerked his eyes down to his fingers and gasped in shock. "Keep?"

"No, Kebi."

She sighed and dropped it into the bag before dipping her hands back into her pockets. Finally she stopped. "No more. Kiss?"

Shikarou took her head in his hands and kissed her noisily. "Thank you, Kebi." She giggled again and bumped his nose with hers before moving to stand behind him.

Branwyn pulled out her wand and created a table and some chairs. "Please, sit."

Sir Yancy settled down with a wary look around him and Morgan moved to stand at his back.

Shikarou looked amused as he sat at the table and glanced at Nanu. "I don't think you need to keep threatening Sir Yancy." She huffed and put the pistol away as he turned back to Sir Yancy and Morgan. "Morgan, if you speak for the queen you need to stop acting like Sir Yancy's guard and sit down." He frowned and cocked his head curiously as she settled down next to the knight. "Why aren't you Dame Morgan?"

The Dragoness looked stunned. "Pokegirls are never knighted." There was an obvious but unheard "of course" on the end of that statement.

"That's a pity. Pokegirls can be just as capable as anyone else. No offense intended, but I think your queen missed a trick in that regard." He smiled slightly. "I value Gwen's contributions to everything that's happened just as much as Mary's and that is no slight on what Mary has accomplished since she joined us. I'm quite pleased and if I ever create an order of knighthood, both of them will be inducted into it if they wish." Gwen flushed slightly.

Morgan bristled. "My Queen does as she sees best suits us all."

Shikarou looked skeptical for a second and then gave a minute shrug. "I'm not here to argue with you. In fact, it's my understanding that I am here because you have a message for me." He glanced to the side. "Ah, Helen." The Milktit drove up in her golf cart and started loading the table with goodies. "Please, refresh yourselves."

A short time later, he leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs. "Now that we've broken bread, why don't you tell me this message you have for me."

Morgan, who looked surprised at the amount of food she'd managed to put away, nodded. "My Queen bids you fair greetings and requests that you return her rightful property to her, the tome known as the Grimoire of Danu."

Shikarou nodded. "So she's a pal of Sukebe's, huh?"

Morgan looked confused. "I do not understand the question."

"This book was recovered from someplace that belonged to Sukebe and hasn't been visited in three hundred years. So your queen is either a liar, very old or a time traveler. Which is it? Or would you like to try another story." He smiled as the Dragoness purpled. "Also note that I do not acknowledge it as anyone's property other than my own."

Sir Yancy shook his head. "Her Majesty has existed since before time itself and wrote the Book of Danu long ago."

"Even if I accept such a premise, that does not make it currently her property. She could have given it away, sold it or even lost it." He smiled without humor. "It is obvious that at this juncture it isn't in her possession, so something has to have happened. Unless you want to tell me that she put it with her own hands where I found it or had an agent put it there."

Morgan glared. "She did."

Shikarou nodded but it was Branwyn who spoke. "Then you know where we found it. Describe this place to me."

Morgan's eyes narrowed to slits. "I will not."

"Then either thy queen does not trust thee with such knowledge or she has not this knowledge to give to thee. In any case, the book is useless to thee." Dorothea placed a gentle hand on Shikarou's shoulder. "My lord has assured me that thou can not use this book."

Shikarou flicked an ear. "If Sir Yancy is right and the queen has existed, as he put it, since before time began, it might be possible that she could use the book." Sir Yancy started to nod and froze at Shikarou's next words. "But only if this Queen were of the Sidhe. It's completely useless to anyone else."

Morgan flinched. "We do not say that name."

He shrugged. "I am not a member of this 'we'. Sidhe." He smiled. "I am of the Sidhe."

Sir Yancy gave an incredulous look at Shikarou's ears. "Those are not the ears of the Sidhe."

"And how would you know?" Shikarou smiled. "Through my veins flows the blood of the Sidhe. Arteries, too. No, I'm not a pureblood, but my blood is pure enough to open the Grimoire, which no one who is not Sidhe can do."

"Abomination," Morgan snarled. "The Fey are pure of blood and heart and the appointed guardians of this land."

Shikarou snorted. "The Sidhe and the other fey are no purer of blood than anyone else. They can be noble and gracious and they can also be petty and cruel and just as traitorous as any of the mortal races." He put his cup down. "The Grimoire stays with me."

"The Queen has need of it. Return it this instant!" Morgan half rose from her chair and froze as Shikarou stood.

"If your queen sent you to bargain to return the Grimoire, you have done a piss poor job and failed in the attempt." His voice was cold. "Now, I have a message I want you to convey to her."

"I did not seize the Grimoire from her or hers. I found it after I was unjustly accused of theft from a member of her Order. When I returned with it, I was assaulted without warning. Later, I was again attacked. Now you come and attempt to give me orders?" His eyes narrowed. "I do not care what business your queen thinks she has with the Grimoire, it will not happen as circumstances currently stand."

His ears slowly flattened and a heaviness seemed to fill the air, making each breath an effort. "I have tried to have a policy of live and let live in regards to the Order of Pendragon, but you will inform your queen that if I have another attack from one of hers, I will hold her and the rest of her Order accountable. I will hunt her and hers through the generations until they and their descendants are no more and the only thing that is remembered of them is how they passed, which shall be a warning to those who might threaten what I seek to build."

His eyes flashed. "We are done here. Branwyn, please see that these people are escorted to the ferry and removed from my lands immediately. Once they are on the ferry, return their possessions to them."

The Unicorn nodded grimly. "Yes, husband. Dorothea, Yushiko, Elizabeth, you are with me."

(06/16/99 1800 Wilderness of Scotland, Blue Continent)

Morgan flared and stalled as she released Sir Yancy to drop to loam below before folding her wings and falling to land beside him. "Now, we summon the Templar and return."

Sir Yancy shook his head. "No. We return to the headquarters." His body blurred and changed as he continued speaking. "You should have not tried to lie about knowing where the Grimoire rested."

"Perhaps not, my queen, but did I have any other choice?"

The Queen met her gaze squarely. "You did what you thought was right and it turned out to be wrong. We will return and this time it will be in such a way as I can speak for myself."

Morgan nodded and ducked her head. "As you command. What of his threat?"

"He is part Sidhe and he can no more lie than I can." The Queen regarded the sky almost idly for a moment. "It was no threat. He believes he can hound us into extinction if we attack what he has claimed." She glanced at the Dragoness. "I will not have his claim tested."

"The humans grow restive. They may disobey you in an attempt to curry your favor."

"Then I shall be firm with my knights. It will not be the first time although each time I hope it shall be the last." The Queen smiled slightly. "He is quite remarkable. For someone so young, he is quite confident in his abilities."

"Then what will we do with him?"

The Queen shook her head and raised an arm. A ley line appeared in front of them and a doorway opened in the roil of energy. "I have heard mention of a brother. Perhaps his blood will be pure enough."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 71

Unicorn Branwyn 58

Milktit Helen 57

DragonQueen Bellona 51

Seraph Dorothea 49

Ria Kebi 47

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 46

G-Spliced Pythia 45

Vampire Elizabeth 43

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Mini-Top Nanu 39

Hun Hanmei 28

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**DRAGONESS, the Dragon Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human  
**Element**: Dragon/Flying  
**Frequency**: Extremely Rare  
**Diet**: human-like diet  
**Role**: powerful and loyal Pokégirl, makes good Alpha  
**Libido**: Very High  
**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dragon, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Plant, Water  
**Weak Vs**: Ice, Rock  
**Attacks**: Fly, Seismic Toss, Mirror Move, Sky Attack

**Enhancements**: Wings, Enhanced Strength (x12), Enhanced Speed (x9), longer tail  
**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Dracona (mechanism unknown)  
Dragoness is a very rare and powerful Poke Girl, so rare only a handful exist currently. Much of what we know about them was gained from what we observe from afar since their Tamers are all very protective of them and will not allow most researchers an opportunity to study them up close. Though its only speculation, many believe that the Dragoness's sexual appetite grows with this evolution since many Dragoness openly show affection to their Tamers or fellow Poke Girls even during matches, something even the affectionate Dracona never does.  
This elusive Poke Girl differs from its previous form in only a few ways, first the wings do not change in appearance, only grow in size to about a fourteen foot wingspan( Which can be banished and called back on command), next the foot long tail grows to be about three to four feet long with a spear headed end that can be used for attacking,, the pointed ears lengthen to roughly three inches and the body becomes more toned loosing much of its baby fat the previous evolutions had, giving the Poke Girl a very sleek, sexy look.  
Because of the Dragoness's large wingspan, it is considered one of the, if not the fastest flying types currently known about.

_**QUILLARA, the Pincushion Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Steel

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: Vegetarian

**Role**: Prefers solitude, mainly used as forward observers

**Libido**: Low

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel  
**Weak Vs**: Electric, Fighting, Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Quill Extend, Quill Shot, Tackle, Pummel, Wrestle, Spike Hug, Headbutt, various Whip Techniques

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Durability (x8), Enhanced Senses (x10), 360 degree vision, Body is possessed of an array of heavy spikes inside her body which can be withdrawn and extended at will, photographic memory, light healing factor to repair damage done to skin when quills extend or retract

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: None

Quillaras appeared during the Revenge War. Solitary women in leather trench coats, usually the only clothes they would wear, would be seen near human encampments, taking in everything they saw. They would never speak to anyone and if confronted, they would run off, at which point they would return to their unit leaders to report everything they witnessed via their enhanced senses, their spying role a variant of the Kunoichi and other Pokégirls of that nature. They have a photographic memory and always remember everything they see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. Quillaras would only fight back if cornered, revealing their secret nature as a Pokégirl.

Quillaras are short, stocky Pokégirls, around 4'6," with smallish breasts (never more than a low B-cup without Bloom powder) and short, black hair. Inside their bodies, just underneath their skin, are hundreds of needle thin but surprisingly hard, metallic quills which they can extend to their full length and retract at will, making it near impossible to fight them in close quarters without a weapon of some kind. More experienced Quillaras can extend only a portion of their quills at a time. Due to their quills, their bodies are surprisingly dense, and they weigh a great deal more than one would expect a girl of their size to weigh. They can also shoot out portions of their quills as a projectile attack, and regrow quills lost during battle.

In battle, Quillaras prefer to remain at a distance, fighting with chains to keep their opponent away. They have high durability (which goes down a little when their quills are extended), and their quills make them dangerous in close combat, but something in the mental makeup of the Quillaras as a breed make them unbelievably paranoid about letting anyone get close to them, emotionally or physically, for any reason. When someone does get in close during combat, they tend to panic and lash out with wild blows that due tremendous damage due to the sharp tips of their quills.

Quillaras live with pain every day of their lives, as their quills cause them great pain whenever they extend them, although after a several years most Quillaras adjust to the pain and are able to ignore it. This in turn increases their pain threshold, allowing them better endurance in combat. Some theorize that Sukebe did not dull their pain receptors to help give them strength as warriors, although this seems to have backfired, as the majority of the breed do not like fighting. They prefer solitude, and don't like getting close to someone for fear of hurting their lovers with their quills.

Quillaras try to end Tamings quickly, especially when younger, as they have less control of their quills. Tamers have a challenge in getting a Quillara to warm up to them as well as to tame them, although some who like danger willingly take on a Quillara.

Feral Quillara are difficult to find. They tend to stay in hiding to watch others, and rarely come out into view. Juvenile Quillara ferals are usually easier to find, as they have less control over their spikes, which tend to pop out on their own from time to time, causing them to cry out.


	27. Chapter 27

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 27

(06/17/99 0430 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Branwyn. Branwyn!" The voice hissed into the darkness. Bellona frowned and slipped into her alpha's room. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she bent over the sleeping form. "Branwyn?"

She touched the figure on the shoulder and yelped as she was suddenly grabbed and pulled onto the bed. Branwyn rolled on top of her and kissed her soundly. A sleepy voice murmured against her lips as a hand traced over the DragonQueen's hip. "You've turned down my invitations before, but it's still nice to taste you."

Bellona used her superior strength to roll the Unicorn over and pinned her to the bed. "Nothing against you, but I'm not here for that. It's Shikarou." She hesitated. "There may be a problem."

Branwyn teleported out from under the DragonQueen and appeared next to the bed as she reached for her robe. Her voice was suddenly wide awake and crisp. "You say there may be a problem? Not 'this is an emergency'?"  
She flipped on a dim light as Bellona slipped off the bed. "Emergency? No, not yet. I'm pretty sure. He's in the arena."

"Your confidence in your assessment is comforting," Branwyn growled in a voice thick with sarcasm.

"I'll apologize if you are more confident than I am." Bellona let a trace of anger leak through. "I wouldn't bother you if I didn't think it was important. _He_, on the other hand, is sure it's nothing and that he'll be able to fix it shortly."

"Gods. What has he done now?" Branwyn rushed from the room with Bellona close on her heels.

"He told me to tell you that he's in one piece and nothing is broken."

Branwyn cursed at the DragonQueen's words and hammered on a door. "Circe!" She flung it open. "Shikarou's saying nothing is wrong and that everything can be fixed. He's in the arena."

The Alaka-Wham dumped Kebi on the floor as she jumped out of bed. "I'll get Candace," she snapped and vanished. The Ria made an unhappy noise and light briefly flashed.

"Kebi, wake the others and get to the arena."

A grumble. "Kebi do." A mutter. "Kebi tired. Stupid others."

"Hurry!" The Unicorn grabbed Bellona's arm and the scene flickered as they teleported to the arena.

Branwyn opened her mouth to demand to know what was going on and froze. Bellona pointed at Shikarou. "You tell me if something is wrong." She waited a heartbeat. "Well? What do you think?"

Branwyn shook her head slowly as she stared. "That will never fit." She canted her head sideways and got a speculative look. "Maybe in my tauric form. No. Maybe."

Bellona clapped her hands over her mouth. Faint sounds of laughter were heard coming from between her fingers.

Shikarou sighed. "Are you quite done?"

Branwyn jumped and looked up at him. "Oh. Shit, Candace." Her eyes closed briefly. "Kebi."

Circe appeared with the NurseJoy in her arms. "All right, Branwyn, can I go get some clothes now?" She broke off and stared. "My."

Candace was staring too. "Um."

"I am up here." Shikarou sounded faintly annoyed.

"Sorry," Candace turned slightly more pink than normal. "It's just that it's right there." She made a slight motion and turned bright red before looking up at him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." He started to say something else and stopped when the rest of harem came pelting into the arena, Elizabeth in the lead. The cavalcade screeched to a halt and stared.

Shikarou straightened and turned to face them squarely. "I tried to access my kami shapeshifting powers and the results you can obviously see."

Nanu grinned. "All right, even I have limits. You'd better be able to fix that or I'm going to need a new Tamer." Dorothea made a choked noise and flushed crimson.

Branwyn pulled her mind back to business and tried to appraise her Tamer clinically. Shikarou now stood a good three and a half meters tall and showed a surprising bulk. She presumed that some of that was from the heavy black fur that covered his body but still it was rather remarkable. His head had become anthropomorphic, canine like Pythia's but more massive and proportionally more robust. She presumed it was the wolf in him expressing. His shoulders were broad and his arms long and muscular and while his hands were human, the fingers ended in wicked looking talons that gleamed blackly in the arena's light. She noted idly that his ears still had tufts on them and blinked when his tail flicked sideways. Tail?

What had caught her attention first was his obvious maleness which, due to his new size, was almost level with her eyes. His legs were heavily muscled and his feet were definitely wolfish, digitigrade and again with strong claws on the ends of the toes.

She deliberately made her tone light. "So, what is the problem?" Several members of his harem burst into giggles and laughter.

Shikarou's muzzle rippled in a silent snarl. "I appear to be stuck like this." Even his voice had changed, becoming deeper and more resonant.

Branwyn felt her groin tighten in response to him and tried desperately to ignore it. "Circe, fetch your sister. Elizabeth, see if Faelan is available. Tell him we need him right away."

Shikarou sighed. "I was really hoping to not have to admit this to him."

His alpha put her hands on her hips. "He's a mage and like you. He may be able to help." She glanced over her shoulder at the gaggle of pokegirls. "Helen, get us some caffeine and Lorelei, clear the arena."

Nanu got a sullen look in her eyes. "I want to stay." There was a murmur of agreement. "He's my Tamer too."

"Pythia, Bellona, help Lorelei."

Bellona grinned. "You heard her. Out or get pummeled."

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn. _Nanu has a point. If I am stuck like this for a while, they'll need to know. Put them in the stands and raise the forcefield. That's where all of you need to be right now anyway._

_All of us?_ Branwyn gave him an irritated look. _Why?_

_I'm hungry. _

Branwyn blinked. "Change of plans. Everyone into the stands. Now."

Quickly, everyone moved to the stands and Branwyn activated the forcefield as Shikarou stood still, watching them with obvious interest.

She turned to the harem but aimed her words primarily at Candace. "When a pokegirl thresholds, sometimes she can get lost in the newness of it all. Shikarou is concerned that he might do the same thing and he's a wolf kami. He would consider most if not all of us prey, so he wants us here where it's safer."

Candace frowned, still watching Shikarou. "How can we help him from in here?"

"If he goes feral we may have to wait for it to work itself out or find something for him to feed on." Brawny sighed as the memory of his groin flashed. "Or whatever else he might need. I've sealed the door to the arena and if we need to we can teleport out in case this takes a few days." She looked around. "This does not leave the harem. Not Lynn, not Molly, not anyone until I clear it. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. "Candace, you aren't in the active harem and have your own life outside of it, but I am still your alpha and in this I insist."

The NurseJoy gave her a grim look. "I can imagine what might happen if this gets out. You'll have no argument from me." Her eyes flickered back to Shikarou's unmoving form. "It can be fixed, right?"

Elizabeth teleported in with Faelan, followed quickly by Svetlana. He smiled. "I heard that. If nothing else, father can put it to right when he returns in a few days."

Svetlana was staring at Shikarou. "What happened to him?"

"He tried to transform." Stardust commented as she appeared. "He told me he was going to try this and he didn't want anyone around in case he turned aggressive." She gave her bonded partner an anxious look. "Apparently he was right to be concerned." She frowned at Faelan. "Which is his, for lack of a better term, normal form? Kami or wolf?"

"All of them since they are only aspects of the gestalt that is Shikarou."

Branwyn poked him. "That sounds like you are talking about multiple forms."

"Father has three forms, Sidhe, wolf and a hybrid form like this one." Faelan frowned. "It's likely Shikarou does too. He may even have more than that. His mother has very remarkable shapeshifting abilities when she desires and father is a master at it." He smiled. "I may turn out to be a shapeshifter as well, when I get older."

Svetlana gave him a nervous look. "How much older?"

His eyes met hers gravely. "Not for some years yet. No, I don't know for sure, but it'll be easier for me since my powers haven't been cut off and also because Shikarou will be able to guide me. Once he's mastered his own abilities, it will be easy for him to teach me."

Stardust frowned. "Who found him?"

Bellona raised a hand and gave a gentle wave. "It was my night with him and when he comes down here to work out I often come and join in or just watch." She flushed slightly. "He's nice to watch as he moves."

Elizabeth patted her on the back. "I know. I do it too."

Circe looked annoyed. "How come I thought we weren't supposed to be in here with him, but you get to visit?"

The Vampire shrugged. "I asked and he said I could. Did he tell you no?"

"I never asked."

Her eyes glinted with laughter. "I guess you should have." Circe bristled and opened her mouth to snap back at her.

Branwyn held up a hand. "Enough. I suspect he'll have a bigger fan group from now on. Circe, calm down, I didn't know either and I would have been in here myself watching sometimes if I did."

She turned to Faelan. "Can you help him?"

He was still watching his brother. "I don't know. I've never consciously transformed myself although mother said I did it spontaneously for about a year starting when I was two." His ears flicked. "I think I can, if I can get Circe, Stardust and maybe your or Elizabeth to help me. Both you and Elizabeth are shapeshifters," he explained, "and that might help somehow. However, first I want to see if he can do this on his own."

_So do I._

Faelan grinned. "I was hoping you were listening, Shikarou." The grin faded. "I watched mother and father teaching some of my older sibs and I can give you an idea of what they were doing."

_Excellent. I would like Stardust, Circe, Branwyn and Pythia to assist. They all have telepathy and can watch. It may come in useful someday with our children._ There was a pause. _Link Svetlana in as well._

"Sounds good." Faelan looked around. "Any questions?"

"I know you two are communicating, but I have no idea what you talked about." Branwyn gave him an annoyed look. "So tell us everything from the beginning."

Stardust smiled at his look of confusion. "Congratulations, Faelan, apparently you're starting to develop telepathy. It appears to be low grade, but since Shikarou's is growing, yours might as well."

His ears flicked. "Crap."

Her smile grew. "Now you're starting to sound like him. Is the use of profanity a sign of kami aging?"

_Can we do this now?_ Shikarou sounded annoyed as a low rumble drifted across the arena. His head swiveled to pin Stardust in his gaze.

"You know," she said in a slightly nervous voice, "maybe we should have this conversation after we help my Tamer."

Faelan nodded. "Branwyn, Circe, Stardust, and Pythia I want you to link with me, Shikarou and Svetlana."

The Megami-sama looked shocked. "Why me?"

"Shikarou wants it in case we need to teach our children how to do this."

She looked unconvinced. "Sure he does." She blinked and Circe looked interested as she felt Shikarou talking only to the Megami-sama.

Svetlana's face went slack as she listened. "But." She nodded. "Yes, but." Her eyes widened. "You can do that?" Another pause. "I'll have to think about it, but thank you." She shook her head suddenly and looked at Faelan. "All right, he's convinced me."

Faelan gave her a half-glare. "What did you two talk about?"

"It's not important right now," she replied firmly. "Your brother needs our help."

He met her gaze for a moment and then nodded. "Branwyn, would you get everything set up?"

Quickly everyone was telepathically linked together and Faelan turned his attention to Shikarou. _This is what I heard father telling my sister: I want you to focus only on your heartbeat. Listen to it and tune out everything else. It is your center and you must let it center you. Close your eyes and concentrate. Tell me when you hear nothing but your heart beating._

There was silence for a moment and they could feel Shikarou struggling to comply. Finally, his efforts slowed and ceased. _I hear only my heart._

_Now you must remember what your heart sounded like before. Before things changed and before you became frightened. Focus your will and make your heart sound like that. It won't be easy and will take a lot of effort, but you must do this._

It was like trying to watch fog lift. Nothing seemed to ever change until suddenly you were aware that it was thinner and eventually gone. It was like that with Shikarou. Everyone was watching intently and suddenly they saw that he was smaller. Then his flesh flowed and his fur vanished until he stood there, nude.

His eyes opened and he collapsed to his knees. Branwyn teleported to his side and held him. "Are you ok?" She glanced over his shoulder and frowned at the onrushing harem. They slowed and moved to stand around him.

"I don't know, but I will be." He gave her a tired look. "So this is what wanting to sleep feels like."

"Rest. We'll take care of you." He sighed and relaxed against her.

(06/17/99 1030 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"So how is he?"

Branwyn glanced at Faelan before turning her attention back to Lorelei and Helen as they sparred. "He's damned frustrating, that's what he is. He slept an hour and now he's working on his shapeshifting. Over and over until he collapses and then he rests for a few minutes and then he does it again."

Faelan nodded. "Father used to hold him up as a model of absolute determination. Then he'd tell us why that wasn't always a good thing."

He glanced at Branwyn. "Your husband is obsessed with mastering his surroundings. Weapons, magic, martial arts and now his innate powers. He won't rest until he transforms at a level he thinks is perfect. Where is he?"

"We added a second, smaller arena behind that door. He's in there. Aggie's keeping an eye on him." She shook her head. "His strength and speed have increased dramatically."

"This is just the start." Branwyn turned and stared at him. "As his control grows, so will his strength. He will probably end up as strong as Yushiko, if not more so."

She gritted her teeth. "How strong is Kerrik?"

"No one knows for sure. Father doesn't perform acts of brute strength anymore. If he wants a huge rock moved, he often just disintegrates it. I know he works out regularly and that he's stronger than any of my mothers."

"How many mothers-in-law did I acquire?"

"I'm not sure." He gave her an amused look. "Father likes to keep secrets and it also matters as to whether you want to consider the dead ones. You see, not all of the dead ones left after they died."

"Goddess." Branwyn stared at him. "Sweet goddess."

"Yeah." He smiled. "On the bright side, it's unlikely that you will meet more than one or two of them, no matter whether they are living or dead. They don't travel much and Shikarou isn't anyone's favorite child." He snorted. "Neither am I and we both agree that not being popular is a good thing."

She sighed. "What about his sex drive? Will that increase exponentially as well?"

Faelan choked off a laugh. "I certainly hope not. If it does, he won't have time for anything else. I've been told that my father's sex drive is normal for us." An ear flicked. "We tend to be severely oversexed and we do have a propensity for multiple births. One in three pregnancies results in twins or better."

"That's good to know, even if it won't affect me for centuries."

That got her an amused look. "Aren't you going to be mother to all of the children born to the harem? If so, it will affect you just as soon as Yule of 300 rolls around and he becomes fertile."

Branwyn looked startled. "I didn't think about that," she admitted. "And there are three pokewomen right now who want his seed."

Faelan nodded. "Four. Molly, Candace, Helen and Alice." He cocked his head. "Have you considered the fact that sperm can quicken parthenogenesis?"

Branwyn groaned. "I have. I'm hoping to convince the harem to wait until they become pokewomen before getting pregnant and going inactive. I've had some luck, but Marzia is reluctant."

"I didn't realize she was so fond of him."

"She's not. However she's smart enough to look at patterns and she's noticed that we are a tight knit group. She suspects that this means that if she stays for any length of time she will probably become quite fond of Shikarou."

The Unicorn gave him a speculative glance. "And how are you?"

"I'm confused," his ears flicked. "I'm really too young to be developing powers like this." He frowned. "And I really miss the twins right now. I need a telepath to communicate with and I don't have one. Stardust has been helping me out, but her attention is on your husband."

She nodded. "I was concerned about that myself. Do you want me to ask mother if she can find you a telepathic pokegirl?"

"Not just yet. I'm not in that big of a hurry." He snorted. "Besides, I've got a project that should keep me busy for the next several months. Father has an ability to notice obvious things that should have occurred to others and the annoying tendency to point them out. He got me on the last visit." He shook his head. "I'm teaching Zorione sign language."

Branwyn looked startled. "What a good idea." She smirked. "I do have this urge to smack myself on the head and say 'why didn't I think of that?'."

"Get used to it." Faelan sighed. "There was a while when I was still at home that I wanted to choke him and scream 'stop making me feel stupid'. He means well but it's still aggravating."

"So your father makes people want to kill him?" She smiled slightly when he nodded. "Well, that's a relief. It means that Shikarou comes by it naturally." Her smile spread. "I was concerned that is was just me."

(06/18/99 0900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Welcome back, Kerrik." The portal closed and Kerrik looked up the beach at the Unicorn.

"Thank you, Branwyn." He looked around the beach with a faint expression of curiosity. "What's changed?"

Branwyn raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a kami?"

"I wasn't aware I had to be omniscient around family," he said dryly. His eyes flared amber for a heartbeat. "Ah." He glanced at the Unicorn. "Care to lead me to Shikarou's office or should I go without you?"

"His office?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to go there?"

"That is where he is right now." A slight smile. "You didn't know."

Branwyn's eyes narrowed and then she relaxed with a smile. "I suppose I deserved that."

"Yes, you did. A pearl of wisdom, freely given. Don't play games with kami. I'm pretty easygoing, but Shikarou's mother would crush you for such impertinence. She wouldn't be right to do it, and she'd eventually apologize to Shikarou for her actions, but you'd still be dead." He snorted. "Most kami are like her."

"I thought you said you'd protect me from her."

"I'll protect you if she attacks you. If you're stupid, you are on your own."

Branwyn cocked her head. "You didn't put any limits on your protection. Are you reneging on your promise?"

Kerrik's eyes narrowed and he gave a low hiss. "You are a remarkable woman, Branwyn. I'll have to very careful around you. In retrospect you are correct; I didn't put any limits on protecting you from Shikarou's mother." He sighed. "Please don't go tweaking her tail just for fun. She'll get angry and I'll have to step in. The resulting argument could get – messy."

Branwyn blinked. "Do you share your son's tendency towards understatement?"

"He shares mine."

"Then am I correct in inferring that 'messy' could include things on the scale of Caomh Sith sinking into the sea?"

He smiled. "If his mother is angry enough, that might be something to be concerned about."

"I'll try very hard to be polite."

"I appreciate that."

A half hour later, Kerrik and Shikarou stood in the arena and watched as harem members drifted into the stands.

"You've managed to find a collection of remarkable women. Are you aware that your, um, Ria? Yes, Ria, is an excellent pickpocket?"

Shikarou winced. "She got you?"

"She tried. Everything she took I teleported back to where it belonged. She may have not noticed yet."

"I haven't heard any screams, so probably not." He shook his head slowly. "On the other hand, she really doesn't care about the possessions themselves. For her the taking is important, not the having."

"That's an interesting outlook." Kerrik grinned. "I'm sure some people would say it's healthy, but I happen to like my stuff." He quickly counted heads. "That looks like everyone plus some others. Who's the Arcanine?"

"That's Molly and she's a Denmother. They don't have Arcanine here."

"I really need to get copies of your files."

"Take the Tamer test and get your own pokedex." Shikarou gave his father an evil smile. "And a starter pokegirl."

Kerrik flicked his ears irritably. "Don't start."

"A pokedex would help with the research you want to do with the pokegirls Faelan got you."

"Virtue and Vice are collecting the information I need for that." Kerrik shook his head. "So what have you learned so far?"

"I've been focusing on my shapeshifting abilities and I think I've mastered my wolfman form."

Kerrik frowned. "Wolfman. That sounds silly. Call it a hybrid. That, at least sounds mildly dangerous." He stepped back. "So, show me."

Shikarou nodded and closed his eyes. "It's still taking a bit of effort," he muttered and then changed. Once done he shook himself violently as oohs and ahs sounded from the stands. He spoke slowly and distinctly. "I've already learned that the fact I have a muzzle won't stop my speaking, but it sounds different and I have to be careful. I've already bitten my tongue completely off twice."

Kerrik chuckled. "I've done that a time or two myself." He wandered around the wolfen kami. "You'll get more muscle as you age and it's likely that you've still got some growth yet to achieve, but that will happen gradually over the next century or two."

"With practice, you'll be able to assume this form in any size between your humanoid form and this one. It comes in useful in places with human sized ceilings."

"I've been working on it already." Shikarou gave a booming laugh. "Some of my pokegirls want to try taming with me in this form."

"You'll want to battle train in this form. Spellcasting too, if you can do it. Not many can."

"Your balance is different and if you can use pokegirl techniques the ones requiring a tail will become available. You'll also want it for the first rule of the Tsukiken school." Kerrik's voice took on the cadence of a teacher for a brief instant. "What is it?"

"Brute power is all well and good, but precision and control is the hallmark of intelligence."

"Good. I've brought the collected teachings of the Tsukiken school and expect you to spend some time passing it on to your children. As eldest, you will be the master of the branch here. It's a good thing you are really a master of the school." He shook his head. "But that's for later. How are you in your wolf form?"

"I haven't tried for it."

"Come now, it's easier to achieve than the hybrid form." Kerrik smiled slowly. "Change back and I'll walk you through it."

Shikarou gave a resigned sigh. "Yes, father." He blurred back to his humanoid form. "What do I do?"

Kerrik touched his son on the forehead. Shikarou closed his eyes for a moment and then pulled away. "I think I understand." He closed his eyes again and changed.

His wolf form stood roughly two meters at the shoulder and was an inky black. His fur was thick and his tail arched up and over his back. However, while his hybrid form was bulky and muscular, his wolf form looked unfinished, long and lanky with thin legs and relatively huge feet. In short, he looked remarkably like a yearling wolf, one with still a great deal of growth to complete before he became adult.

His ears flicked uncertainly and he turned his head to regard his father but before he could attempt to speak, a golden brown blur slammed into his shoulders and tried to curl around his neck. "PUPPY! KEBI HAS PUPPY!"

Shikarou canted his ears sideways and whined desperately at his father. Kerrik was no use, he was laughing so hard that he actually had to sit down on the sand. Echoes of his laughter drifted across from the stands as the Ria clung to her Tamer and crooned happily in his ear.

Kerrik finally brought his laughter under control and climbed to his feet. He opened his mouth when Kebi patted Shikarou on the head and announced sternly. "Sit, puppy."

His father collapsed on the floor of the arena, whooping with glee. Branwyn and Bellona actually had come out of the stands to check on him before he brought his laughter under control. He clambered to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Oh, I like her. She'll keep you sane." Laughter still bubbled in his voice. "Kebi, please let him go."

The Ria sighed and patted Shikarou on the head again as she released him. "Puppy be good." Shikarou turned and licked her face and chest with his broad red tongue and Kebi clapped her hands and laughed with joy.

Kerrik chuckled. "If your mother ever comes here and tries to cause trouble, you just do that as a routine in front of her and your troubles will be over. She will die of shame on the spot."

"Real…" Shikarou's reply died in a yelp of pain and blood spurted from his mouth. He whimpered and pawed at his muzzle. Branwyn fought not to laugh.

Kerrik was unsympathetic. "Practice and control. Use the teachings of the school. Now stop whining and change back."

Shikarou growled at him and Kerrik raised an eyebrow as Branwyn and the others backpedaled at the sound. "If you are feeling delusional, you just give it a try." His eyes glowed pale amber as he stared at his son.

Shikarou met his gaze for a long minute and Kerrik rumbled low in his chest. His son abruptly ducked his head and looked away.

Kerrik nodded. "Glad to see you haven't lost your mind. Now change back."

It took some effort and some more help from Kerrik, but finally Shikarou stood once again in his humanoid form. His father hugged him. "Good job. I'm proud of you."

Shikarou flushed slightly. "I almost attacked you." He shook his head. "I don't really know why."

Kerrik patted him on the back. "Almost and yet you didn't. Wolf kami have a lot of wolfish tendencies and we have a lot of aggression that we use on the hunt. Unlike lycanthropes, you don't have a separate beast that can take control, but you do have a propensity to react according to the shape you wear. Sometimes we do react like the wolves we are based on, no matter the shape you hold at that moment. Rest assured, however that it will get easier to control as you practice and age."

"I know, practice, practice, practice."  
Kerrik grinned. "I still do it, you should still do it. Now, again."

Another couple of hours passed while Shikarou's father put him through his paces and the young kami was exhausted when Kerrik signaled a halt. Over lunch, Kerrik pointed to a pile of sacks. "Your gifts. Stuff that you asked for and stuff I think you might need. There's an inventory in the top bag."

Faelan nodded. "I've got you a dozen feral pokegirls gathered from various points on the planet. You'll need to tame them before they'll be useful."

Kerrik shook his head. "I'll study them feral first. Full workups and genetic studies will be performed followed up by downloads of their personalities." He smiled slightly. "I'll have to return here eventually, if I'm going to stop threshold from occurring, I'll need years to do work." A frown. "I may have to infiltrate Sukebe's labs as well. I'll need to know what he did as well as what he intended before a solution can be found."

Svetlana gave him an amused look. "That will be impossible, I'm afraid. They were destroyed during the war."

He shrugged. "So?" The Megami-sama looked startled. "Svetlana, time is not the barrier you believe it to be."

"Are you going to destroy the pokegirls?"

"Of course not. They're what's special about this place. I need to cure threshold in the ones I'm going to be importing to my world. I'll want stable genetic lines for introduction and threshold is too variable to be very desirable by adoptive parents, although most of them will want pokegirl children or boys."

"Will you make your results available here?" Branwyn touched his hand. "To have children who remain what they were born is something all of us want."

He shrugged. "We'll see, but understand that I won't wipe out the pokegirls." He glanced around briefly, checking to see who was in earshot. "And what is so special about humans, anyway? If evolution favors the pokegirls, then why not let them triumph? From what I understand, they've spent most of the last three hundred years lording over you that fact that they aren't like you." He snorted. "From where I sit that's like the apples on one tree trying to be superior to the rest of the apples in the orchard."

"Besides, there are humans all over the multiverse. What's one less planet of them? It won't be missed."

Svetlana's eyes had been getting bigger and bigger as he spoke. "How can you say that?"

Shikarou snickered. "We already had this conversation."

"Oh?" Kerrik looked curious.

"I destroyed a man's soul and was asked how I could do such a thing. I replied that I'm kami and he'd murdered someone under my care."

"Ah." Kerrik smiled at Svetlana. "My reply is probably slightly less malevolent. I can say that because I've seen many worlds which teem with humans. This is the first pokegirl world I've run across, which makes it and you very special. I care more about you than I do about the humans which live here with you, so when the question of who has to go comes up, I chose them. The best solution would be for humans and pokegirls to get along, but a lot of the humans don't think about it that way and their opinions don't matter to me."

"Parity would solve that." Svetlana's voice rose.

Kerrik nodded. "That it would, at least in theory. How do you define parity?"

"Pokegirls and humans are equal and living together in harmony!"

"That an interesting concept. How would it work?"

The Megami-sama looked blank. "What do you mean?"

"Pokegirls have to be tamed. Does parity mean that a pokegirl wandering down a street who needs tamed can demand a taming from the next passing man?"

"No, it doesn't!"

"I didn't think so. Who apportions out the pokegirls to the Tamers? There are at least four pokegirls for every man, and that's before you count the ferals. What if a Tamer doesn't want four pokegirls? What about the pokegirl breeds that don't like to share? What about the Psi-Dykes? Any woman they get involved with is almost guaranteed to not ever have a husband, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to the Psi-Dyke."

He gave her a sympathetic smile as she stuttered. "I'm not trying to be deliberately cruel to you, it's just while ideals are great, you can't let them blind you to reality." He rose to his feet. "Let's take a walk, you and I." He looked around. "And I'll want Dorothea as well."

Shikarou nodded. "I'll get her. How about the end of the pier? That's nice and private."

"Keep your motherly Milktit away."

"I will."

A few minutes later, Kerrik, Svetlana and Dorothea stood on the pier. "Please, ladies, sit down. This shouldn't take long."

When the ladies settled down he clasped his hands behind him and rocked on the balls of his feet. "All right now." His voice was crisp. "I'm ordering you not to reveal this to anyone else. Svetlana, that includes your Megami buddies. If you tell them I will know and I'll make sure you know that I do." He smiled without humor. "I won't punish you, I'll punish whoever you tell."

Svetlana goggled at him while Dorothea paled in anger. "Lord Kerrik, thou cannot order such a thing."

"Oh, but I can. I am a god." His eyes narrowed. "I'll give you a moment to think about that." He waited for several heartbeats. "You are Celestial pokegirls and therefore bound to the service of good. Fine. I'm usually good and now you work for me." He glanced around. "Well, no other god appeared to tell me I'm poaching, so you two are mine."

Svetlana glared. "I don't believe your gall."

His eyes narrowed. "Take a good look at me and not with your eyes."

Dorothea suddenly went down on one knee. "Lord, I cannot serve thee. I serve my kami lord."

Kerrik shook his head. "I think you can serve us both. My requirements for the two of you are fairly simple. You will keep an eye on things for me and send me regular reports. If there is a fatality among my children or their families or descendants, you will inform me right away. If there is a birth, I'd like to know about that as well." He touched Svetlana on the top of the head and her eyes shut. "You will stop hassling your brother in law. He's been trying to make friends with you and you will let him try. You will focus more on the things that need improved here before worrying about elsewhere. You will also stop trying to get them involved in the whole Parity and Chosen One issue. You've managed to complicate Shikarou's life and he doesn't need that right now." He sighed. "Pythia is correct, my son has a job to do here and you will stop trying to give him other things to do as well."

Svetlana nodded slowly. "The other Megami insist that we find a place for him, he is too powerful to leave wandering aimlessly."

"Now you know he's not. He has something to do here, something that may kill him. Talk to Pythia and accept her for what she is, a Celestial pokegirl."

Lord, what shall we do about the other Celestials? They will try to impose their will on Svetlana and me."

"If I were going to stay here, I'd take care of it. If it becomes a serious problem contact me and I'll," he frowned and then smiled slowly, "I'll give them jobs." He sighed. "The problem is that Sukebe created Celestials without realizing that they need someone to serve. Infernals can wander about and create chaos on their own, but Celestials are designed to work inside an organization. So, you tried to create your own guidance group. Not a bad idea, but it became prone to the same kind of politics that infuses any group of more than two gods who get together. Everyone thinks they know what's best."

Svetlana gave him a curious look. "How do you stay out of it?"

"I don't. I do, however, limit my intercourse with gods outside of my pantheon." He smiled. "But that's neither here nor there. You will do as I instruct."

"Yes, Lord, I will follow thy will."

Svetlana nodded slowly. "I should be pissed at you, but for some reason this feels right, like something I've been looking for my whole life." She smiled. "I will do as you order. Anything else?"

"Any of your daughters who are Celestials will be raised to follow my orders. I'll arrange for them to not need Tamers." He speared each of them in turn with his gaze. "And there will be children." It was not a request.

Dorothea blushed and frowned. "What if we are lost to our Tamers?"

"Are you happy here?"

"I am, Lord."

"Then you won't stay lost for long. My promise to you." He glanced at his watch. "I think we've taken long enough. I'll leave each of you with a set of my religious writings, should you care to study them I'd be flattered. If not, then so be it. In them you'll also find the means to contact me." He bestowed a beatific smile on them. "Anything else?"

Svetlana nodded hesitantly. "Faelan and I haven't discussed getting married much other than the proposal. Would you marry the two of us before you leave?"

Kerrik smiled broadly and took her hands. "It would be my honor and my pleasure."

(06/19/99 0115 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Faelan stirred and sat up slowly, untangling himself from his new bride. He blinked as the word drifted across his mind once more. _Wife._ It was all so new and frankly, kind of frightening. He was glad Shikarou would be around to talk to. Father had recommended that he go to his older brother when he was mystified. Not if, when.

His ears flicked as he heard once more the sound that had gotten his attention. He couldn't really define it, he knew it was for him and him alone and that no one else was supposed to hear it. He slipped out of bed and pulled on some clothes before leaving the tent.

He wasn't sure how he knew where to go, but letting his feet find their way would suffice, that he did know. He raced up and down hills until he saw up ahead the soft glow that signaled one of the ley lines that crossed the isle.

There she waited. Her skin glowed softly from within and her hair was the color of spun gold. He knew that in the sun it would glow with the energy that was poured into it. His people called it sun-kissed and it meant that she was of the Sidhe.

Her eyes glowed with golden light and her lips were rubies in the soft glow of the ley line.

"I have called you this night to beseech your aid." Her voice was like honey and he almost basked in its heat. "Your brother has something that is not his. That cannot be his. That must not be his."

_Faelan._ His twee whispered concern. _She is trying to bewitch you._

He tried to ignore the voice. What she had to say was supposed to be all important and he knew that if he missed a word, catastrophe would strike.

"You must bring it to me, that I may keep it safe. You will do this for me. You shall do this now."

_Three. Remember the significance of three._

He shook his head to remove the tiny voice. Three, he recalled, was a magically significant number and many charms had to be repeated three times to work. But it wasn't important. She was speaking again.

"I speak of the Grimoire of Danu. The charm is cast, now you go and retrieve it for me."

Faelan shook his head as horror swept through him. "I cannot."

She spread her hands imploringly. "You must. I have needs of it."

"I cannot because I do not know how to retrieve it." Please let her understand and forgive him.

She smiled graciously and relief swept through him. She understood. All would be well. "I can teach you how to pull it from the ley line. All you need to do is travel there and all will be revealed."

He trembled as fear swept him again. "I cannot."

She gave the merest hint of a frown and he gasped.

Suddenly his world swam and his fear dropped away. His mind spun groggily and he closed his eyes until the vertigo passed. He frowned and opened them again. "What did you do to me?"

Her eyes widened. "This cannot be."

A voice came from the darkness. "This can be, this will be, this must be." Shikarou appeared in the night. "I don't know why you want to do this, but the truth is he doesn't know where it is." A smile. "And unless you want to be called Queenie, you might want to give us your name. I'm Shikarou and this is Faelan, my brother."

She gave him an annoyed look. "I am Ygerna."

Faelan nodded. "That makes sense."

Shikarou frowned. "Explain."

"In Arthurian myth, Ygerna is the wife of Gorlois and was the woman seduced by Uther Pendragon to produce Arthur. It makes sense that she would take that name for the Order of Pendragon."

Ygerna glared at Shikarou. "I did not call you. How is it that you are here?"

He smiled. "My brother has a twee, which is like a guardian spirit. It called me. I love my brother, so I came as quickly as I could."

"Where are your ever present guards?"

"Hopefully asleep." Shikarou smiled. "I am not going to give you the Grimoire of Danu."

"You must!" She gave him a desperate look. "It is all that stands between the Sidhe and extinction."

Shikarou gave her a disgusted look. "Stop whining."

Ygerna looked shocked. "What?"

"You heard me. Apparently you've spent too much time around mortals. Sidhe don't whine. Backstab, cheat, withhold the whole truth, maybe, but not whine. Instead of complaining you should be worming your way into my confidences so that you can either steal the Grimoire or suborn me into giving you access to it."

The Sidhe's mouth twitched. "I see. And what would be the best way to go about accomplishing that?"

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "Probably the best way to do that would be to seduce my brother and in a couple of years present me with some nephews and nieces. He is half Sidhe, you know."

Ygerna gave Faelan a speculative look. "I didn't know that. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm only a quarter. You'd be much better off with him."

"So, Faelan, what's your other half?"

Faelan was busy looking daggers at Shikarou. "Kami. You know, hybrid vigor is a valid phenomenon and Shikarou is three quarters kami. It's likely that his offspring may be much stronger than mine." He blinked. "And I just got married. Last night."

She cocked her head curiously. "Marriages to mortals don't count. She is a mortal, right?"

"I'm infertile." Faelan looked desperately at his brother, like a drowning man looks at someone on shore with a rope.

Shikarou smiled and metaphorically threw him a block of concrete. "Until two Yules pass. No time at all. You can spend it getting to know each other better."

Ygerna gave Shikarou an amused look. "And what about you?"

He shrugged. "What about me?"

"I still want access to the Grimoire."

"I know. You want the spell of Transformation, right? You want to turn mortals into Sidhe."

She blinked in surprise. "You know?"

Shikarou sighed and turned to Faelan. "Do I look stupid or something?"

Faelan smirked. "It's the ears."

"You have ears like mine and no one thinks that of you." Shikarou sounded plaintive.

"Yours are black." Ygerna giggled and looked shocked at herself.

"Ah." Shikarou frowned. "Wait a minute. That makes no sense whatsoever."

"There you go," Faelan said dryly.

Ygerna snickered as Shikarou's ears went flat. "Obviously you two love each other very much. Would my presence interfere with that?"

"Oh great, she's another comedienne." Shikarou groaned audibly. He pulled out his wand and created a table and food. "Tea?"

Once they were settled, Shikarou leaned back in his chair. "So what is the deal with the Order of Pendragon?"

"The Sidhe guarded the British Isles until they died off during a failed ritual at a grand conjunction almost fifteen hundred years ago. I was the only one left and created the Order to carry on our work." She offered Faelan a tray of cookies. "Biscuit, dear?" Faelan took one absently and she beamed at Shikarou.

Faelan frowned and glanced at her. "So why not use this spell Shikarou mentioned then?"

"The Grimoire had been hidden about a 100 years before the Christians arrived because of a druid. He wanted to become Sidhe and was judged to be unworthy, but he had enough Sidhe blood to open the Grimoire and possibly the magical skills to make use of it, so the king ordered it hidden. After the disaster at the conjunction I went to where it had been hidden, but it was gone, taken by mortals to their Constantinople. I tried to go there to retrieve it, but my beauty became my curse and I was forced to use magic to protect myself. The local authorities hunted me and I had to flee back to here."

"What about the druid?"

"His Sidhe blood wasn't strong enough to grant him immortality and he died at the end of his allotted span." She sipped at her tea. "I watched the humans and charted the Grimoire's movements. When human society allowed, I went forth to retrieve it, only to discover that it had been lost. I could not locate it and returned home in despair."

"Three hundred years ago it was found by this Sukebe and taken offworld for study. Only recently did my knights learn that it could be retrieved and Marcus was sent. However, your brother beat them there and took it for himself."

Faelan nodded and smiled as she refilled his tea. "Thanks." His ears flicked suddenly and he gave Shikarou a sharp look before glancing at Ygerna. "So what else is in there?"

"Some very powerful spells." Shikarou shrugged. "Spells to return the dead to life, to cause barren women to conceive, fertilize the fields with the appropriate sacrifice, things like that. Spells associated with life for the most part."

"Does the Order know what you intend?"

"Two of the Knight Commanders do. The rest have no need to know and are content to protect the Isles and I believe some of them think the Grimoire will purge the pokegirls from the lands." She shrugged. "It suited my plans not to correct this misunderstanding."

"I presume you did not plan to walk into Glasgow and turn everyone into Sidhe?"

"Of course not. The gift of Fey is special and I would be very selective as to who is chosen."

Shikarou nodded. "I would be too." He glanced at the sky. "I need to be going. I'm supposed to be meeting Pythia for training."

Faelan jumped to his feet. "Me too. It was nice meeting you, Ygerna." He raced off into the night.

The Sidhe sighed as she watched him leave. "Am I that repulsive?"

"No, he's young and he did get married last night. While you might not think a marriage to a mortal important, we do. And he loves Svetlana with all his soul." Shikarou shook his head slowly. "She deserves that kind of love."

"Do you love her?"

"Oh, no. She and I have been at loggerheads off and on since we met, but deep down she's ok." He turned to her. "Are you staying?"

"You would offer me the rites of hospitality?" She seemed surprised. "The Order has not treated you well and yet you would do this?"

"I would and I do." He smiled. "I have reason to believe that the Order will stop bothering me as much now that their queen believes that she can manipulate me through my brother."

A smile played about her mouth. "Mayhap."

He nodded. "And mayhap I will use your spell for the same purpose before then. There are a couple of people I would make Sidhe, if only for very personal reasons."

"You do not want to lose them." It was not a question.

"That would be a very personal reason, and that spell will make it much harder to do so." He cocked his head. "Will it work on pokegirls?"

Ygerna smiled. "It will work on anything that has life. However, the personality tends to carry over, so if you make fish into Sidhe, they will be very stupid."

"I'll keep that in mind." He smiled. "And yet you intended to use it on humans."

She chuckled. "Only the brightest ones." She sobered suddenly. "If I have children by your brother, he will become the prince consort of the Sidhe Queen. Can you live with that?"

"I don't consider myself Sidhe and wouldn't have a problem with it." He smiled. "Now if a kami queen comes along, I may have problems, but so far that hasn't happened."

She nodded. "When may I return?"

"Whenever you want. I give you free access to the public parts of my lands, so long as you do not settle, bring troops other than your personal guard, bring others to live here, or act to despoil what is mine."

"Well spoken. I will see thee anon."

He smiled. "Now they say 'later'."

"I know, but I do not care for it." She opened up a window in the ley line and disappeared into it.

Shikarou watched. "Now that's something I want to learn how to do." He turned and ran into the night.

(06/19/99 0115 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

He knelt in the semi-darkness. "My lord, she has returned."

A whisper echoed around him. "Did she bring the book?"

"No, my lord. She returns empty handed and the device you gave me did not sense its presence." He hesitated. "My lord, she went to the Hebrides and it is claimed that she met with Sidhe there."

"Nonsense. She is the last of the Sidhe and I would have known if the bitch had bred." There came a soft rasping noise out of the darkness. "Still, this must be investigated. Return to your duties and keep spying. I shall summon you when I have orders."

"Yes, my lord." He rose and left the room.

There was silence for a moment and then a dim light appeared, revealing a manlike creature. Once human, now it was both more and less. A skeletal hand stroked at a skinless chin, revealing the source of the rasping noise as it plucked at the thin remnants of a gray beard. "Germanicus."

Another skeletal form moved into the light. "Lord?"

"Investigate this report of Sidhe. I thought I destroyed all of them but her long ago. If there are others, they too will have to die so that she will be alone and will bring me the book. I will live again and that is the key to everlasting life." His skull whipped around. "Do not reveal yourself."

Germanicus bowed. "My lord." He disappeared back into the gloom.

The skeletal figure stood completely still for a moment and then abruptly jerked. "They should not have denied me my birthright. I will finish my vengeance on them and Ygerna and the Grimoire are the key. They will provide the future I seek." The form turned and the light flickered and died.

(06/21/99 0915 New Avalon, Blue Continent)

The Grandelf smiled as Shikarou and Bellona walked up to her desk. "Welcome to the New Avalon Institute of Science. How may I help you?"

"I am Shikarou and I'm supposed to meet with Beverly and then I think I'm going to see the doctor."

The Grandelf frowned. "That is unlikely, sir. I am The Doctor's secretary and he's not due back for another," she glanced at her monitor, "fourteen years, six months and two days. Beverly only handles Dr. Banzai."

Shikarou stared at her for a long moment. "I was talking about Dr. Banzai," he finally said quietly. "Who are you talking about?"

"The Doctor, of course." She smiled. "However, now that I know you want Dr. Banzai, I'll see if Beverly knows you are coming."

"Thank you." He settled down with Bellona and waited.

The DragonQueen leaned over. "What was that about?"

"I have no clue." He glanced at the Grandelf, who'd gone back to a novel. "But I think I may ask Aggie to find out."

A few minutes later the Quillara stepped into the room. "Shikarou?" When he rose she led him to a bank of lifts which took them rapidly down into the bowels of the earth.

She watched him as they descended. "I'm sorry about the short notice. Why did you want to see Dr. Banzai?"

"Dr. Banzai had contacted Professor Stroak in regards some problem he thinks he may have discovered involving Ranma Saotome and his dimensional transport." He smiled. "I'm the closest thing the Professor knows to an expert and he asked me to see if I could help."

"Ah. Yes, Dr. Banzai has been very concerned about his findings." She pursed her lips. "Excuse me but I know the names of every theoretical physicist of any note and I've never heard of you."

He nodded. "That would be because I'm not a physicist."

She frowned as the lift ground to a halt. "Then why would Stroak ask you to waste Dr. Banzai's time?"

"I'm a dimensional traveler and I know a little about what's involved."

She looked stunned. "You are? How wonderful. The doctor will be so excited."

Shikarou looked amused. "I was told that you didn't handle The Doctor's work."

She blinked and then waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, him. He's a visiting lecturer. I meant Dr. Banzai."

Bellona followed close behind him as they went through a security gate and into another waiting room. "I'll need your pokedex." Shikarou handed it over and Beverly ran it through a reader. She frowned as she handed it back. "There's a glitch in your record, it says you are 250 years old."

"That's more or less accurate."

Her eyes bugged. "I'll get Dr. Banzai." She rushed from the room.

Dr. Buckaroo Banzai was tall and handsome, with sandy hair and piercing blue eyes. He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Banzai and you are Shikarou."

Shikarou smiled back as they shook. "This is Bellona, my beta."

Banzai look faintly surprised but recovered instantly. "Hello, Bellona." To his credit he shook her hand as well. "I got a message from Aldus saying you could help me."

"If you are referring to Professor Stroak, he asked me to try. I don't make any promises, but I'll do what I can to help."

"Excellent. This way." He led Shikarou into a small conference room. "I can't take you to the labs. Security."

"I understand. Why don't you explain what the problem is?"

Banzai began to pace. Shikarou got the impression he was usually full of energy. "Recently I received the data recordings of the dimensional gate used to send the visitor, Ranma Saotome, back to his world. I did a routine analysis and discovered something disquieting." He pulled a controller out of his labcoat and activated a wall screen. The display split and two sets of data appeared, covering the entirety of the wall. "The one on the right is the data from when Saotome-san was brought here and on the left is the data from when he was sent home."

He turned to face Shikarou. "This is a test of whether I am wasting my time with you or not. What do you see?"

Shikarou looked at the screen carefully. Different sets of data on both sides began flashing in sequence in his mind's eye. **While the data isn't in a format that your father uses, I can see that the locality inputs and temporal adjustments are almost identical; there is a problem in the dimensional matrix. From this data I can conjecture that the second location is physically and temporally almost the same as the first, but the second location is four steps down the D axis than the first.**

Shikarou looked back at Banzai. "I use a five coordinate system for dimensional transport. There are the X, Y, Z coordinates for locality, the T coordinate for temporal adjustment and the D coordinate for dimensional positioning."

"If I'm reading these right, and I may not be since I don't use the same format you do, then locality and temporal adjustment are good, but the dimensions are different."

Banzai gave him an amazed look. "It took me three days and significant processor power to determine that. Who are you?"

"I'm the person Professor Stroak asked to come see if he could help."

Banzai gave a wide smile. "Excellent. For once Aldus came through." His smiled died. "I'm glad you offered to help as much as you could. There's no way we can leave the young man trapped there. When can you leave?"

Shikarou's ears flattened. "Are you proposing that I go and fetch Ranma back?"

"Of course, it's the only right thing to do. We have a moral obligation to put him in the dimension he came from. You are a self professed dimensional traveler; this should be old hat to you."

Shikarou muttered some unflattering things in Japanese. "I didn't agree to this."

"No, but you offered to help however you could and you are the closest thing to an experienced dimensional rescue team I've got. You are it, Shikarou." He smiled. "I'd go myself, but you are much more experienced than I am and I'd only get in the way."

Shikarou glared at him. "So how would this rescue mission work?"

"You'll carry a dimensional communicator. Theoretically, it will allow you to contact us when you're ready to return with Ranma. You find him, explain to him what's happened and bring him back. We'll send him to his own dimension after that."

Shikarou glanced at Bellona. "Do you realize what he's asking me to do?"

She smiled grimly. "Us. You'll take the entire harem with you just in case this radio doesn't work." Her eyes were firm. "Oh, you'll argue with me and Branwyn about it, but in the end we'll win if we have to smuggle the other members through ourselves."

"Tell me again why I put up with you?"

She smiled and touched his hand. "Love?"

He gripped her hand tightly. "Maybe so." He turned to Banzai. "I'll need a few days to prepare."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 57

DragonQueen Bellona 52

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 48

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Mini-Top Nanu 41

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**GRANDELF, the Mystic Elf Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Plant/Magic  
**Frequency**: Rare  
**Diet**: omnivore, tend to lean towards vegetarian diet  
**Role**: gardeners, librarians, quiet environment maintainers  
**Libido**: Average (can be higher when emotionally attached to their Tamer)  
**Strong Vs**: Plant, Water, Psychic, Rock, Ghost  
**Weak Vs**: Steel, Poison, Fire  
**Attacks**: Leap, Command Plants, Sleep, Mystic Bolt, Shield, Spellcasting, Sword and bow use

**Enhancements**: Longevity, Elemental Affinity: Plants, High Magical Affinity, Nightvision, Flawed Constitution, Reduced Feral, Enhanced Agility (x3)

**Disadvantages**: Domination attacks cause Elves to physically sicken and are not recommended. Salt also weakens Grandelf.  
**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Elf (Mana Crystal)  
Grandelf is less prone to damage from polluted areas but high concentrations of pollution such as found in some industrial/manufacturing cities are enough to overcome this resistance. Grandelf prefers quiet areas and a noncombatant role whenever possible. Slender and delicate, Grandelf often suffers from an affliction particular to Elf types and un-evolved Pokegirls - breast envy. She has some magical powers, not quite the level of a Sorceress but greater than Witch or Elf. Grandelf is also taller than the 4' Elf, averaging 6'0" in height.


	28. Chapter 28

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 28

(06/22/99 1215 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Uh oh." Faelan suddenly became intently focused on his tea.

Shikarou raised an eyebrow and started to turn when someone grasped his braid and snapped his head back. He found himself looking up at the face of a furious Unicorn. "You are coming back, right?"

Shikarou sank his claws into her wrist and she winced before letting go. "Good afternoon, Poppet. Please join us." He waved to get the attention of the Elf who was working the bar. She nodded and grabbed a tray and a small bottle before heading in their direction.

The Unicorn settled next to him, rubbing her wrist. "I'm bleeding! Look at what you did!"

The Elf at the bar appeared with a tray. "Potion, lady?" Poppet gave her a look and took it before the she returned to her post.

Poppet sprayed her wrist and put the potion down. "Should I ask why you keep potions behind the bar?"

Faelan chuckled. "Shikarou's been feeling a bit short tempered recently and the barmaids got tired of the 'howls' of pain and the 'packs' of bandages they kept going through. So they 'hunted' for a solution and Candace provided them with a 'herd' of potions to keep behind the bar." He yelped and scooted away from the table as Shikarou dumped his cup of hot tea into his brother's lap.

Poppet snickered quietly and turned to Shikarou as Faelan grabbed the tablecloth from the next table and started mopping his crotch. "You never answered my question, Shikarou." She sounded calmer, but Shikarou could see a slumbering volcano reflected in her eyes.

"I'm going to do my best to."

The Unicorn grabbed his hand and squeezed hard. "I need more than that, Shikarou. If that's all you'll give me then I'm coming along with you. I lost Jamie. I'm not losing you." She squared her shoulders. "I'm willing to be pokeballed if that's what it takes."

Faelan froze.

Shikarou squeezed back. "I promise you I will do everything in my power to return for you, Poppet." He dropped his voice. "If it takes a thousand years and even if I have to journey through time and space to find you, rest assured that I will."

Tears glittered in the corners of Poppet's eyes. She whispered, "Thank you." Shikarou lifted her into his lap where she curled against him. She was silent for a long moment. "I had so little time with Jamie," she said quietly, her cheek against his, "and almost no time with you. I don't think I could go through that again."

She wiped her eyes with his shirt and slid back into her chair. "Since I know you are coming back, I'm going to begin my search for a replacement when I return to the Conservatory and I'll be moving here as soon as I can." She reached for the tea and poured herself a cup. Faelan eyed her warily. "I've already spoken to your wife about this and while she's not ecstatic about the idea, she knew this day might come when she joined your harem." She looked into his eyes. "Branwyn just didn't expect to be your wife when it happened."

Shikarou nodded. "Sometimes life takes some strange turns."

"Branwyn said something very much like that when we talked last week." Her eyes lit with amusement when he blinked in surprise. "Yes, I made this decision before I knew you were going to another dimension."

"Was someone going to bother telling me?"

"Eventually. Branwyn felt that telling you too early might be unlucky." She shrugged. "I believe we make our own luck and I don't want to start this off by keeping secrets from you. I am hoping to become your wife and I suspect honesty will go a long way in helping that to happen."

"Branwyn doesn't want me to join the harem and I also think that's a good idea. I've kept training all these years, but I'd want to be the alpha and I'm not sure I could beat her. I know I'm higher level than she is, but you've made her very crafty and I'm too rusty as far as that goes." She smiled thinly. "Besides, you've made it plain that the job isn't open for reassignment through combat."

"So do you have any idea what you'll be doing here, once you've settled down?" Shikarou watched her carefully.

"I suspect that will still be at least a couple of years before I can move here, but I think once I do that I'd like to have another batch of children before I become a pokewoman."

She rubbed her cheek thoughtfully. "I've spoken with Lynn and Gwyneth and if their dream of an Elf enclave comes to fruition, I can function as their liaison with Tamers who want Elf pokegirls. I've done almost identical work with the Conservatory and pregnancy won't get in the way of that." She gave him a wry look. "You'll also need a contact with the Pleiades group when Ming Die realizes that you've managed to make both Stardust and Circe fully functional. While Stardust hasn't quite taken out an ad in the Blue League Observer, she's been openly using her powers and if I can notice, eventually Ming Die will too."

Faelan looked startled. "Maybe she already has."

"I seriously doubt that." She smiled. "I think Jim was trying to create his own version of the Vulcan race when he made her production run and he certainly seems to have made them as inflexible as the fictional Vulcans are. Once they decide that something is a certain way you just about have to shove any changes down their throats before they are willing to reevaluate the situation. That's why they hid on the moon when they easily had the power to carve out a place anywhere on the planet if they'd thought about it."

"Being bonded to Devon is helping her, but I think it'll be years before she changes enough to be that flexible. She's already decided that Stardust and Circe are mental cripples and she's likely to ignore all but the most direct evidence to the contrary."

"You seem to have thought this through."

She gave Faelan a disgusted look. "Faelan, before I met Jamie I was one of Jim's generals and I was a very good one. My work there is the absolute main reason that the Conservatory has been as successful as it is. Now I'll be Shikarou's general." She gave Shikarou an expectant stare.

He smiled. "Good. I want you living here as soon as you can." She visibly relaxed as he continued. "I was planning on leaving in the morning. Are you staying the night?"

"No, I just wanted reassured that you were coming back. Now that I've received your oath, I can return home and start my search for a replacement."

Faelan flicked his ears diffidently. "What about Katherine? She's intelligent and pushy enough to do the dirty parts of the job. Giving her your job would keep Devon there and presumably reduce his chances of wandering into danger and squandering all of the work you've done on his line. Not to mention she'd have his harem to act as heavies if she needed them to." He shrugged. "It's what they do for her now."

Poppet looked shocked and then grinned. "I like the way you think. That is definitely something to consider." She looked thoughtful. "She's a Scot and would make sure that the Conservatory stayed in Scot hands. She'd also definitely keep Devon's interests in mind and even if she doesn't work out, considering her would please Devon no end. Thank you for the idea, Faelan."

"No charge," he replied laconically. "I won't start billing you until you need advice with him." He pointed with his chin at Shikarou.

She chuckled and rose to her feet. "I think he and I can work together without your help." She gave Shikarou a quick kiss and hugged a surprised Faelan. "Gentlemen, I'll see you later."

Faelan watched her go with bemused eyes. "When she tries to be good, she's very very good."

"I won't dignify that by finishing the quote." Shikarou sighed. "I've almost finished packing and I've downloaded all of the information Ranma told about himself. There wasn't a lot, but I'll take all I can get." He shook his head. "I also spoke with Soun Tendo over the phone and once he was confident I wasn't bringing his daughters back, he told me about them. I've also got a whole bunch of pictures, including stills from your records of his speech."

Faelan nodded. "What equipment are you taking with you on this little jaunt into nothingness?"

"Everything I can think of. I've got spare pokeballs, construction plans, two extra PPHU's along with batteries, potions, a stack of evolution stones," he took a deep breath, "everything I need to set up a complete colony for me and my harem. I'm also taking the transdimensional locator that father left and a teacher. If worst comes to worst, in ten years he can come find me with it." He glanced around him. "I'm also taking three ingots of gold and one of those I've turned into one ounce coins."

Shikarou sighed. "Ranma came from the 1970's and considering that they are displaced only four dimensions from his home dimension, things should be almost identical between the two. The problem is, I don't know how far it is from here. If it's not that far, then that world could have its own Jim Sukotto and Linda McKenzie just waiting to get the ball rolling there. If so and if I'm trapped there for a while, I'll head to central Australia until 2010 and then I'll either head to Edo or Indigo."

"Not the Blue League?"

"Darkness, no!" Shikarou almost choked. "Poppet will be there and I don't need any of the sorts of complications two Poppets could bring into my life."

Faelan nodded. "If two Poppets met and each of them thought she had a claim to you, I'm willing to estimate your lifespan beyond that point could be measured in minutes with a meterstick."

"Seconds is more like it." He grimaced. "And if they didn't kill me, Branwyn would."

"Of course I would," she plopped down in the chair next to him. "The only question is why would I kill you?"

"Two Poppets."

She grinned. "Nope. You'd live through that. She wouldn't. I've already got to share you with my mother and two Unicorns are enough for anyone. Especially you."

"I agree. I was only explaining to Faelan why I wouldn't go near the Blue League if Sukotto exists where we are going."

She nodded. "Faelan, we discussed every possible contingency we could think of last night in our council of war. Our best bet may be fleeing to the space station where we found Pythia. We know that won't be blown up and Shikarou is carrying one of the small manufactories with him so we can keep it running or turn it into something more useful."

"That is excellent contingency planning. So who's going?"

Branwyn shook her head. "Every pokegirl who's ever had anything to do with him has volunteered. We even had a feral Moonflower, you know, the laughing one who lives at the clinic, wander in and stand around like she expected to be captured and taken along. It was eerie."

"Ok, everyone volunteered. Who's going?"

"I'm taking my active harem." Shikarou rotated his neck slowly. "Candace is determined to convince me that I need to take her as well."

Faelan nodded. "You should. I also want you to take the base seed father brought."

"No. I don't expect to be there long and I'm not going to plant a base just to abandon it later. That's cruel to the AI and it's not going to happen if I have any say in it."

Faelan sighed. "I won't be the clan head until you leave, so I can't order you to take it or else I would."

"You couldn't make me obey an order like that even then." Shikarou smirked. "I am taking one of Selene's marker beacons. I'll claim that world for both of us, just like this one."

"Just come back. I don't want to try to run this place without you. I really don't want to try to deal with Ygerna without you, either."

"I have every intention of coming back, brother. There are just too many exciting things going on for me to keep away."

"Good." Faelan smiled. "If you don't come back then I'm going to give your mother your coordinates."

"Prick."

06/23/99 0500 New Avalon, Blue Continent)

Dr. Banzai took a gulp of his coffee and turned to Shikarou with a wry smile. "You'd think that with all of the travel I do, I'd be used to being awake at this hour." He motioned to a severe looking man with brown hair and a goatee. "This is Dr. Gordon Freeman and he'll be running the dimensional transporter."

Freeman stuck out his hand. "Mr. Urufu."

Shikarou took it. "Dr. Freeman, please be gentle." That got him a thin smile and Freeman hurried into the lab to finish the preparations.

Banzai watched him work through the observation window. "Gordon is one of our best experimental physicists. We managed to get him away from Black Mesa over in the Indigo Plateau, but it took a lot of work." He glanced up. "It means he's the best in the world right now and if anyone can do this right, he can."

"Ah." Shikarou wondered briefly wondered if this was supposed to be reassuring and then put it out of his mind and went back to focusing for his mission.

Freeman worked quickly, directing a small team of assistants. Soon a framework of metal bars that formed an arch began to glow softly. Dr. Freeman activated an intercom and spoke to Dr. Banzai. "Three minutes to synchronization."

"We need to get you into position," Banzai said as he took Shikarou's arm and urged him into the lab.

Less than a minute later, Shikarou was standing in a circle painted on the floor right in front of the glowing arch of metal bars. He tugged on his kimono idly while he practiced breathing exercises to control his heartbeat, which threatened to speed dramatically every time he stopped focusing on it.

The glow intensified and spread to fill the inside of the arch before opening into a tunnel whose walls swirled with every color Shikarou'd ever seen and many he had no name for. Abruptly the inside of the arch seemed to recede into infinity.

_Aggie?_

**They have achieved primary synchronization and their coordinates match those of the ones that Ranma was sent to. However the temporal aspect is off enough that at least a month will have passed.**

"We're ready, Dr. Banzai." Freeman sounded very excited and yet spoke with quiet control.

"Shikarou, just step into the portal."

The kami strode confidently into the arch and suddenly the portal sucked him forward. He spun wildly and tried to correct as he reached the opening and was spat out into driving rain to slam flat on his back onto a large concave depression in a rock.

Lightning flashed and a bolt struck the rapidly shrinking portal. Shikarou's skin crawled from the electrical corona and he threw himself away from the rock as the portal abruptly reopened and spat several molten pieces of the latticework that had made up the arch.

Purple afterimages strobed across his eyes as he lay in the rain and blinked several times to clear his vision before rolling to his feet as more lightning flared overhead.

Peering around, he could see a small square light in the distance and carefully made his way towards it, carefully skirting the large pools of water that lay between him and his goal. He'd have jumped and taken his chances with the pools but that would have made him a target for the lightning and he didn't fancy that.

Swimming across the pools was also out of the question, long bamboo poles stuck up from their edges and one of them already smoldered from a lightning strike. Therefore he was satisfied to slip his way through the mud to the small house that eventually emerged from the storm as close lightning strikes chased him the whole way.

He hammered on the door, bellowing "Let me in!" If they didn't hurry he was going to batter it down and drive the inhabitants out into the storm.

There was the sound of a bolt being drawn and Shikarou stumbled through the open doorway. A voice babbled at him but he ignored it for a moment as his eardrums healed. Finally it sank into his consciousness. _Mandarin Chinese. Not a dialect of it that I recognize, but I can probably make myself understood._

"Thank you for giving me shelter from the storm." He bowed slightly as he got his first look at his host.

The man wore a khaki uniform and hat with a red star on it and he smiled broadly. "Welcome to Cursed Training Grounds of Jusenkyo. You fall in spring, yes?" He pointed at Shikarou's ears.

Shikarou blinked and cast a sleep spell. He sighed as the man crumpled to the floor of the building. "Ye gods, I forgot." Quickly he cast an illusion spell that hid his ears and fangs and turned his eyes from shiny black to brown. He then leaned over to drip on the man, who sputtered and woke. "Are you ok?"

The man stared at Shikarou. "Where your ears go?" He frowned. "Must be light. You no fall in spring. So sorry."

Shikarou sighed and began to wring out his hair. "Do you always speak in such choppy sentences?"

The man gave him a foolish grin. "Tourists want me talk like this. Leave more money. It become habit."

"For more money, I guess I can understand." He shrugged off his backpack. "I hope this rain lets up soon. I'm looking for someone who should have been here about a month ago. He'd be Japanese, like me. Probably he didn't speak much Chinese and there may have been some women with him," he paused and cocked his head, "or some female spirit creatures."

"Saotome boy. Him here, have no girls, but him followed by spirits. Many spirits." The man made a sign to ward off evil. "Him want know about other Saotome. Father who fall in cursed spring and become panda."

"Not a cat?"

"You wrong like him. Him think cat too. No, panda. Boy become girl."

Shikarou's eyes went wide as his mind abruptly skittered sideways. "Did you say this was Jusenkyo?"

"Yes, ancient training ground of cursed springs. Many springs each with very tragic tale of thing which drown in spring. Whoever fall in spring take form of what drown in that spring. Hot water make you change back until cold water touch you again."

Shikarou shivered suddenly. "Blood and darkness. Nice storm. Good storm. You feel free to last just as long as you want." He took a deep breath and let it out. "So did you know where the panda and girl went?"

"Panda cheap. No pay for food, so I keep stuff. You want see?"

"Yes, I would. Did the Saotome boy see it?"

"Him see letter. Get excited. Try take letter. I keep. Boy no have money." He disappeared into the next room briefly, returning with a small pack. "This what I keep. Cheap panda take other pack and run away." He pulled out a scrap of paper. "Here."

Shikarou unfolded it carefully. _Saotome Genma, I know from your last letter that you are headed to the training grounds at Jusenkyo, so I'm sending this there. I've made all of the arrangements I can without alerting my daughters to your impending arrival. I've spoken with the principal of Furinken High School and he's agreed to let Ranma take classes starting whenever you arrive at my dojo. I agree with you that the boy probably would benefit from some structured education. I'm eager to see my old friend again and to get the events we arranged in motion. Safe travel back to Japan. Tendo Soun._

Shikarou put the letter down and pulled a pouch from the sleeve of his kimono. "You fed the boy Saotome?"

"Him have no food, but eat like many. Him take food outside for spirits too."

His eyes widened when Shikarou put a gold coin on the table. "For feeding the boy." His eyes got bigger when a second coin joined the first. "For the stuff you kept."

The man grabbed one of the coins and bit it. "This real gold."

"You've been very helpful and I don't intend to cheat you."

The coins vanished into the man's pocket. "Stuff now yours. You need guide?"

"I just need some directions. I'm going to be traveling quickly." He smiled as he stuffed the other backpack into his. "Traveling through China can be confusing. What's the shortest way to Japan from here?"

"You in Bayankala mountains in Qinghai province. You follow Yangtze River basin to sea. Is almost 1800 miles."

Shikarou nodded. "That sounds about right from what I remember. Thank you."

"You stay till morning. Storm end tonight. I feed you good food."

"I appreciate that, but I need to be going." He dug a cloak out of his pack and slipped it on. "Hopefully I won't get wetter."

The guard laughed nervously. "You be careful. Stay away from springs."

"Oh, fear not, I intend to." He strode out into the storm.

An hour later he stood inside his tent and dropped his backpack on the floor. Pulling out a pokeball he released Branwyn and handed her the pack. She stared at him. "Did you go swimming?"

"It's raining." He started to shed clothing as she began releasing harem members.

Candace touched him on the shoulder. "You're skin is like ice."

"Is it? I didn't notice." He frowned. "I feel fine."

Elizabeth touched him. "Wow." She peered closer. "You've got ice on your skin."

Circe sighed and looked at Stardust. "It's his powers. Everyone away from him, he might become cold enough to freeze your skin."

Branwyn chuckled and said in a plaintive voice, "He's become cold to me. If only he'd think warmly about us."

Stardust gave her an annoyed look. _You are using your cold generation to protect you against the storm outside. You need to convince yourself that you are safe now. Here, let me help._

A minute later the ice on his body began to melt. Branwyn smiled. "Thank you Stardust." The Alaka-Wham sketched a bow and headed for the room she was sharing with her sister.

Nanu tapped Branwyn on the shoulder. "Who won the lottery tonight?"

Shikarou shook his head. "No lottery. Branwyn."

The Mini-Top nodded. "Ok." She slipped her arm through Marzia's. "Come on and let me show you something new I've learned." The Blazicunt giggled and let herself be led away.

Helen shoved a steaming bowl of stew into his hands. "You need to get yourself outside of that quickly before it cools."

Shikarou smiled and settled down to eat. Branwyn sat down next to him. "Where are we?"

"China. We came out where I expected, near the Jusenkyo Training Ground. It turns out to be a bunch of bamboo poles surrounding and surrounded by acres of individual springs." He glanced at her. "Each spring has a curse that will turn whoever falls into it into something else, something that drowned in it. Sound familiar?"

"The spell dump." Her eyes went wide. "That abomination exists here?"

"Apparently that explains how Genma became a cat. Here he became a panda, and get this, a young man he was with became a girl. The whole process is reversible, sort of. According to a man who lives there cold water makes you change and hot water makes you change back." He finished the bowl and started to put it down when Helen pulled it from his hands and placed a full bowl in them. "Thank you."

She gave a throaty laugh. "I don't want you to stay cold or my breasts might freeze in the morning." She sauntered away, putting extra sway in her hips. Shikarou had the courtesy to watch.

Branwyn snickered. "So that's how you get the best portions of everything."

"You could help."

"You'd love that, wouldn't you? Having to drink my milk again?" Still she looked thoughtfully at the door to the kitchen for a moment. "We'll see."

Shikarou glanced down as his com chirped. Branwyn raised an eyebrow. "You've got a message. Here?"

He activated his com and read a text message before dropping it on the pile of wet clothes. "It was delayed. I actually got it a couple of days ago."

"Something I need to know about?"

He nodded. "When I came through the portal it got struck by lightning and I'm pretty sure some of the equipment on the other side was damaged."

"Oh?"

"The portal vomited bits and pieces of the gate generator before closing." He nodded as Branwyn went white. "Yeah, it had me worried as well, so I made a mental note to send myself a message if we made it back ok and have Aggie delay its arrival until after I saw the portal destroyed. I just received that message." He grimaced. "I didn't feel it necessary to send any details about what happened and I really wish I had. The entire message said was 'we made it'. It didn't even say if we all came out ok. Apparently I was feeling terse."

"You? Terse? I can't believe it."

Helen moaned as he suckled, cradling his head to her chest. "Oh, kami, that feels good." He nipped her lightly and she moaned louder.

Suddenly he felt pressure and a line of warmth against his side. A voice whispered in his ear. "Move over." He did so and Branwyn eagerly sucked the Milktit's other nipple into her mouth.

Helen's eyes opened in shock and then slid closed once more as she whined in pleasure.

Shikarou slipped his hand between Helen's thighs and teased her wetness. Her head lolled back as she shuddered and slid her hips forward to the edge of the table. Her tail lashed against his legs.

Suddenly his hand had company. Branwyn chuckled around Helen's tit. _Great minds think alike?_

_You do it._ He pulled his hand free and she took over. The Unicorn jumped when his fingers wormed between her legs and she shivered and spread her thighs to give him access. Soon she began moaning softly as she drained the milk from Helen.

Helen whispered into Shikarou's ear. "Back up a meter." He complied and watched as Branwyn's mouth came off Helen's nipple with a pop as the Milktit lifted her up and twisted to lay her alpha on her back on the table.

Helen slid down the Unicorn's body and nuzzled between her legs, going to her hands and knees in front of Shikarou. She raised her head to look over her shoulder at him and shimmied her ass deliciously. "Please?" she whimpered before covering Branwyn's pussy with her mouth. The Unicorn grabbed Helen's horns and groaned loudly.

Shikarou slid behind Helen when the Milktit chuckled and raised her head. "You taste like him," she teased

"Shut up." Branwyn pulled Helen back down and the Milktit went back to work without another word. She whipped her tail and wriggled her ass as sucking sounds came from between Branwyn's legs. The Unicorn arched her back and lifted her hips as she cried out.

He grabbed Helen's generous hips and slid slowly inside her. The Milktit groaned against Branwyn's pussy and the Unicorn yelped and shrieked as she came.

Shikarou drove hard and deep, his groin spanking her ass with each stroke, driving her forward against Branwyn. She began to cry out in time to his strokes, her voice muffled by Branwyn's thighs. He increased his pace until she suddenly lifted her head and screamed, her ass twisting in his hands as she convulsed.

She wrapped her arms around Branwyn's legs and held on as he thrust until he cried out and buried himself inside her to spill his heat into her body. She jerked beneath him and screamed again.

He rested on top of her until her breathing steadied and she lifted her head slowly, her hair a tousled cloud around her mottled face. "Oh kami, thank you both," she whispered. "That was a rare treat."

Branwyn pushed at her gently. "And it's going to stay a rare treat unless we put a bed out here. This table is hard."

Helen slid to her feet and lifted her alpha into a long kiss. "Thank you." She frowned slightly and looked down between them. "Sorry."

Branwyn cradled her head and kissed her again. "Don't be. I knew it would happen and he'll be more than glad to help me."

The Milktit smiled softly as she glanced back at Shikarou. "That he will. I need to clean up and get breakfast started." She slid into Shikarou's arms for a long kiss before disappearing into the kitchen.

Branwyn slipped her arm through his. "I'll wash you if you'll do me." She winced and rubbed her rump. "Ow. I think I've got a bruise from that table. Do you think we can put padding on it?"

"How about we put some big pillows in here and move there next time."

"That won't work. That table has a glorious taming history and would feel neglected." She sighed and pulled him down the hall. "I guess padding wouldn't be traditional either."

"What if there were a couple of small pillows around for temporary padding?"

She laughed. "Now there's an idea."

Two days of slogging through the mud had made Shikarou more than a little cranky. Having to keep his pokegirls hidden only added to his aggravation. He glanced up at the black dot that was Lorelei doing lazy circles at 400 meters as her voice whispered into his ears via the com spell. "You are approaching the village I saw earlier. Do you intend to give them a visit?"

"I want to see if they know of an airport and barring that check in with the village elder boss and see if he has any news."

"I thought the Chinese don't like the Japanese."

"They don't and the Japanese return the favor. There's been too much bad blood over the years. However, they should tolerate me. At least I don't look western." He hopped off a low cliff and landed in a spray of mud that drove him knee deep into the ground. Cursing loudly in several languages he carefully pulled himself free and retrieved the boot he'd lost in the muck before continuing on.

He'd elected against flying for the time being in the faint hope that maybe Ranma might still be in the area and he'd run across the young man. However, aerial surveillance didn't show any single men in the area or anyone accompanied by any females who might be pokegirls.

So he was going to stop in this village and then press on to the Yangtze River and the coast.

He could make out two figures guarding the gate as he stepped onto the road. Approaching revealed them to be armed women dressed in colorful clothing. The one with the spear stepped into his path. "Who are you that comes to Joketsuzoku and what is your purpose here?"

"My name is Shikarou and I am here to buy some supplies and speak to the village elder if that is possible."

She sneered as she looked him up and down. "You should bathe and make yourself pretty before trying to deal with us."

The other looked at his long braid and drew a knife from her belt. "You will cut your hair before we will let you in."

Shikarou swallowed an angry retort. "If those are your conditions, then I will go elsewhere." He turned and headed back up the road at an easy run.

"Wait! You come back here right now!" He glanced back to see the guards had abandoned their posts and were giving pursuit.

He sped up and raced back off the road, tracing his path back the way he'd come, the only place where he knew there weren't any mud pools to trap him. The shouts quickly began to grow fainter.

"There's someone else chasing you and this one is pretty fast." He sped up to a lope at Lorelei's warning, bounding over low bushes.

"I'll lose them at the cliff."

"That third chaser is still closing."

He shot a glance behind him. "I don't believe this; I'm being chased by a grey haired midget bouncing on a stick at more than 40 kph."

"What is that place?" Lorelei asked curiously as she banked to fly after him.

"Joketsuzoku, which translates as tribe of women heroes."

"So is the midget a girl?"

"I didn't look that closely." He reached the base of the cliff, squelched through the mud and leaped for the top, keeping close to the wall. "This should stop them." He landed and turned to look down just in time to see the midget land its stick right below him somehow without sinking into the mud and launch itself upwards, aiming right at him He threw himself sideways as it landed hard and spun. His nose said woman, and his eyes said old.

She grinned at him. "My girls think you might be worth meeting and after that chase I think I agree. Why don't you be a good boy and come down without any trouble?"

"With all due respect, I'm afraid I'm on a mission and I don't have time to give your girls the attention I'm sure they deserve."

She looked surprised. "Politeness from a Japanese? I haven't seen that in over a hundred years. However, my girls need a husband and I think you might beat one of them." She leapt at him and jabbed with her staff.

Shikarou caught it in his hand, sinking his claws into the wood and jerking it from her to fly over the edge of the cliff. "Sorry, I don't have time for this. Have a nice day."

The woman stood stunned. "No one has disarmed me in over two hundred years. If only you'd been born three hundred years ago." She sounded wistful.

"She's distracting you while the others scale the cliff." There was a second of silence. "Shot."

The old woman stared suddenly upwards. "What in hell?" The spray of feather shuriken smashed into the top of the cliff, shattering the rock along the edge and sending it tumbling down on the climbers, who jumped free.

"Incoming."

He bowed at the old woman. "Gotta go." The Sphinx snatched him into the air with her telekinesis and grabbed him as she blasted by.

A faint voice shouted, "Come back here!"

Lorelei climbed hard. "So you already have a fan club?"

"I think their kind of club gets used on people." He oriented quickly and pointed. "Head that way. It's in the direction of Japan."

"So are you still determined to walk to Tokyo?"

"Nope. I've been convinced that flying is much better." Lorelei banked and dropped. "What are you doing?"

"You're all nasty. I'm going to drag you through that river until you are clean."

"Now you wait just a minute. I don't want -" He kept protesting all through his drubbing as Lorelei pulled him along with her telekinesis.

When he was clean she pulled him back into her arms and climbed once more. "Now you're all better."

He jerked suddenly. "I think there's a fish in my kimono with me." He felt around and pulled out a carp, which he offered to Lorelei. "Want it?"

She crammed it into her mouth and chewed. "You are so good to me. Give me a kiss."

"Yuck! You've got fish breath!" He struggled but eventually relented.

Shikarou looked at the outskirts of Shanghai and took a slow deep breath. The last two weeks had reminded him once again of just how little fun it was to be Japanese in China. He'd almost been detained by the Communists on several occasions and had been shot at twice as he evaded capture. The fact that he spoke fluent, if slightly archaic Chinese make him more suspect, not less. Outside the tourist spots, they were actively antagonistic against Japanese. He supposed it was different inside the normal tourist areas, at least until the tourists ran out of money.

He'd been surprised at the reception until it finally sank in that he wasn't in Edo. He was in China. Sometimes he thought it would be nice to be able to lie and claim he was Chinese too.

Yushiko looked over at him. "So, how do you want to proceed?"

"I'll get a look at some Japanese passports and I'll manufacture one for me. Then I think I'll catch a ferry to Shimonoseki. It's a two day trip, but there is far less security than at the airport. I'll have Branwyn or Circe wait somewhere in Shanghai and once we're well underway she can teleport aboard with my backpack and anything else I think the Chinese might take umbrage at. Once in Shimonoseki, I can catch the train to Tokyo."

Yushiko nodded. "I want to thank you, lord, for letting me spend so much time at home with my grandmother. She told me that you know she's going to die soon."

"Before winter." He sighed. "I didn't know she knew."

"She's made her peace and I got to say what I didn't before." The Armsmistress hugged him impulsively. "You made it much better for me than when she died after I'd left home."

"I've been thinking about asking her to stay on as the family's guardian spirit after she dies. I really don't have the time to watch them properly." He gave her a cautious look. "What do you think about the idea?"

"My first impulse is to say that it would be wonderful." She looked thoughtful for several moments. "As your priestess, I think she would be honored and would do an excellent job."

"Then I will ask her after we return." He glanced down at the city. "I probably need to return you to your pokeball."

She nodded. "I would be unhappy to give up my weapons and armor just to make them happy. You would have to protect both of us and that would be embarrassing for me. After all, I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

"I know. I try to let you."

She looked down at the town with disdain. "What are you going to do about money? I don't think your homemade gold coins will spend here, at least not openly."

"I've got a spell that will allow me to duplicate coins and bills. Of course, I have to get some first. Fortunately I've got an illusion spell that will disguise one pokegirl at a time and I'll just have to take Kebi into town and let her see what she can find. If I already had money I'd cast it on you instead to hide your armor and weapons."

Yushiko nodded. "I understand, lord." She gave him a sideways look. "Lord, will there be any time to do some shopping in Tokyo?"

"If there is, we'll do it."

"Thank you. Are you going to teach this illusion spell to Branwyn and the others? That way more than one of your harem can be disguised at a time."

He looked surprised. "That is a very good idea. I'll work on it on the ferry. It's a simple spell and shouldn't take them long to learn."

"Good. Then we can shop for stuff for you without you." Yushiko winked and reached out to touch him and activate her pokeball.

He smiled and released his Ria. Kebi looked around curiously. "China. Why Kebi?"

"We're alone. Will you stop that?"

Kebi grinned and kissed his cheek. "You think I'm cute when I talk like that and no one thinks I'm dangerous."

Shikarou gave her a mock glare. "You are cute whether you talk like a feral or not. You're one of the brightest pokegirls I've met and you act like a three year old."

"I want to." She gave him a petulant look. "What want Kebi for?"

"Fine, be that way. I'm going to cast an illusion spell to make you look like a Chinese girl and I want you to go with me and do some pickpocketing. I really need money, not gum or toys."

"Kebi get what Kebi find. Kebi find money. Get raspberry?"

"If you find me some 5000 or 10000 yen bills I'll give you two." Shikarou gave her a big grin. "Can you do that?"

"Kebi do if Kebi get three! Give spell!"

"Three? For three you'd better produce."

She gave him an arch look. "Kebi no can produce. Two years. Then Shikarou make Kebi produce. Big belly. Many baby."

"I keep forgetting that you are a pokewoman." He sighed. "That's not the kind of produce I was talking about."

"Kebi know. Want baby. Want your baby." She grinned. "Come, get money. Give spell, get money. Then three raspberries."

Shikarou shook his head and cast the spell. He looked critically at the young Chinese girl. "That should do."

The Ria dumped her pack and dug around in it to produce a mirror, which she used to peer at herself. She grinned. "Kebi ugly. Blech." She put the mirror away. "Get money now." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the town.

"So this is snack food." Branwyn gave the bag of chips a disgusted look and crammed it into a nearby trash receptacle. "I'll be quite content with Helen's treats." She gave Shikarou an expectant look and he sighed and produced a small bag of cookies from his pack. She grabbed it and looked pleased as she peered around the train station. "Thank you. How can they eat that, it tastes horrible."

"I take it you don't have a proper palate for preservatives."

"Is that what's wrong with it? It's nasty." She glanced back at him. "I understand you didn't think this ferry ride was as bad as the last one."

"It was relaxing that the crew wasn't terrified it was going to sink." He settled more firmly on the bench and looked around himself. "It's odd to see so many people and not a single pokegirl."

"Is it that or the fact that all of the women are wearing clothes?" When he ignored her, she glanced at his ticket. "So how long is this train ride?"

"About six hours to get to Tokyo. Then we have to find Nerima and the Tendo Dojo."

"Have you thought about how you are going to approach them about Ranma?"

"I think the best way will be for me to approach them as a traveling samurai. If Tendo has a dojo, he should respect that. It means I'll have to be alone for a while, but I'll be careful not to go more than two days without setting up the tent or moving on."

"That would be wise; if you rape his daughters he may either be mad or make you keep them all."

When Shikarou gave her a bland look she shrugged. "If he's like the Soun of our world, he's anxious to get rid of them."

"I suspect that he doesn't have thirty or so daughters here, so he may be slightly more attached to the ones he does have."

"I guess we'll find out when we get there." She looked amusedly at him. "Remember, none of them are pokegirls, so they can't join the harem unless Elizabeth bites someone."

"While Elizabeth has a twisted sense of justice, she does have one and wouldn't infect someone for no reason."

He chuckled quietly. "If women around us start thresholding, we'll finally settle the old argument about whether or not being a pokegirl is contagious." He snorted. "And if they don't, we won't have changed anything. I suspect we aren't going to change anything in that argument."

"Are you going to reveal that you are kami?"

"I suspect that would prove counterproductive, so no. All I want to do is collect the Ranma who doesn't belong here and be on my way."

He sighed. "I just hope he's there or at least made contact with them. It's a big planet and he could be anywhere. If he's not at the Tendo's, I'll go to his mother's place next. If that doesn't work, we'll find someplace quiet and I'll use the manufactory to make an observation satellite and then we'll try to track him down by his pokedex. I know he took it with him, but it could have been broken or lost."

"If we can't locate him that way, I'll try to tap into Dorothea's cosmic awareness and see if she can locate his Celestials. That's pretty much a last resort because if this planet has demons then it has angels and we could spend years trying to find the right good aligned being."

"Finally, we could wait and infiltrate special project groups all over the world and look for reports of the pokegirls. They'll stand out and we may be able to track him by that. A worst case version of that is we wait for thirty years and use Aggie to invade intelligence organs all over the world and then travel back to this time to get him once we know where he was." He cocked his head. "And the good thing is that we'd be correcting the timeline by removing Ranma's influence instead of messing it up."

"And during all this we need to keep an eye on the United States and make sure there isn't any sign of Jim Sukotto or Linda McKenzie. If either or both of them surface our priorities will have to be immediately reevaluated. I'm not letting any of you die for this Ranma, whom I've never met, no matter how morally wrong Banzai would think it to be."

Branwyn was staring at him. "After hearing that, I really hope he contacted the Tendo family."

"I do too."

Shikarou settled his backpack into place and took a deep breath before heading out. The Tendo Dojo was only a block or two ahead and Branwyn had been put into her pokeball.

After getting off the train, he'd caught a city bus to the Nerima district and started asking about the dojo. Locating it had been surprisingly easy, everyone he'd asked had known of it and spoken highly of the master, Soun.

Once he'd determined that he was within a couple of kilometers of the place, he'd brought out Branwyn for a quickie to ensure he had maximum time available before needing to seek out his harem again and headed here.

He'd been surprised to see a young woman in a black leotard leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Her laugh had been a little unsettling, but he was glad to know that he could travel the roofs without getting into trouble. That might prove useful later.

He looked the place over critically once it came into view. It was fairly typical for a dojo and residence and although there was a faint air of dilapidation, it looked reasonably well cared for. It had a serious outer wall, unusual today, and Shikarou wondered if it was a relic of an earlier time or an affectation to keep the outside world at bay.

The gate was open and he could hear voices inside, although there was a strange background hum that made them impossible to understand_. I hope this works._ He strode through the open gate.

A sensation like a light electric charge ran over his entire body and he felt his illusion spell shatter like glass. The voices became suddenly much more distinct and a deep male voice yelled, "Look, another one!"

Shikarou's vision suddenly went white as something was slapped against his face. "I got him!" A younger male voice. Blows rained down on the kami, staggering him backwards through the gate. As he came level with it, the hum suddenly became much louder and pain exploded up his back and legs and he felt energy surging behind him, smashing him forward once more as he pulled at the thing on his face.

A female voice yelled, "Look out!" and a blow smashed Shikarou sideways. He extended his claws a centimeter and raked them across his face. The thing didn't come off, but it shredded and he could see again.

The view wasn't enlightening as the first thing he saw was a burly bald man in a white gi and a long haired man in a black gi leaping at him in a synchronized kick which smashed Shikarou back against a wall.

Then a man dressed as a Shinto priest and a younger man in Chinese clothes ran forward and began plastering strips of paper all over Shikarou's body. The papers were covered with some strong adhesive and were very tough. Soon Shikarou began to resemble a mummy. He glimpsed writing on one of the strips and recognized them as spirit wards against oni. He toppled to the ground and struggled to get free.

"Tendo, old friend, once more the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is triumphant." The burly man smacked his partner on the shoulder and grinned.

Shikarou's eyes narrowed and then he closed them and relaxed, reaching inward. Moisture began to bead his body and then quickly began to freeze into ice. Meanwhile, a conversation was ongoing.

"Pops, we gotta get this one into a box and seal it. We're gonna need a big box."

"Ranma, my boy, you're the heir to the school, you should do it."

"He's right, son. Listen to your father."

"I ain't touching no demon. It might get inside me like the one in Kasumi."

The ice began spreading and Shikarou could feel the glue losing its adhesive qualities as a female voice said disgustedly. "Oh, stop being a coward, Ranma and do it."

"Stay out of this Akane! Nobody wants you to butt into this."

"Ranma, you idiot!"

"Yes Ranma, listen to your fiancé."

"I'm tellin ya I ain't touching no demon."

Shikarou worked the wards loose and rolled to his feet as the boy yelled. "Darn it, Pops, you let it loose!"

Shikarou growled and backpedaled to give himself some room. "I am no demon."

"It talks!" This from a young woman in a gi.

"Get him Saotome!" The two men jumped at Shikarou again, who waited until they were in mid jump and dodged. The young man tried to attack him while he was dodging, but Shikarou caught his foot in mid leap and threw him at the two males. He was impressed that the man had the presence of mind to score a glancing blow as he went.

The girl in the gi went into an attack posture. Shikarou shook his head. "I am not a demon."

She glared. "And what about your ears?"

He sighed. So much for not revealing himself. "I'm kami. I hunt demons."

"Prove it!" She didn't believe him, which he found understandable.

He dodged the two men again. "The spirit wards only work on evil and they didn't render me powerless."

"You got burned in the gate!"

Shikarou glanced at it and snorted. "Those aren't spirit wards; those created a one way barrier to all life. Nothing can pass through it until it's destroyed. He noticed the young man listening and dodged the two adults again. "There's another fact indicating that I'm not a demon." He gestured at the two men who were coming around for another try. "I haven't killed them yet."

The bald man sneered. "You cannot hurt the masters of the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Get him Tendo." They attacked again.

Shikarou cast his forcewall spell and they smashed into it. "You were saying." He shook his head and appealed to the girl and the boy. "I was trying not to hurt anyone." One ear rotated and his head swiveled to pin the priest, who'd been sneaking up behind him. "I'm done trying. You put another of those spirit wards on me and I'm going to make you very sorry that you were born."

The girl looked suddenly angry. "There's no need to threaten him."

"I disagree. I've been shown nothing but hostility since I entered your gate and he was offering me more. Oh, and I can't lie, so it wasn't a threat." He flashed a smile. "However, as long as he doesn't try to attack or trap me, I will remain harmless to him."

The young man looked curious. "How can you make someone sorry they were born?"

The girl gave him an accusatory look. "Ranma!"

Shikarou smiled. "It often involves making holes in the body and taking out things that are supposed to remain inside it." He dropped the force shield and cast healing spells on the groaning men. "I really prefer not to do that sort of thing."

Another woman appeared. This one was wearing a jumpsuit and had shoulder length hair. "You said you hunted demons. Can you take care of the one here?"

"Nabiki! No!" This from the man in the black gi.

"Father, if he can help Kasumi, then we should let him try."

Shikarou looked the young man over. "She called you Ranma. Are you Saotome Ranma?"

The man drew himself up. "I am. What of it?"

"Do you know of a Professor Stroak?"

"Who?"

"Ah. Never mind." Shikarou sighed. "Where is this demon?"

"Wait." It was the man in the black gi. "He mentioned someone with a name like that."

Nabiki looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, he did. So did Usagi."

Relief swept through Shikarou. "So he is here. I need to talk to him after I take care of the demon."

"I'm Tendo Soun. What's your name?"

"I am Shikarou."

"Well, Shikarou, first you see what you can do with the demon and then we'll talk about the other Ranma."

"Fine. Where is it?" Shikarou summoned his sword and scabbard. He thrust them into his belt.

Soun raised his voice. "Kasumi, come here."

"Coming father," a female voice almost sang. Then she appeared. She was older than the other two and had longer hair, tied back with a ribbon and wore a conservative dress with an apron over it. "Yes, father? I'm almost through burning lunch."

Soun winced. "That's good, Kasumi. We have a guest."

"That's nice." Kasumi came out and smiled at Shikarou. "Will you be staying for lunch? We're having burnt rice and sautéed garbage." The man in the white gi turned slightly green and Soun's smile became rather forced. "There will also be a nice vinegar pie for desert."

Ranma muttered loudly. "Geez, we might as well have had Akane cook." Akane gave him a look rich with a promise of revenge which he didn't notice. Nabiki did and snickered quietly.

Shikarou bowed to her. "I am pleased to meet you." He noticed the tiny horns on her forehead and his sword hand flexed. "Do you have another name?"

Her brow furrowed. "Xiqua." She smiled again. "I'll go work on lunch."

Shikarou watched her leave. "That's the demon's name. Sometimes you catch them off guard with a direct question. It must be fairly weak." He turned his attention to Akane. "If I cut her in two, the demon will die."

Suddenly Soun's head grew until it was almost as big as the rest of him and he thrust it into Shikarou's face. "YOU WILL NOT HURT MY KASUMI, DO YOU HEAR ME? SHE IS NOT TO URK" He broke off as Shikarou grasped his throat and squeezed. His head quickly began shrinking.

"I never said I would kill her, only that if I did the demon would die. By the bye, never speak to me like that again." He kept his voice even when what he really wanted was to squeeze until Soun's eyes popped out. Shikarou realized that he was cranking up the pressure on Soun's throat and suddenly let him go. "I really need to watch that. I manifested a new power and got more aggressive again," he muttered. He raised his voice. "Is there any way to remove the demon or do we have to wait for it to get tired of being in her?"

The priest spoke up. "If she is hit firmly the demon will flee. Otherwise, we must wait until it chooses to leave her voluntarily."

Soun gasped for air. "No one will be hitting my Kasumi," he rasped.

Shikarou gave him a disgusted look. "Then there is nothing I can do until it leaves her."

Akane touched his arm. "When it does that, leaves her, I mean. Then you can kill it?"

"Yes."

"Then please stay with us until you can." She looked worried. "The demon has been possessing us in turn and stopped with Kasumi because we can't hit her."

"I will."

"Thank you." She smiled and became suddenly pretty. "I'm Akane and that is my sister, Nabiki. That's Ranma and his father, Genma."

He bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. As I said before, I am Shikarou." He smiled. "I'd like a place on the property to set up my tent. I wouldn't dream of imposing on you any more than absolutely necessary."

Soun looked worried. "You will eat with us, right?" He sounded desperate and Shikarou could guess why.

"I will. There's nothing that Kasumi mentioned that will kill me, although it didn't sound all that tasty and I will eat my share of it so you don't have to."

Suddenly he had Soun Tendo hugging him. "Thank you, Shikarou. I knew you'd be a dear friend." He let go and looked at Genma. "Time for a game?"

"I think so, but you won't win this time."

Akane touched his arm again. "Don't mind father, he's a bit high strung."

Shikarou nodded. "I understand. It seems to run strong in him."

"You don't have to eat Kasumi's cooking."

"I told your father I would and I can't lie. Besides, I should be punished for almost choking him to death and I suspect that this will do nicely."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 57

DragonQueen Bellona 52

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 48

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Mini-Top Nanu 41

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Saotome, Ranma

Age: 18

Residence: Unknown

Region: Earth

Status: Active

Rank: 42

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Griffon Kasumi 40

Herochan Shampoo 37

Cheshire Nabiki 35

Angel Rei 29

Megami Usagi 27

Mareen Rain 25

Alpha Nabiki

Beta Kasumi


	29. Chapter 29

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 29

The katana in his hand seemed to drink in what little light remained as Shikarou moved silently across the yard towards the residence part of the Tendo dojo. His ears rotated as he listened to the noises coming from the lower level, soft noises that seemed to issue from the kitchen.

He was glad he'd insisted on setting up his tent. After the short tour Akane had given him of the place, he now knew that if he hadn't he'd probably have been forced to sleep with Ranma and Genma in their room and Genma's snores made the glass in their windows rattle. It was a wonder that Ranma didn't have hearing damage from the uproar.

It wouldn't have helped that right now they shared their room with the priest. He kept fingering his spirit wards every time he looked at Shikarou and muttering to himself. It was very likely that he didn't believe Shikarou's warning and sharing a room with him would have resulted in someone dying during the night.

Not that Shikarou had any qualms about killing the priest; after all he'd been warned. However, he was trying to stay friendly at least until he learned where the other Ranma was and he suspected that would definitely sour his welcome.

He moved slowly, testing each step for sound. He'd walked the route while everyone was awake, but obviously couldn't check each board for squeakiness at that time.

Lunch had been as bad as promised but Kasumi had pulled out all the stops for dinner. Half cooked rancid beef and vegetables, egg stir burned rice and baked pickle surprise. The surprise had been that the pickles had been replaced with scorchingly hot peppers and old anchovies. Not that the idea of baked pickles had been popular to begin with.

Genma and Soun had escaped by going to the baths for the evening, until Shikarou had asked curiously how they'd gotten through the barrier. This had caused a search of the property until the two adults had been located hidden in an outbuilding with a cache of fresh fruit and wine.

The food had been confiscated and the elder Saotome had been thrashed by his son. Shikarou had found Soun's response the most amusing. He'd pointed a finger at Shikarou and announced that he was a bad excuse for a future son in law.

He'd only stomped off when Nabiki had pointed out that Shikarou wasn't his son in law at all.

Shikarou eased into the hallway and soundlessly headed for the kitchen. A dim light was visible through the doorway and he cautiously peeked into the room as a quiet scratching sound issued from it. He whispered a spell to deaden any sounds coming from the kitchen. This might get noisy.

Kasumi was in her nightdress and he could see the flash of a knife as she did something at the table.

He crept forward until he stood behind her and raised his katana. "Kasumi." She jumped and whirled as she raised the knife. Shikarou plucked it from her fingers and flipped it point first into the wall across the room where it shivered the light as it vibrated from the impact.

Shikarou tossed the katana on the table and spun Kasumi around to bend her over the tabletop. The demon spoke as he slid his hand to the middle of her back and pinned her struggling form down. "If you kill this shell, you will cause untold pain and suffering." Its voice was hers with a gravelly overlay filled with anger and hate.

Shikarou snorted. "Kasumi is not going to be punished for your actions. I will have to hurt her to get you out, but it's far better than leaving you inside her to do whatever you please."

"Release me and this shell will give you delights beyond your pitiful reckoning." The possessed woman twisted her head to peer up at him with one eye. "She will be yours to do with as you will."

Kasumi suddenly stopped struggling and spoke in her normal voice, "I will not!"

With his free hand Shikarou pulled up her nightdress, bunching it around her waist. He caressed her rump and squeezed a panty clad cheek gently, causing her to jump. "Nice ass." With an effort he pulled his mind back to duty.

His hand rose and fell with a solid "crack" on her buttocks. Kasumi yelped and jerked. He spanked her once every five seconds, alternating cheeks with each blow and checking between them to see if the demon was coming free. She cried out quietly and struggled briefly with each blow.

Finally he felt a spike in energy that indicated the demon was coming free and looked up as it pulled from her head and upper back. It was muscular and powerful and it grinned at him. "Too late, too late. I have already absorbed enough power to change and I will drain this urk."

Shikarou snatched up his sword and impaled the creature on the wall with it. It screamed and jerked at the blade before expiring noisily. "I see that the habit Oni have of talking too much exists here as well." He realized that he was still holding Kasumi down and pulled her nightdress back down before lifting her to sit on the edge of the table. She winced.

"Sorry. I forgot."

She raised an eyebrow. "You forgot you spanked me?"

"No, that I could never forget." He grinned as she turned pink. "I forgot that you might be sore."

Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for rescuing me. Everyone else was willing to wait for the demon to let me go." She released him and looked around with a frown. "What's that smell?"

"Decomposing demon. The kitchen will smell like it for a few hours until it's gone." He bobbed his head. "Would you like some tea?"

"Not with that smell."

"I have some tea in my tent, if you are willing to trust me."

"Are you going to spank me again?"

"Not unless you ask nicely." She turned even redder. He chuckled. "I'll be good."

"Then some tea sounds nice." She smoothed her nightdress. "Oh, my. Look at what I did to the tablecloth."

Shikarou glanced at the cutouts, which formed a chain of people. "I'll get you a new one."

She looked surprised. "I'd say you didn't have to, but I fear that's the only way we could afford a new one."

"I'll buy you a new one, whatever you want; if you don't tell your father I spanked you. I may have to stay here for a while if Ranma isn't around."

"I wasn't going to tell father anything except that you saved me." She followed him outside. "I think you are talking about the other Ranma, the poor lost one. He was here for a while, but then he left. He did say he would be back in about a month or so."

"I don't suppose he said where he was going?"

"No. He'd already visited his mother; only she's not, is she?" Kasumi shook her head. "It's all very confusing."

Shikarou frowned. "You know how there is this world and the spirit world and some say there is heaven and hell? There are also other places that are just as real as this one and some of them are very much like this one. Ranma comes from a different place that is very much like yours."

"He was accidentally brought to a third place and when the people there tried to send him home; they sent him here by mistake. I've been asked to find him and bring him back so they can send him to his proper home, where his people are."

He lifted the tent flap and motioned her inside. She stopped just inside the tent. "My, this is much larger on the inside. Magic?"

"That's correct." He smiled. "I was worried you'd be upset."

"I was just possessed by a demon and rescued by you. Right now there's little that you could do that would upset me."

He motioned at the table. "Please sit and I'll get the tea."

Kasumi shook her head. "The demon attacked me when I was alone. Can I go with you?"

"Sure." He led her into the kitchen and pointed at a chair as he grabbed a kettle.

She gingerly sat and looked around alertly. "This is very nice, but it's rather big for one man. You don't live here by yourself, do you? You've got a harem, like he does." It wasn't a question.

"I don't know if it's like his, but yes, I do have a harem." Shikarou dumped tea into the pot.

"Where are they?"

"Considering the situation and the fact that I didn't intend to get discovered as being a kami, my alpha and I thought it best to keep them hidden for another day or so."

He handed Kasumi a cup of tea and laid a plate of cookies on the counter next to her. "Thank you." She nibbled at a cookie. "This is very good."

"Helen made them. Please tell her that you liked them when you meet her."

Kasumi drank some tea and frowned. "You said this place is like here. Does that mean that the Kasumi in Ranma's harem is me?"

"She's the daughter of the Tendo Soun of the third world, not Ranma's and while she may bear the same name, she is not you. We call the different people analogs and that Kasumi analog has had a very different life than you have. So has her sister Nabiki and the rest." His ears flicked. "However, it is very likely that there is a Kasumi analog on his world, along with the rest of the Tendo family. I wonder if he's thought about what that might mean, considering that there have been agreements between the Tendo's and the Saotome's on two of the three worlds."

"That Kasumi is a Griffon and she gets to fight." Kasumi took a deep drink. "I don't do that. I take care of here." There was an odd tone in her voice.

"That Kasumi is a pokegirl. Did Ranma explain what that is?"

Kasumi nodded. "He tried, but I got the impression he has the same problems our Ranma has at expressing himself and when he was explaining, Akane was very upset about some of it, so he was hard to understand. She can get pretty loud when she's angry. She was also upset because the here Ranma spent time talking with the other Ranma's pokegirls and Akane is his fiancé."

"You are taking all of this remarkably well."

She smiled. "You are easy to understand. Why did you come here?"

"I was told that there was no one else who could rescue Ranma, at least not easily. There aren't that many dimensional travelers in the pokegirl world and none at all in Ranma's." He smiled slowly. "That's why I'm here to rescue a man I've never met along with his harem."

"You've never met him? It was very nice of you to come here." She cocked her head. "You rescued me. Do you make a habit of helping people you don't know?"

"Actually, after I rescue them, I often find they are like you, people very much worth knowing. If I didn't rescue people, I wouldn't get to meet them, which would be my loss."

She nodded. "Do you think I could meet your harem?" She cast her eyes down and hesitated before continuing in a small voice. "It would be nice to have someone like you to talk to who is also a woman."

Shikarou nodded. "I understand there are a lot of things you can't discuss with me." She jumped when he summoned his pack to him but remained quiet after it appeared. He pulled a pokeball from it. "This is a pokeball. It is a storage device for pokegirls and works by translating them into an energy state for containment. I don't think Ranma came here with any of them."

Kasumi smiled. "I don't understand."

"Pokegirls can be stored in here. I'm going to let one out; there will be a red light." He activated the pokeball and released Branwyn. "Kasumi, this is Branwyn, a Unicorn pokegirl and my alpha. Branwyn, this is Kasumi Tendo, from this world."

Branwyn bowed as Shikarou had shown her. "I am Branwyn," she said in heavily accented Japanese. "Shikarou is teaching me how to burp," she paused and Kasumi giggled, "talk in Japanese, but I am not very good yet. Sometimes I don't know the right word."

Kasumi smiled. "You are doing well and I'm sure you'll improve in no time."

Branwyn returned the smile. "I hope so." She turned to Shikarou. "How long?"

"Only a day. Kasumi would like to meet the harem. Any suggestions? I do want her to meet Helen. Oh, and we may be here for a couple of months."

She cocked her head. "Helen, Elizabeth, Circe, Yushiko and Dorothea are my choices. Helen and Circe are the only ones that look significantly nonhuman but you specifically wanted Helen and I want Circe available so we can use dreamtime to finish teaching everyone Japanese. After that, we'll start rotating them into and out of storage."

She frowned. "How hard is this illusion spell to learn?"

"It's quite easy."

"Good. Everyone who can will learn it and so you can get your guard back."

Shikarou nodded and pulled another pokeball from his pack. "Kasumi, this is Helen's pokeball. Helen is a Milktit and doesn't look very human so I wanted to let you know I was going to release her before I did so."

Kasumi nodded. "Thank you." She looked interestedly at the Milktit as she appeared. "My."

Helen glanced at Kasumi and then at Branwyn. "We have a new harem member?" she asked in Japanese.

Branwyn smiled. "No, this is Kasumi Tendo and she's a human from this world."

Helen smiled. "Greetings, Kasumi. I'm Helen."

Kasumi returned it. "I wanted to compliment you on your cookies. They're very good. I was wondering if I could get the recipe."

Helen suddenly looked shy. "You liked it? I don't think there would be a problem with you getting the recipe." She looked at Shikarou. "Is that ok?"

"It's your recipe to do with as you please." Shikarou reflected that he needed to improve Helen's interpersonal skills outside the harem. She'd gotten used to interacting with people at Caomh Sith, but remained shy around strangers. Maybe working at the Tendo home would be good practice for her. "I'm sure the two of you could teach each other a lot, maybe, if Kasumi is willing, you could work with her."

He frowned at another thought. Maybe bringing her a battered and bloody Ruiling would help her more. This would bear thinking on.

The Milktit looked pleased at his words. "Thank you!" She turned to Kasumi. "Could I?"

Kasumi smiled. "I would love your help."

In short order she'd been introduced to Circe, Dorothea, Yushiko and Elizabeth. Shikarou didn't discuss the various pokegirl species in detail with Kasumi since he wasn't sure how a psychic type with telepathy or a Vampire would be taken. They were all friendly to Kasumi and she was polite back.

The meeting broke up when he noticed Kasumi fighting to stay awake. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about the time." He gave her an apologetic smiled. "Can I walk you back to the house?"

Branwyn shot him a look. "She'd dead on her feet. Yushiko, pick her up and we'll put her in the guest room."

Kasumi protested a little but was quickly bustled off. When Branwyn returned, Shikarou had moved to the living area and was seated at the table while Helen worked in the kitchen preparing some beverages for the harem. The Milktit brought out some drinks and sat when Branwyn motioned to her.

The Unicorn settled down next to Shikarou. "Explain why you were alone in our home with a strange human woman who had a bruised bum and you without an illusion spell." Ears pricked and pokegirls leaned forward interestedly.

Shikarou gave them a brief description about what had happened since he arrived at the dojo. There was laughter when he described how he spanked the demon out of Kasumi.

Helen chuckled. "That explains the bruise. You have got find someplace other than tables for your fun." Everyone other than Branwyn looked puzzled for a moment.

Circe twitched an antenna. "Does this mean we are stuck here waiting for Ranma to show up whenever?"

"We are going to remain here, but I want Dorothea or Pythia out all of the time and I want you and Pythia," as he turned his attention to his Seraph, "trying to locate Rei or Usagi."

Dorothea looked thoughtful. "I'll see what I can do, my lord, but I fear that may be far less than what thou thinks I can accomplish for thee."

"Do what you can. Aggie is monitoring the television and radio networks for any news that might be him or his harem and I want us to get newspapers and magazines on a regular basis for the same purpose."

Elizabeth made a face. "So this is the grand adventure? Newspapers and magazines?"

"I never said it would be either grand or an adventure. On the other hand, while picking up the magazines and such I also would like everyone to be shopping for other things, like movies and music. We have an opportunity to get shows, books and songs that were lost during the Fall and let's make the most of it."

Yushiko smiled. "And if we pick up catalogs we can have Selene make us new clothes when we return."

Helen glanced at Elizabeth and noted her expression at that thought. "I don't think everyone wants to wait that long."

"Then we'll buy some clothes too." He smiled. "Maybe you'll get lucky and find some cosplay stores."

"What's that?"

He grinned. "Find out." Elizabeth perked up at the idea of a quest and rubbed her hands together.

Shikarou turned to Branwyn. "It's very early morning right now. We need to get some rest so as to be awake when everyone else is."

Branwyn nodded. "Everyone to bed. What about you?"

"I've got a few things to take care of so I'll be staying up." He shrugged. "There's a dead demon to clean up and if the skeleton doesn't fall apart I'll be collecting it. Even such a puny demon should have some magical properties in its bones and waste not, want not."

He frowned. "There's one more thing. Everyone will either have to have an illusion of clothing or actually wear clothes. I'd prefer the latter. The local mores are such that it is necessary around the house or if anyone goes out."

Branwyn nodded. "I'll break the news to Pythia and Kebi. Marzia will be more of a problem as she categorically refuses to wear clothing."

"Give her the option. If she refuses then she may stay in stasis while we are staying here."

"That works. I'll tell everyone to wear clothes unless they are in the bath or in their own rooms in case we have visitors."

"Thank you, Branwyn."

"So my Kasumi tells me that you killed the demon last night after it left her and that the threat is over." Soun was seated at the breakfast table with Genma and Shikarou. "She also says that Helen is a Milk, er a Milk, um, she's a pokegirl and part of your harem?"

"She's very impressive!" Genma still looked a little shell-shocked from meeting Helen this morning. While she was wearing a very demure dress, it couldn't hide the fact that she was an animorph with a muzzle, horns and a tail and did very little to hide her tremendous breasts. Genma had stared at her bosom and stuttered a greeting.

Shikarou smiled. "She's a Milktit." Soun winced and Genma flushed darkly. "She wanted to help Kasumi with breakfast and since your daughter is still a bit weak from the possession, Kasumi said she'd be happy for the help. They do seem to be working well together."

A shadow appeared in the doorway. It was Kasumi with a tray and she was closely followed by Helen, who had the breakfast dishes. The Milktit started putting out the dishes while Kasumi spoke. "The demon dying in the kitchen made some of the food smell odd, but I found some cereal for breakfast that seems fine." She put down the box of cereal and a pitcher of milk. "When I go shopping today, I'll replace what we have to throw out." Shikarou picked up the box and looked it over.

Soun was staring at Helen's bust. "That will be fine, Kasumi."

"Shikarou?" He looked up. "If we could, I'd like to replace that tablecloth today."

He nodded as he returned to reading the cereal box. "All right. Just let me know when you want to go out." He turned to Soun. "I understand the priest is having some trouble removing the barrier spell he put on the gate."

Soun watched Helen's ass as she disappeared. "What? Oh, yes. He's working on it right now."

Shikarou pushed to his feet. "I'll see if he needs some help."

Soun blinked. "You don't want any cereal?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I've read the ingredient list and there are too many preservatives for me. Please don't be insulted, I can eat preservatives but I haven't in almost a year and I want to work up to them slowly."

Soun nodded absently. "Very well." He picked up his newspaper as Shikarou headed to the front of the complex.

The priest was standing and muttering angrily at the gate. Shikarou nodded to him. "Good morning, are you having problems?"

He got an annoyed glare in response. "I appear to have used the wrong glue on these wards and I can't take them down."

"What kind of glue did you use?"

"It's supposed to last for three hundred years."

Shikarou looked startled. "That's impressive. So the wards aren't coming down anytime soon."

"Obviously not."

"This could be a problem since we don't have enough genetic diversity or room to set up a farming experiment. May I try?"

The priest's eyebrows went up. "If I can't take them down, you certainly cannot, but go ahead."

Shikarou summoned his sword and struck, using the tip of the katana to carve an X across the first ward and slicing the paper into triangles. The sheet of paper burst into flames and was gone. "Who said anything about taking them down?" He repeated the process on the second barrier spell. "All done."

The priest tried to look pleased but failed. "Very good. Well, I'll be on my way." He scurried through the gate and down the street as Shikarou thanked his sword and it faded away.

Ranma stuck his head out a window. "What'd ya have to do that for, now I gotta go to school." He pulled his head back inside as Shikarou heard Akane's angry voice calling her fiancé down to breakfast.

"Eventually we would have run out of food and been down to eating visitors," Shikarou muttered. "Bloody pup."

A few hours later he was walking with Kasumi as they headed to get the groceries and a new tablecloth. Branwyn had taken Elizabeth, Dorothea, and Yushiko shopping for stuff for the harem as well as newspapers while Circe was hovering several hundred meters above her Tamer and Helen had nipped off to the tent for a workout and some rest.

"Shikarou, we may have a problem." Kasumi gave him a slightly worried look. "One of the reasons the other Ranma decided to leave for a while was because," she looked slightly embarrassed, "I explained to him that we couldn't afford to feed his women all of the time. And there was the other thing." She looked away and flushed slightly.

He could guess. "The tamings, or as it is still called here, the sex?"

Her blush deepened. "Yes," she said in a barely audible voice. "Akane was very upset when she found out and the first time she thought it was our Ranma. She's thought he was a pervert for a while and when she came across him with, well she has quite the temper."

"How did she take Helen? If our presence is going to be that much of a disruption, then I can move the tent off your property."

"Helen was in the kitchen and none of the children met her this morning." She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "They're usually running late and today wasn't an exception. They ate and ran off for school."

"And Nabiki?"

She looked puzzled for an instant. "No matter what my sister thinks, she's in school and is still a child. I was speaking about all three of them."

"Oh. Sorry."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Why, are you interested in Nabiki? Akane is the only one of us with a fiancé."

He snorted. "While I guess I didn't think of Nabiki as a child, she's definitely not a grown woman, no matter how worldly she tries to be." He frowned. "And if it's any help, we will provide most of our food and I'll pay for anything of yours that we use."

Kasumi smiled. "That will be a pleasant change. All of our other guests are," she paused and looked thoughtful for a moment, "non-contributors to the household finances and between the food and the repairs, they can be quite considerable."

He snickered and she gave him another curious look. "What is it?"

"I've been told what the other Ranma said about his father and if this Genma is anything like that, he's a bone idle layabout who breaks out in a rash at the word work and falls over in a faint if there's actually any that needs to be done. Outside of martial arts, that is."

Kasumi had started laughing and continued to do so until she lost her breath and had to lean against a lamppost until she got it back. "That's a mean way to describe Saotome-san." Her eyes sparkled. "Accurate, but mean."

"Well, I won't be like that. I have money and I intend to spend it on the Tendo family while I'm staying on their property."

"Don't tell Nabiki you said that or she'll want you to take her shopping," Kasumi warned him softly.

"I said I'd spend my money on the Tendo family. I suspect buying Nabiki clothes doesn't benefit the rest of you, no matter how she might see it."

"Good."

Kasumi watched Shikarou out of the corner of her eye as they headed back home. He had a fifty pound bag of rice draped over his shoulders and carried two heavy baskets without any obvious strain. They weren't talking, just walking along in a comfortable silence and she appreciated that. It was one of the reasons she tended to shop alone.

Shopping for the daily groceries was the one chance she had to get away from the house. It gave her an opportunity to center her soul as well as to prepare for the calamities that seemed to be endlessly striking her family since her mother had died. It had gotten progressively worse since arrival of the Saotome family and she needed some quiet time on a regular basis to remain calm.

Nabiki was always conniving to get any change and endlessly speculating on whom she could get money from next. If Akane and Ranma were along with her, it was as if she was watching a running battle.

She supposed it was good that they would get the fighting out of the way before they married, but is was so tiring to have to listen to them go on like that all of the time.

Of course, she didn't usually have to put up with Ranma and Akane for long, either one or the other would leave in a huff and the remaining one would either go after the first or stomp around and grumble for the rest of the trip.

She didn't care for those trips either, so usually she'd change her normal path to go by someplace that sold fast food before going anywhere else and then she'd give them a little money and not have to see them again that day until dinnertime. It meant that she'd have to haggle a little harder for some of the items she needed, but she thought the cost a pittance compared to the peaceful day she received in return.

Shikarou had been quiet the whole trip and he hadn't tried to interfere with her shopping, merely paying for whatever she'd gotten and taking the items before she could say anything. He'd even wandered away while she was looking over replacement tablecloths, although he'd vetoed the first one she'd picked and sent her back for a more expensive linen one that he claimed would last longer. He was right, but the cotton would have been almost as good.

And then Shampoo had shown up.

There were several reasons that Kasumi didn't like Shampoo very much. The first was, of course, that she was Chinese. The second was that she was a Chinese Amazon. These things weren't Shampoo's fault and Kasumi, as a modern woman, was willing to overlook them.

However, there was the fact that Shampoo came into her house without ringing and waiting to be admitted, the fact that she often destroyed parts of the home during her visits and the fact that she routinely tried to kill, embarrass or otherwise harm her sister Akane and steal Akane's fiancé, Ranma. These things Kasumi had more trouble putting aside.

The fact that she rode her bicycle around with little regard to pedestrians was just another sign of her arrogance and disrespect for others.

Today Shampoo had been weaving her way through the pedestrians and nearly running more than one of them down when she saw Kasumi and Shikarou and came screeching to a halt.

She glared at Shikarou. "Who you?" she asked imperiously. Kasumi recognized the glint in her eye that hinted the Amazon was looking for a fight.

Kasumi decided to try to keep things civil. "Good morning, Shampoo. This is Shikarou and he's a guest at home. Shikarou, this is Shampoo, an Amazon."

Kasumi felt her heart sink as Shampoo turned to Shikarou with a smile that belied the aggressive way she spoke to him. It hadn't worked.

"Why you there? You there for Akane, no? You take her and go now, leave Ranma for Shampoo."

Shikarou smiled pleasantly. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, I'm not here for Akane. Sorry."

Shampoo's eyes narrowed. "So why you here?"

His smile grew. "Kasumi was nice enough to take me shopping and let me see a little of the area."

Shampoo stamped a foot. "No! Why you stay at dojo?"

"I'm afraid that's personal." His smile vanished. "Good day."

He started to step around Shampoo but she turned her bike to block his passage. She had a smile that said she'd found her victim. "You answer question."

He gave the same pleasant smile, but Kasumi could feel that it was somehow no longer friendly. "No." She lunged for him and he hopped back and hit her with a sleep spell. The Amazon toppled over along with the bike and a wet stain spread from the wooden box on the rear of the vehicle across the ground and into Shampoo's clothes and hair.

He sighed and straightened his kimono. "I'm sorry for that Kasumi. Shall we continue on?"

"I would like that," Kasumi replied and off they went.

About an hour later, Shikarou had bought them some yogurt drinks and Kasumi had to visit the bathroom. She was coming out when she saw Shampoo and her great grandmother, Cologne, drop from a rooftop to confront Shikarou. Kasumi sighed and moved to stand near him.

Cologne's eyes flicked over her and dismissed her presence as Shampoo pointed to Shikarou and angrily yelled, "That one who pull sneaky trick on Shampoo."

Cologne smiled and rattled off something in Chinese, apparently aiming her words at Shikarou.

Shampoo looked shocked. "Him no speak Chinese!"

Shikarou smiled and replied in Japanese. "I don't believe Kasumi speaks Chinese and it would be impolite to carry on a conversation in it in front of her. I hope you speak Japanese."

Cologne looked surprised and glanced again at Kasumi, this time with an appraising look to it. "I asked why you attacked my granddaughter."

Shikarou nodded. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard your name and I know it would be very rude of me to call you what I use in the silence of my mind. I am Shikarou, which you probably got from the guards at your gate. And you are? Or would you like me to call you a midget on a stick?"

Shampoo turned white and then red suffused her features and she suddenly looked furious. "You no speak to grandmother that way."

Kasumi cocked her head curiously. His words were friendly and his tone was friendly, but there was an undercurrent hinting that this conversation was over if Cologne didn't answer.

The way Cologne's eyes narrowed suggested that she'd heard it too. "I am Cologne and I am the leader of Joketsuzoku. Shampoo is my granddaughter and Ranma's husband. Why did you attack her?"

"I didn't. She attacked me. I merely reacted and put her to sleep."

"You didn't fight her?" Cologne looked curious.

"You said something cryptic when we first met about your girls needing a husband and maybe I could beat one of them. Those statements made me think that fighting an Amazon is a bad idea unless I'm ready for marriage to one." He shrugged. "So I didn't fight Shampoo."

Cologne looked impressed. "You're smarter than the average Japanese too. It's too bad Shampoo is already married to Ranma, she might do better with you."

"I'm not interested in her."

Shampoo bristled.

Cologne's eyes crinkled with humor. "Now you've gone and made her mad. I guess you will have to fight her after all and we'll finally get to see just how good you are." Shampoo went into a crouch and began to advance.

"Remember how I surprised you last time? Get ready for that feeling again." He winked at Kasumi. "Circe, would you please handle this for me?"

Kasumi's eyes went wide as someone spoke to them, but not in her ears. _It would be my pleasure. I know, no killing._

There was a snapping noise and a nearby power cable for a shop ripped itself free and proceeded to hogtie Shampoo. She screamed with fury until part of her blouse stuffed itself in her mouth_. _

_ I'm starting to understand why you don't want to kill them. Humiliation is much more fun._

Cologne stared in astonishment as Shikarou sketched a bow in her direction. "Another day, perhaps?" He picked up the basket with the stuff they'd gotten so far. "I think we should be going on with the shopping, don't you?"

Kasumi gave him a big smile. "Yes, I do."

They were almost home when he paused and put the baskets down before shrugging his shoulders and catching the bag of rice. He laid it gently down next to the baskets, turned and gave the startled Kasumi a formal bow. "I am very sorry for what happened today. I was hoping for a quiet shopping expedition and I think my presence is the reason that it didn't happen."

Kasumi smiled. "Shikarou, compared to what I often have to put up with, that was a quiet trip. Thank you for coming along and carrying all of that for me."

He gave her an odd look. "It was no trouble and I had a good time." He picked up the stuff again and they headed home.

When they were unloading the supplies, Kasumi turned to him. "I know you've already given us so much, but could I ask for Helen's help in the kitchen while you are here? She's nice to talk to and she knows so many interesting stories about your world."

He nodded. "If Helen wants to do it, then I won't interfere. If she doesn't, then she won't."

"Thank you, I'll ask her myself." Kasumi went back to unpacking.

Circe headed down the hallway of the dojo. She was supposed to meet Shikarou in the training hall for some last minute instructions before her Tamer headed out on his now daily shopping trip with Kasumi. She was also hoping for a quickie before they left and was reminiscing about that when something smashed through the roof and landed in front of her. A voice cried out, "I'm back everyone!" She got a quick impression of a wizened, almost hairless dwarf in a red gi before its eyes widened. "Heaven, I'm in heaven! Come to me, my pretties!" It launched itself at Circe and rubbed itself against her chest while making happy noises.

The Alaka-Wham's eyes narrowed and she used her telekinesis to peel the dwarf from her body and held it a few feet from her. "Do I know you?"

It gibbered and frothed. "Give me my pretties!" It was spitting on her so she turned it to face away from her and headed back to the residence, sending a message to Shikarou as she did. _I've been attacked by a red cockroach. _Her antennae twitched._ Its name is Happosai. I think it belongs to Soun or Genma, it's thinking about them rescuing it from me._ Pause. _But not my tits. It wants my tits._

_I'll be right there._

Circe walked into the dining area with Happosai hovering in front of her and looked at the two men playing chess. "Does this belong to you?" Her voice was frosty.

"Genma, Soun, tell her to release me right now or I'm going to get angry." Happosai folded his arms and looked furious. Circe thought it merely looked petulant. He twisted around to glare at Circe. "You don't want to see me when I'm angry."

She raised an eyebrow. "You groped me, you little cockroach. I don't want to see you at all."

Genma turned white. "Master! I didn't know you'd returned!" Soun swayed and collapsed backwards in a dead faint. Circe noticed that one eye opened just a bit so he could see the unfolding events.

"Cockroach! Woman, er," he froze for a second as her antennae slowly moved, "whatever you are, I am the master of the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. You will release me this instant!"

Circe looked down at herself. She was wearing overalls and there was a nasty stain where Happosai had drooled on the fabric constraining her massive breasts. "You stained my clothes! Do you have any idea just how hard it is to find something that fits me?" Her eyes narrowed. "This had better come out or I'll fix you."

"You cannot harm me!" Happosai spat in her direction. "I know what you are. I see that misbegotten other Ranma has returned. Where is the freak who won't share all his lovelies with me?"

Circe's mouth thinned dangerously. "My Tamer is not a freak!" Happosai suddenly sailed out into the yard and hovered over the koi pond. "You will apologize this instant!"

"Never!"

Circe shoved him two feet under the water and held him there. Happosai thrashed for a few minutes in froth of bubbles which slowly started to subside. Suddenly Soun stood next to her. "Do it! Finish him!"

Genma danced in front of the pond. "Die you old bastard!"

Shikarou touched her shoulder. _Let him up._

_He called you a freak. I grow tired of these impertinent humans. First the incident with Shampoo and now this thing insults you. Perhaps they will show a little respect for you after this._

Shikarou shook his head slowly. _We do not have the right to kill him for insulting me. I'm pleased you've become so protective, but in this case it's misplaced. Drop him next to the pool._ He gave her a wry grin. _We can always kill him later if it becomes necessary._

Circe looked into his eyes and nodded. Happosai's limp form lifted out of the water and dropped to the ground at the edge of the pool. "What now?"

"Kasumi can wait. Let's go to the tent and I'll do horrible things to you."

She gave him a quick grin. "Promise?"

"Promise." The two of them turned away, ignoring the suddenly horrified Soun and Genma as their master began to stir.

Happosai puffed on his pipe. "Your pokegirls should be more respectful of me."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "You shouldn't go groping them, although I really can't stop that. They can defend themselves and you'll only get what you deserve. I have issued them instructions not to kill you; anything else is fair game since you will be starting these altercations. However, if you hurt one of them in your little games, I will get involved and the rules will change."

The tiny master gave him an amused look. "You seem to think that should worry me."

He received a serene smile in return. "I do seem to think that."

Happosai scowled. "I don't care who you are, I'm not worried about you."

"It's probably best if you don't." Shikarou pulled a bottle from his pack and glanced around the rooftop they'd adjourned to for this discussion. "Sake?"

"Thank you." Happosai took a long pull from the bottle. "Ah." He clutched the bottle to his chest and puffed contentedly on his pipe. "That's much better."

Shikarou pulled a much smaller bottle from his pack and held it up. Happosai peered curiously at it. "And what is that?"

"Antidote." He nodded toward the bottle in the master's lap. "For the lethal poison in the sake."

Happosai turned pale. "You're joking, right?" Suddenly sweat appeared on his forehead and he clutched at his chest as fire began to grow inside it.

"I don't lie. There is a lethal poison in that sake and you've ingested it. You should be feeling the effects right now." He offered the bottle. "Here."

Happosai gulped it down and tossed the sake bottle several streets away to shatter against the street. His color slowly returned and his chest pain faded away.

He stared at Shikarou as the kami spoke quietly. "Now this was just an example. If you hurt one of my pokegirls I will not give you challenge, I will not let you know what is coming. I will just kill you without warning. I may remove your head with my sword from the shadows or I may put a poisoned pin in the shower cap you wear when you bathe." He rose and smoothed his kimono before picking up his backpack. "I leave it up to you to decide if you should be concerned about that."

Kasumi stepped out on the porch where Shikarou, Genma, Soun and Happosai were sitting. Genma and Soun were playing chess and Shikarou was letting Happosai beat him at cards. It wasn't hard; he'd never been good at them. "Shikarou, may I ask a favor of you?"

He put his cards down and pushed a pile of yen at the little letch. "You win." Happosai crooned happily to the money as he gathered it up.

Shikarou slid to his feet. "Of course you may. What is it?"

"Akane left in such a hurry that she forgot some of her homework. She called and asked if I could bring it by and I was wondering if you would run this errand for me."

He smiled. "It sounds better than having to watch Happosai take more of my money."

The little man grinned. "Come back when you want your education furthered, but bring more money."

Shikarou rolled his eyes. "So where is the school?"

A little while later he looked the place over as he approached it. Furinken High School was a very nice looking school with old trees that were obviously well cared for and a well maintained building.

He could see students all over the place; it looked like it was lunchtime or there was some kind of break going on. It was going to be difficult to find an individual girl at this time.

Fortunately Akane knew someone was coming and was waiting near the gate. She waved to get his attention. "Shikarou!" He chuckled and changed direction.

"Oh, thank you for this." She gave him a merry smile as he handed her the homework. "I would have been in so much trouble without this."

"It was no trouble, Akane, and actually gave me a reason to travel in this direction. Cities aren't this big where I come from."

Akane's expression hardened as she looked behind him and a voice asked in a singsong: "What knave is this that allows the fair maiden Akane's name to fall sullied from his lips?"

Shikarou sighed and didn't turn to see who'd spoken. "I don't suppose he's a friend of yours?"

Akane shook her head. "Nope." She raised her voice. "Hello, Kuno. Shikarou was just bringing me my homework."

Something hard poked him in the back of the head. "And just what relationship do you have with the virtuous Akane that allows you to handle her homework? Turn and face me, knave."

Shikarou gave Akane a bland look and turned around to face a young man in a blue kimono. He was holding a bokkuto in one hand. "I am Shikarou and I happen to be staying at the Tendo dojo for a brief time. Akane's sister, Kasumi, asked me to bring her homework to her."

The man's cheeks reddened. "You stay in the home of the fair Akane?" His eyes began to bulge. "You dare!"

"Actually, I don't. I have a tent that her father has allowed me to set on the edge of his property and I stay there."

Kuno frowned and the growing rage faded. "Oh? Nothing more?"

"No. Akane is a very pretty young lady and very nice too, but she's already betrothed and my pursuit of her would end in failure." Shikarou watched Akane flush with pleasure at his words. "So I do not even make the attempt."

"That is very wise of you." Kuno declared pompously. "Chasing the fair Akane would be foolish for one such as you. You are far too old for one such as her."

"If that's what you say."

"Indeed it is." Kuno said dismissively and turned away.

Akane sighed. "He's such a jerk."

"Jackass."

"What?" Akane looked shocked.

"He's an arrogant jackass."

"You can't say things like that!"

He gave her a quick grin. "I'm old, remember, I can say adult things and that young man is an arrogant jackass."

Akane stared helplessly at him for a minute and suddenly dissolved into giggles.

Elizabeth grumbled to herself as she slipped the straps of her dress over her shoulders. "All I wanted was a drink of something that wasn't blood and I made an honest mistake when I confused Helen's raw milk with the cooked. It could have happened to anyone."

She pulled the dress down around her waist and reached for the bottle she'd brought over with her. "And Branwyn makes me clean the training hall over here at the Tendo house just because I gave her some of it. It's not like I'm not oozing milk too." She began expressing the milk into the bottle. "And she's forbidden me to go to Shikarou for help with my problem. Bitch. I know she's going to him for relief, why can't I do it too?"

She didn't see the tiny eye staring at her from a hole in the ceiling.

Happosai quivered with joy as he watched the black haired woman squirting milk from her breasts into a bottle. This was much better than watching Akane bathe. His breathing sped up and his mouth began to salivate as he watched her. Ooh, he could almost taste her milk and it was almost too much to bear. He whimpered quietly as she finished up and got dressed again.

Elizabeth checked the level of the bottle. "You should be good for one more time. I'll see you in three hours." She tucked it under some blankets and let herself out of the changing room

The little man lifted the loose board and dropped easily into the room. He grabbed the bottle from its hiding place and danced for joy before sitting down to his feast. All too soon it was gone and he sighed before secreting it back where he'd found it.

He grinned. "I'll see you in three hours myself, when you hold more precious elixir. Shh, it'll be our little secret." Silently, he crept out again.

Three hours later Elizabeth was back and, of course, so was he.

Happosai trembled with delight as he watched her strip to the waist and dig out the bottle.

She looked at it and frowned. "What the hell?" She glanced around and shook her head. "This is too weird."

The letch froze and cursed silently as Elizabeth put the bottle down before beginning the process of tucking herself back into her dress. "No," he whispered. "Don't do it."

His prayers were to no avail and as he watched her tucking the second glorious breast into her clothes, he suddenly jumped up and ripped the board away before dropping into her arms and fastening his mouth around her still exposed nipple.

Elizabeth reacted automatically to the intruder, lifting him and the breast he refused to let go, sinking her fangs into his shoulder and tearing viciously with all of her enhanced strength.

Shikarou was in the kitchen and talking with Kasumi and Helen while they worked on dinner when they heard the thin scream. The conversation died as the noise quickly grew louder and suddenly Happosai came wailing by, blood pouring from his shoulder. He vanished into the living area and they heard Genma's and Soun's cries of alarm.

Shikarou raced the other way, following the trail of blood to its beginning. There he found Elizabeth doubled over and retching uncontrollably. He grabbed her and she panicked, struggling to get away. "Elizabeth, it's me. Your lover."

She froze. "Shikarou?" Sanity returned to her eyes and suddenly she was in his arms. "Oh, it was that horrid little man. I bit him and he tastes just so foul." Tears heated his chest. "I feel so bad, my stomach hurts so much."

He pulled her to the ground with him and settled her into his lap before rubbing her lips against his neck. "Take what you need."

She took a deep breath of his scent and slowly relaxed. "Shikarou." She kissed his neck and bit, taking small sips of his blood and pausing with each one to savor his flavor. His eyes closed as her arms crept around him and she shifted in his lap until she was straddling his waist.

After a bit, she moaned softly and began to rub herself against his kimono, slowly at first but gradually increasing speed until she ground herself against his crotch and shuddered as she came.

She lifted her head. "You healed." Her head sank back down and she bit him again as her hands pulled up her dress to her waist and reached between them to open his kimono.

Freeing him, she raised herself up slightly and rubbed his head against her wetness before slowly sinking down again, impaling herself on him. She hissed with pleasure against his neck and bit him again, drinking deeply as she began to slowly ride him.

Her moans became louder as she slowly lifted herself almost off of him before dropping down and once more trapping him inside her. "Oh, kami," she whispered against him. Suddenly her body quivered and she threw her head back. Shikarou grabbed her and pulled her forward by the hair, trapping her cry of pleasure against his shoulder.

His eyes slowly opened as Elizabeth began to ride him once more and then widened in shock when he saw Kasumi standing frozen in the room, her eyes wide and her hands twisted in her apron as she stared at them.

He smiled softly. "Please, close the door on your way out." Kasumi jumped as if stung and flushed scarlet before almost dashing out of the changing room and sliding the door shut as Elizabeth began moaning once again.

"So did you talk to Kasumi after that?" Branwyn cocked her head and refilled his tea.

"I tried to, but she told Helen that she wasn't feeling good and went to her room to lie down. I figured that meant she didn't want to be disturbed by me."

"That's probably a wise decision." She nodded. "And Happosai?"

"I healed his arm, but he's still wandering around and whining a lot."

"So, he's normal." The Unicorn picked up her tea and leaned back. "And you brought Elizabeth here, where Candace has determined that she's going to be fine."

She glanced at him. "I was wondering how much trouble Happosai was going to be. Are you aware that there is an analog of him on our world?"

"Yes, but I don't know any details."

"Fiend is too good a word for him." She sighed and leaned against her Tamer. "Happosai is a living embodiment of the worst elements of a Tamer. He was so bad that after he was betrayed by Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo, he was locked away for life without any chance of parole."

"He'd been wanted alive or dead and other than him, only Mephaesta was so despised." She shook her head gently. "In fact, after he escaped again, his death sentence was reinstated and he's the only human on the planet a pokegirl can legally kill without any warning or punishment."

"My."

"Yes, and this one seems to be cut from the same cloth. He didn't cause Elizabeth any physical damage, but you do know that he frightened her very much. What are you going to do about it?"

"I only said I would kill him if he hurt one of you, and technically he didn't violate that proscription." Shikarou sighed. "I'll be more specific if we have to deal with the one on Ranma's world."

"So, technically I shouldn't kill him out of hand." He frowned. "I have to do something, though, or Elizabeth will feel unloved." His frown became a snarl. "And if I don't do something soon, not too long in the future I will look into his smiling face and tear it from his skull."

"You have a plan." It wasn't a question.

"I do, but it depends on whether or not Elizabeth wants to help me get him for what he's done."

"As long as she doesn't have to bite him again, she will," Branwyn responded confidently.

Happosai looked up from his breakfast and blanched as Shikarou and Elizabeth settled at the table. Shikarou smiled pleasantly. "Morning."

Elizabeth leaned over and peered into Happosai's eyes before sitting up and nudging her Tamer. "They're bloodshot. It could be the first symptom."

Akane looked over at the letch and surreptitiously eased away from him. Elizabeth grinned. "Don't worry; it's not contagious at this stage."

"This stage?" Happosai's voice rose and wavered slightly. "What is she talking about, Shikarou?"

He sighed and glanced over at the Vampire. "Should we tell him?"

She smiled. "He brought it on himself, but yes, I think so, before he becomes a threat to others."

Shikarou nodded. "Why don't you tell him?"

"Ok." She gave Happosai an evil smile. "I infected you and you're going to become a Vampire, like me."

Worry appeared on his face and he turned slightly green. "What do you mean?"

Elizabeth grinned. "You'll have to drink blood and you'll be able to fly and walk through walls and even become a bat. You'll be able to become invisible and drain the energy of your enemies."

Happosai's worry vanished. "Wow. That's wonderful. Will sunlight kill me?"

"Oh, no. You won't like it a lot, but if you are careful it should only prove a minor inconvenience."

The little man grinned. "All right. I'll be even more powerful than I am now!"

Elizabeth nodded. "That's right."

Akane looked disgusted. "That's horrible, now he'll be an even worse pervert."

Happosai chuckled evilly. "That's right my dear Akane, and you, Ranma, might want to reconsider that bra."

"Not in a million years, you old man."

Shikarou chuckled. "If Happosai becomes a Vampire your girl side will be perfectly safe, Ranma, and so will you, Akane."

Happosai glared. "Ha! That just goes to show you don't know everything."

"Elizabeth, you forgot to tell him something."

"Oh, did I?" She looked thoughtful for a second. "Oh, you're right. How could I forget that?"

Happosai grinned. "This is perfect! Nothing could be better!"

Elizabeth gave him a broad smile. "There's one more thing, the process of making you a Vampire will make you a girl first. There are no boy Vampires and while you'll still be a pervert, now you'll chase males like Genma and Soun."

Happosai turned chalk white and abruptly he wailed like a damned soul.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 57

DragonQueen Bellona 52

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 48

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Mini-Top Nanu 41

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Saotome, Ranma

Age: 17

Residence: Unknown

Region: Earth

Status: Active

Rank: NA

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Griffon Kasumi 40

Herochan Shampoo 37

Cheshire Nabiki 35

Angel Rei 29

Megami Usagi 27

Mareen Rain 25

Alpha Nabiki

Beta Kasumi


	30. Chapter 30

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 30

"Have we done something to offend you?"

Kasumi looked over at Helen. "Of course not." She smiled happily. "I like having you here in the kitchen. It's very nice."

Helen didn't smile back. "And Shikarou?"

Kasumi looked away. "He's done nothing wrong."

The Milktit was quiet for a time. "Many if not most pokegirls equate affection with sex."

"I said he didn't do anything wrong." Kasumi's voice was flat.

"Yes, you did say that. However, right or wrong, are you angry at him for what he did?"

"No, I'm not." Kasumi looked back at Helen, who had stopped working and was watching her with those intelligent brown eyes. "Yes, I am."

Helen nodded. "You don't know why you are angry, do you?"

Kasumi let her breath out in a hiss. "I thought we had something special." She put down her knife. "I'm not sure anymore."

"Trust me, you do." She smiled when Kasumi's head whipped up. "Oh, I don't know exactly how he feels about you or how you might feel about him, but you are the only person he spends any real time with here, outside of his harem, and that means something."

Kasumi frowned. "He spends time with Happosai too. I doubt that could mean 'something'."

Helen snorted. "Actually it does, but that is a case of keeping your enemies closer. He wants Happosai to trust him if it becomes necessary to do something permanent about him."

"He hasn't spent any time with me in the last few days."

"I suspect that would be because you've been avoiding him. He gives me the impression that he misses the time you two spent together."

Kasumi stared at the wall for a handful of seconds before giving her head a quick shake and picking up the knife again. "Maybe you're right."

"I am." Helen stuck out her tongue at Kasumi as she turned and glared at the Milktit.

Finally the Tendo woman smiled slowly. "He's not going to try to force me to do anything to resolve this, is he?"

"No, it's not his way. You'll either have to push yourself or find some way to let him know that you want to spend time with him again."

"I couldn't do that!" She looked shocked. "That wouldn't be proper for a woman of my station."

"All you have to do is ask him tomorrow if he's available to carry some heavy shopping for you. I'm sure you can find something heavy that you want to purchase. He'll understand."

Kasumi looked curious. "And what is it that he will understand from that request?"

"That everyone here is terribly proud and that you are in some ways the worst of the lot." Helen flicked an ear. "And he will understand that you can't say 'I'm sorry' very easily."

Kasumi stared helplessly at her for a minute and then sighed. "I've never had to. No one expects Kasumi to do anything wrong and when I do, they make excuses for me."

"That won't happen with him," Helen replied wryly.

"Father, I'm off to do the shopping." Kasumi looked over at where Shikarou was playing the dealer in a game of Cho-Han with Happosai. "Shikarou, I have some heavy items that I would like to purchase today, could you come along with me to carry them?"

He looked at her briefly with hooded eyes before nodding. "I will." He rose from the seiza position and reached for his shirt.

"But I was winning!" Happosai grumbled and looked around. "Genma, get over here."

"I have no money, master. You took it all last night."

"Soun. You have money."

Shikarou followed Kasumi out as he heard the head of the Tendo household start protesting. There was a quiet thump as Yushiko dropped off the roof and walked after them.

Kasumi's heart pounded as she worked up her courage before finally turning to him. "I'm sorry."

His eyes were unreadable as he looked at her calmly. Suddenly he smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I suspect that was very hard." His lips pursed. "And I'm not sure you have anything to be apologetic about. After all I did do something in your house that you might find objectionable."

"So why haven't you said anything?"

"You wanted privacy." He shrugged. "It's impolite to intrude on something like that where I come from, except in special cases. If you'd wanted an apology, I presume you would have let me know."

"What's it like where you come from?"

"That depends on which place you're asking about. I was born in a specific Japan but I grew up in Tirsul with my father and one of his wives. Later I returned to Japan and then, after my wife died, I ended up in the pokegirl world." A quick smile. "Now I'm here for a while."

"You were married?" She flushed slightly.

"Her name was Pallaius and we had two daughters." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "I'm married to Branwyn."

"Oh." They walked in silence for a while. "How many wives does your father have?"

"I'm not sure. I personally know six but I know of several more."

She looked stunned. "That's a lot of wives. How does he take care of them all?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Carefully. I understand he does a lot of time traveling to ensure nobody feels left out. I can tell you that the ones I know seem happy for the most part."

"Who's your favorite?"

"Magdalene. She's the one who raised me after my dam decided I was unworthy of her attention and the only one I regularly keep in touch with."

A thought struck her. "How old are you?"

"I'll be two hundred and fifty one this year."

She smiled suddenly. "Don't let Cologne know. She might want a date."

"I'll keep that firmly in mind."

They walked for a while longer before Kasumi casually asked another question. "What do you think of my family?"

He gave her a sharp look and her heart skipped a beat. "Would it help if I asked exactly what you are trying to find out?"

Yushiko snickered quietly. "Lord, she's interested in you."

Kasumi gave her an angry glance and sighed before saying in quiet voice, "I will be twenty one this year and I have a high school education with no prospects for marriage. It looks like the rest of my life will be spent being my father's surrogate wife. While not happy about the idea, I had become reconciled to it."

"My family has treated me adequately, but I've never been anything except a stand-in for my mother and I know she wouldn't want me to do that forever." Her voice hardened. "And then I was possessed by that demon. The one time I needed my family's help, really needed it, they refused." She lifted her head and stared unseeingly down the road. "That demon could have killed me or polluted my soul or body and my father, the man who claims to be willing to lay down his life for me, wouldn't bring himself to strike me so that I could be free. Such a small thing and instead he left me to the demon." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I fear I will never be free."

"And then a stranger entered the dojo and was attacked by my family, but even so he was willing to save me." She met his gaze. "My family wasn't willing to help me, but you were, even though you had to disobey my father to do so." She flushed. "And I remember what you said, about my rear. No one has paid me a compliment like that before, not one that noticed that I'm not a little girl. I know you didn't mean it that way, but when someone is never noticed, even the little compliments are important."

Shikarou frowned. "I don't think you'd be happy on our world."

Suddenly she yelled, "I am not happy now!" Her voice echoed off the walls around them and faded away. She continued in a normal voice. "I doubt I'd be less happy there than I am here."

He contemplated her for a long moment. "Do you have any survival skills?" Yushiko gasped. "Lord, she's a human!" He glanced at her and she bowed her head abruptly.

"I know some martial arts and I'm willing to learn more." Her eyes widened. "The demon told me I was magically adept. That's why it wanted to stay inside me so long."

Shikarou exchanged a glance with Yushiko and quickly cast a spell. A small globe appeared in his hand. "Tell me what you see."

She glanced into it. "I see you. Actually it looks like a black wolf, but it feels like you."

When Shikarou stared at her she flinched. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all. The demon was right and in fact you show great promise. You have the potential to be one of the great mages."

Her eyes lit with excitement. "Me? But I'm nobody."

"Maybe right now, but I'm going to be starting a school of magic in the near future and if you live up to your potential you'll probably be a teacher there or maybe the headmistress." He smiled. "That is, if you would be interested."

"Interested? This is wonderful!" She hugged him. Suddenly she let him go and stepped back, her face flaming. "Um, yes, I would be interested." Her eyes dimmed abruptly. "I can't do it."

Shikarou shook his head. "There is a way."

Her eyes widened. A gleam of something tiny appeared. Hope. "Yes, but how?"

He cut her off. "I know. You need to understand that I've had my illusion magic up since your possession was broken, so you haven't really had a chance to see what I look like."

"But why is that important?"

"My genes are dominant."

"Oh." She was silent for a minute. "Your children are like you."

"Yes. They will be kami. Can you live with that?"

Kasumi looked at him. "I remember what you look like. Maybe you should start looking like that again."

Shikarou broke his illusions and she looked him up and down. A slight smile appeared on her face. An impish one. "Shall we finish the shopping?"

He flicked an ear. "If you'd like."

"People will stare," she warned him.

"So?"

"What is this?"

Shampoo looked up from where she was sitting. It was between lunch and dinner and the café was quiet. "What you talking about, Grandmother?"

"Come look. It's your friend, Shikarou."

The Amazon's eyes narrowed as she joined her grandmother at the window. "Him no friend. Him too coward to fight Shampoo."

Cologne glanced back at her great granddaughter and gave a mental sigh. Shampoo was a great fighter and hard worker. It was a good thing life didn't demand much more from her because she was ill equipped for anything else.

"What funny things on his head?"

"Those are his ears, Shampoo." Cologne kept herself from rolling her eyes. "I wonder why they are like that."

Shampoo sneered. "Him look like dogboy. Maybe him go to Jusenkyo and fall in part way." She chuckled at her joke as she watched Shikarou and Kasumi go into a pastry shop across the street.

"It doesn't work like that." Cologne snatched up her stick. "I don't like mysteries and that man has already given me too many. Come, granddaughter."

Kasumi had been excited to eat here since she'd never been able to justify coming here by herself and had been surprised when Shikarou suggested it. He'd let her order for him, the menu ran heavily to sweets and this gave her the chance to try two things instead of one. He didn't really care what he ate, whatever it was would be low in protein and high in carbohydrates. He preferred his food to be the other way around.

He looked up when Cologne and Shampoo stopped in front of their table. "Thanks but I think we'd get our food faster if we ordered from the people who work here." Kasumi fought a smile and raised her hand to hide it when she lost.

"You no speak to grandmother that way!"

His ears flicked. "I'm not the one interrupting your snack, am I?"

Cologne smiled at him. "We were just passing by and thought we'd stop and say hello."

"Hello. I'm still not going to fight any Amazons."

"What do you have against my people?"

"Nothing and I want to keep it that way." He shook his head. "I'm sure they are great at being Amazons, but other than you, my research doesn't indicate a lot of scholarly bent in their mental makeup." He glanced at Shampoo. "It takes more than looks to catch my attention, much less keep it."

Shampoo gave Kasumi a derisive look. "Shampoo sees that." Kasumi turned pink.

Shikarou sighed. "You can't really be that stupid." He glanced at Cologne. "Can she?" His ears flicked when she gave a tiny shrug. "Fine, you may have just managed to get what you want." He slid to his feet. "I may have to step outside, Kasumi, but I'll be back just as soon as I can."

Cologne grinned. "If you beat Shampoo, you have to marry an Amazon."

Shikarou's look was scathing. "Cologne, you can't order me to do shit. I'm not an Amazon and I don't accept that your laws apply to me." He transferred his gaze to Shampoo. "Apologize to Kasumi." Under his breath he cast the first spell.

"No. She ugly."

"I'm not Ranma. Last chance. Otherwise, I will reveal your beauty to the world."

Both Shampoo and Cologne looked puzzled at that, but the young Amazon quickly regained her normal belligerence. "You fight Shampoo, Shampoo fix you good."

He released the spell. The seams of the young Amazon's clothing split apart and her clothes fell away as the welds and fastenings on her weapons broke, leaving her nude and weaponless. She gave a loud screech and ran out the door.

He bowed to Cologne. "And, once again, I didn't fight Shampoo." He snickered. "Who would have guessed she is a natural purple."

She stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am Shikarou."

"That tells me nothing!"

"Yes, I know. Good day." He settled down in his chair again. "Oh, my patience with your granddaughter is just about reached its end. I wouldn't let her come back in here to fight me today."

"What will you do if she does?" Cologne managed do sound curious and belligerent at the same time.

He sighed. "Something." His ears went flat. "You two can insult me all day long and I'll ignore you or laugh in your face. However, when she started in on Kasumi, she crossed a line that I will not allow."

Cologne cocked her head. "What will you do?"

"There's that question again. I think your needle is stuck."

Yushiko put her hand on his shoulder. "My lord will do nothing. I will beat her within an inch of her life."

Cologne drew herself to her full height. It was less than impressive. "Who are you?"

"I am Urufu Yushiko and I am an Armsmistress."

Cologne blinked. "What is that?"

Yushiko smiled. "Your granddaughter is about to find out."

"No killing."

"I will try, lord, but humans are so fragile."

Cologne barked a laugh at Yushiko's words. "It is you who is in for a surprise."

Yushiko grinned. "We'll see." She touched her katana and looked out the window. "Here she comes. As my lord said a moment ago, this is your last chance."

"I will not stop her." Cologne stared at Shikarou. "So proxy to proxy we meet."

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Kasumi."

She touched the back of his hand. "Beat her thoroughly. She's nothing more than an arrogant hussy."

"Very well. You heard the lady, Yushiko. Thrash her."

Shampoo smashed through the door to the restaurant with a mace clutched in each hand. "Where dogboy!"

Yushiko hit her in the chest with meteor punch, blasting her across the street and through the front of the Cat Café in a spray of rock and mortar. "Wrong opponent, bitch." She stepped into the street as Cologne's jaw dropped. "You're not fighting my Tamer yet, you have to get through me first." She tossed her cloak to the side and her armor gleamed in the sun.

The Armsmistress' ruby wings shimmered into existence as Shampoo kicked the rubble that had been the front of the shop out of her way. The feather shuriken attack blasted the Amazon back into the interior of the shop. Suddenly the roof sagged as Shampoo smashed through several support posts. "Oops."

Shikarou looked at the stunned Cologne. "Well? I think your shop may not survive this if it goes much longer and Yushiko hasn't even warmed up yet."

A mace flew out of the café and Yushiko stepped aside, drew her sword, cut the mace in two and sheathed her weapon in one blurring move. Shampoo came hurtling out of the café and hammered Yushiko with her remaining mace. Yushiko rocked back from the blow and spun, her roundhouse kick taking Shampoo in the side and smashing her sideways. The Armsmistress glanced back at her Tamer. "I'll grant she's tough, but an Amazonchan would beat her four times out of five." She stepped up to Shampoo as she started to push herself upright and drew her sword. She placed the point against the back of Shampoo's skull. "Stay down. Get up and I'll start carving bits off your big titted carcass."

Cologne pushed past Shikarou. "Enough. Shampoo!"

Yushiko glanced at her Tamer and at his nod stepped back and sheathed her sword. Her wings faded and vanished. She chuckled briefly. "And I'll beat an Amazonchan nine times out of ten." She picked up her cloak and swirled it into place.

He sniffed the air. "Yushiko, go behind the café and turn off the gas." She nodded and ran into the wreckage that had been the Cat Café.

Kasumi touched his shoulder. Her eyes glittered with satisfaction as she looked Shampoo over. "It's about time," she whispered. "Maybe next time she'll ring the bell before letting herself in."

Shikarou kneeled next to Shampoo and cast a healing spell on her. She blinked as the magic coursed through her body and took a deep breath before looking up. "Why you help Shampoo?"

"Because neither you nor your grandmother are my enemies and the fight is over. I see no reason to leave you hurt."

Cologne tapped him on the back. "What about my café?"

He stood. "That's your problem. You aren't my enemy, but you brought this on yourself."

Kasumi came up and offered him the basket. "I don't think we are going to get our pastries any time soon," she announced primly. "We'll have to come back again tomorrow."

"As you wish." He turned to his Armsmistress. "That was nicely done, Yushiko. You didn't kill her and you kept the property damage to a minimum."

"Thank you, my lord. As always, I try to do as you will."

"No. I won't hear of it. Kasumi is not going to be wandering off to someplace far away for any reason." Soun shook his head violently.

Shikarou leaned forward but stopped when Kasumi touched his leg. "Father, why won't you allow this? Learning magic would bring great honor to the family." She frowned with a slightly vapid look. "You were willing to marry me to Ranma even when you didn't know he'd be staying here."

Soun looked around the room, at the ceiling, the walls, anything but at his eldest daughter as his mind raced. He didn't want Kasumi to leave because she took care of the house as his dead wife had before her. It was her job and she should be content in that role. He really didn't want Kasumi to leave because if she did, Akane would cook for them. However, he couldn't admit either of those reasons.

Fortunately, Kasumi had given him a perfectly valid reason to keep her here. "Yes, you are right, Kasumi; I would have been willing to let you go if you'd been married to Ranma. You would have been married and had a protector. That's different than this crazy idea. I can't let you go off by yourself."

Kasumi looked puzzled. "So if I was married to Ranma, it would be ok, but since I'm not married then you won't allow it."

Soun's chest swelled with relief. "That's right. If you were a married woman your husband could take you wherever he wanted, but you're not."

Kasumi's head dropped. "Yes, father." She rose gracefully. "I will do as you order, father." She turned and padded softly from the room.

Soun let out a long sigh and looked at Shikarou. "I don't care how good a mage she might be, she stays here. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Tendo-san. She is yours to command." Soun nodded his dismissal and Shikarou rose and left.

Shikarou hopped up onto the roof and looked at Dorothea as Ranma raced up as well. "What was all the tumult?"

"My lord, there was an intruder and when I approached to intercept her, she tried to poison me and I was forced to defend myself from her."

Ranma was poking at a handful of black petals that lay strewn all over the rooftop. "Kuno Kodachi." She glanced up. "She's a pest who wants to marry my guy type."

Shikarou laughed quietly. "Do you have any normal friends?" Ranma gave him an annoyed look.

Dorothea glanced at her Tamer. "I was mindful of thy injunction against hurting humans, so I used thunderbolt and whirlwind but I aimed to miss her." She gave him a rueful smile. "I am afraid I was a little too zealous and almost knocked her out." She flushed. "And then I forgot where we were and I hit her with a pokeball. It was of course, ineffective and she fled at that point. I believe that she took the pokeball with her."

Shikarou laughed again. "You did well, Dorothea."

Ranma was staring at him oddly. Shikarou raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

She shook her head suddenly. "Um, no." She hopped off the roof and disappeared inside.

"There goes a very strange individual."

"My lord, she is not strange, she is confused. Ranma is not really used to being female and this is the first time the girl type has seen thee without illusion." She smiled slightly. "You can be a little overwhelming."

He cocked an ear. "So, do you find me overwhelming?"

Dorothea moved to lean her shoulder against his. "My lord, in truth, I do. Thou are a presence that I am always aware of, even if I cannot see thee. My sisters feel the same, they know about thy presence if thou are close to them."

"Pythia says that a lot of it appears to be pheromonal in nature. She says that thou smell 'warm and yummy'." She flushed slightly in the moonlight. "In truth, each of us has something that carries thy scent and it brings us comfort."

"Is this where my clothes keep disappearing to?"

"It is, my lord. Whoever is laundress will put out some of thy clothes for the harem and they are exchanged for items in which thy scent has faded."

"It's nice to solve that little mystery." He chuckled. "I suppose it won't get my kimonos back any sooner but at least I know they're being held hostage for a good reason."

"Indeed they are." She slipped her arm through his. "When I first came to the harem I was unsure that thou would be a good Tamer for me, but I have come to understand that thou are indeed a good man, a selfless man who helps all around him regardless of their status."

Shikarou flushed. "No, I'm not. I'm just trying to make my way through the universe with as low a body count as possible."

She shook him gently. "Lord, thou have never turned down a true appeal for thy help, even if, like Kasumi, the person was unable to make the request. Thou have suffered harm and loss in each case and yet thou will gird thy loins to answer the next call. In many ways, lord, we are kindred spirits, and there is much that I have learned from thee about what help is important." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I am shamed to admit that I believed that only the truly world spanning evils were suitable for challenge, but I now understand that if the small evils are checked, the truly awful evil will be checked in the doing, keeping it from harming many more than it would if allowed to grow."

Shikarou shook his head. "I'm not like that. I kill at the drop of a hat. Sometimes even before that."

"Thou are indeed ruthless and cold when thou thinks it necessary, but thou are warm and loving to thy friends and generous to those in need." She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Perhaps thou do kill much more quickly than I would, but I cannot fault thee for thy choices of who should die." She lifted her head and gave him a frown. "Sometimes I have to review the after action recordings to actually agree with thee but still, I do."

"So, why do you think that Svetlana put you in my harem?"

The Seraph's eyes twinkled. "No Celestial would understand thee without knowing thee intimately, but in that intimacy they would be lost. The other Celestials see us Seraphs as single minded and easily guided, but in truth they are as prone to self deception as we."

"Well, there is that whole grand crusade thing your species tends to go on." He frowned. "Why haven't you done that?"

"I have, my lord. I have seen what Pythia sees and I agree with her that this threat is world spanning in its capacity for violence and destruction and I am working with her to ensure that thou are ready for what must come."

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"No, my lord, it is forbidden. I can tell thee that without thy aid, the Blue League would become a sinkhole devouring happiness and joy and eventually life itself. This would eventually spread to the rest of the world, consuming both the good and the evil without pause until nothing living remained."

"My, what a pretty picture you paint."

"It is thy job and ours with thee to stop this event from taking place."

"Do we live through it?"

"I do not know, my lord. That information is closed to me and, I suspect, Pythia as well." She looked down. "Someone approaches the main gate."

Shikarou and his Seraph watched as a small group of people came up and one of them rang the bell, waited a few seconds, and rang it again. A light came on in Kasumi's room.

Dorothea tightened her grip on his arm. "Do thou think that they are here because of what I have done this night?"

"No, I can hear their tone from here and the mutterings sound more fearful than angry."

"Do thou wish to approach and determine their desires?" Dorothea watched his face carefully.

"It's not my house." Shikarou sighed. "However, let's change vantage points in case someone heads for the tent." He swept her legs out from under her and lifted. "You can keep me company."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as he ran for the rear of the property.

Shikarou smashed into the rock wall of the arena and bounced forward to land on his feet. The cracks around the impact point began to shrink as the magic of the room instituted repair procedures. He grinned and rushed forward.

A moment later, Ranma Saotome crashed into almost the same spot and slid to the ground. He groaned and picked himself up, shaking his head and spitting blood from his mouth. Once again the cracks began mending as he swayed for a second before trotting forward, raising his hands to a ready position.

In the stands, Akane leaned over to Branwyn. "Shikarou is very good. I've never seen Ranma have to work this hard."

The Unicorn nodded. "Your fiancé isn't bad either. We've had to work in teams to give Shikarou that much of a workout if we're using straight martial arts." She glanced at her timepiece. "Twenty four minutes of nonstop fighting. I think they've earned a good hot soak." She sat up straight as Circe's mind touched hers. _Soun Tendo would like to meet with Shikarou at his earliest convenience._ "Well, Ranma should at least get one." Akane looked at her curiously.

_Tell him twenty minutes._ "Hold!" Ranma and Shikarou disengaged at her yell. "Ranma, your father and Soun are back and Shikarou, Soun wants to meet with you as soon as you've cleaned up."

Soun and Genma had left with the townsfolk who'd disturbed them in the early morning hours and hadn't returned until now, which was late morning.

Shikarou stuck out his hand and Ranma grinned, took it, and threw Shikarou over his shoulder at the rock wall. His expression changed to shock as the kami didn't let go and used his momentum to throw Ranma ahead of him. The impulse stopped Shikarou's flight and Ranma smashed into the rock wall one last time.

Akane laughed evilly. "He deserved that." She put on a contrite look. "I should go and see to his injuries." She chuckled and headed down the steps into the arena proper.

Branwyn jumped down to the arena floor and trotted over to her Tamer as he stripped off his sodden tunic. "You might want to put that back on unless you want to annoy your opponent."

"Akane's seen chests before."

"Yes, but she's still watching yours and eventually Ranma will notice."

Shikarou took her arm. "Then whisk me off to the bath so I can clean up." His ears canted sideways. "I'll understand if you have to return and guide them out."

Branwyn snorted. "Elizabeth, show our guests out." The Vampire nodded as they vanished.

A short time later, Shikarou sipped tea with a tired and visibly rattled Tendo Soun. He frowned. "I am one of the local civic leaders here in Nerima and I am called upon when there is trouble that the local officials cannot handle without my help." He looked into his cup. "Last night they came to me because they'd found a corpse. You understand how unsettling that is."

Shikarou did. The dead, when not properly taken care of with Buddhist rites, were where vengeful spirits came from in Japanese society. "I do. From your expression, it was more than unusually unpleasant."

Tendo shuddered. "This is something I can't figure out and I'd like you to look at it and try to tell me what happened. There will be an autopsy, but they are holding the body for a brief time so I can bring in an expert." He fixed Shikarou with an unhappy look. "Will you do this for me?"

"I will. When can I see the body?"

"I'll send for a policeman to take you there right now." Soun rose to his feet. "I am in your debt for this."

Shikarou nodded. "Send for your policeman."

The coroner leaned against the cabinet and watched as the policeman led in Tendo's "expert". His private opinion of these outside experts was very low, but orders had come down based on the esteem in which the Tendo family was held. His private opinions were to remain private unless this expert screwed up by the numbers. He pushed away from the cabinet and gestured towards the sheet covered body. "There she is. The file is next to it."

Shikarou could almost feel the dislike pouring from this man in waves, but he wasn't here to make friends. "Are the recorders on?"

"Yes."

Shikarou nodded and pulled on some rubber gloves for show. He lifted the sheet and stripped it away.

The young woman was strangely flat and looked obscenely half-melted, bulging around the openings in her clothes. The coroner snorted in disgust as Shikarou poked an arm with his finger and watched it flex around his touch.

Shikarou wandered around the body, leaning close and looking intently as he did so, but careful not to touch anything. "Her valuables weren't taken, were they?"

"No." The coroner's sneer deepened. "What do you think killed her?"

"She died of suffocation." The coroner blinked at Shikarou's statement. "Her bones have been removed without disturbing the rest of the body and you can't breathe if you can't expand your ribcage." He looked up. "Bloodwork may show no calcium in her system at all."

The coroner took a deep breath. "We haven't gotten the bloodwork back yet. What could have done this?"

"It was probably either a demon or a vengeful spirit. If it was a demon there may be a puncture wound somewhere, I'd suggest checking down the throat or inside the anus or vagina if it's not external."

"Why would there be a puncture?"

"Demons often need the symbolism of being able to suck things out of the body to perform this kind of act. If they don't have the right extractive body parts then a demon would usually fillet the body to get the bones."

"And a vengeful spirit?"

"She would suck the bones out through the skin." Shikarou sniffed the body. His tongue gave her cheek a tiny lick. Too many people had handled it. "When the next body is discovered it would be helpful if I went to the crime scene before it's moved."

"You think there will be another killing?"

"A creature like this will continue to hunt until it is stopped. If it's a demon, it either needs the calcium to survive or to reproduce. If this is the first body, it's just getting started."

"What if it's a spirit? How can we tell the difference?"

"If all the bodies have something in common, it's likely they were taken by a vengeful spirit. Unfortunately, we won't know what the commonality is and it could be something behavioral or situational instead of physical. The best way to tell will be a surviving witness. A dead one will be almost as good, but I'd prefer living, even if eyewitnesses are unreliable." He glanced up. "I presume the authorities aren't equipped to combat either. I'm staying at the Tendo dojo."

Pythia put down her chopsticks. "What do you think is behind the attack?" Conversation at the dinner table ground to a halt as pokegirls turned to listen.

"I suspect a demon did this. I've seen this kind of attack before." He glanced around and raised his voice. "Gather round." Members of the harem jumped up and settled down around him.

Stardust sat down on one side and Circe on the other. Each of them took his hand as he started to speak. Their antennae waved gently as they began feed the memories his words stirred up into the assembled pokegirls.

"It was while I was serving the Empress. There had been a report of some mysterious deaths in a village and I happened to be in the region and was ordered to investigate."

The kirin landed easily and looked over his shoulder at the rider. "The night comes and I must return to the palace before sundown."

Shikarou slid off his back and grabbed his pack. "I know. I won't be able to call you for a week. We've only been doing this for a decade."

"You always remember. Some of the other guardsmen aren't as bright as you so I've gotten into the habit of reminding everyone." The kirin snorted and blew snot. It just barely missed Shikarou, who glared.

"That's not an amusing habit, either." He dropped his pack and grabbed his studded leather armor from where it rode on the back of the saddle. He shrugged it on and waited for the familiar chilly-clammy feeling to pass as it warmed up. "Go on, Dobbin."

The kirin favored him with an unfriendly look. "I still say that sounds like an insult."

Shikarou grinned as he shrugged into his pack. "I still say nothing." He watched the kirin launch into the air and do a lazy circle. "Fuck!" He leaped out of the way and ran, dodging as the kirin pissed and tried to hit him with the stream. Eventually, the creature ran dry and flew off laughing.

"Horses. Give them magic powers and they're still dumber than what they excrete." Shikarou did one last check to ensure he was urine free and hopped into the tallest tree around to check the area.

Nothing. The village was several miles away and far from sight. He dropped to the ground and ran, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his face as he hit his stride. He raced through the underbrush and laughed as he jumped over a startled deer. Just because, he turned back and jumped over her a couple more times as she ran before returning to his previous course.

A mile from the village, he changed direction and headed up the highest ground he could find where he jumped into another tree for a look at where the trouble was supposed to be.

He sobered as he looked over the village. It was midday and the fields were empty and the chimneys spewed no smoke. The wind was blowing between him and the village, so he couldn't smell anything wrong. Dropping down, he circled downwind of the village.

He was mildly surprised not to smell the reek of blood, but the familiar stench of death filled his nostrils. Death and something else. Something that made his ears go flat and caused his lips to pull back from his teeth in a soundless snarl.

He thought briefly about stealth, but decided on another path. Moving around to the road, he headed into the village at walk, singing a bawdy song about an indiscrete wife and her encounter with a friendly tanuki.

He'd reached the part about how the tanuki had convinced the woman to swim with him and was busy filling her with righteous indignation (and something else) against her lazy husband when he came across the first body.

It reminded him of nothing more than a boned chicken wearing a kimono. He leaned down and pushed on the face. It was like squeezing an overripe plum.

His ears rotated as he sank to one knee. Nothing. This village was inhabited only by the dead and if they were all like this one, gruesome dead indeed.

Then he heard the scrape of claws against porcelain coming from behind him. He whirled and hopped backwards in one motion.

It was a good thirty feet long and its many legs made the first impression one of a gigantic centipede. A second look showed the fanged maw and the green glow emanating from the body as it scuttled towards him. It arched a stinger over its back and hissed as it advanced. Shikarou jumped onto a nearby roof and watched it come. "That's it, come get your meal." He crouched down and backed up as, without losing speed, it began to climb the wall.

When the head appeared above the roof, Shikarou drew his sword and struck in one fluid motion. Mouthparts flew in an arc away from the demon in a spray of yellow ichor. He took one step forward and struck again, carving deep into the demon's head. It hissed again and backpedaled. Another step, another strike. The top of the head toppled off and the creature went into convulsions.

Pain exploded through his right shoulder and immediately something felt wrong. Shikarou screamed and threw himself forward and off the stinger of the second demon, falling on top of the dying one. He rolled underneath it as he controlled the pain. The second demon stabbed again, this time piercing its mate.

Shikarou ran. A glance at his right shoulder showed it partially deflated and a check showed the arm refused to work. He sheathed his sword as he ran and glanced back. The demon was consuming what it could from its mate, who shriveled like plastic in the blast of a blowtorch. He ran faster.

His shoulder settled into a throbbing which told him that the healing had begun. He skidded to a stop and turned to see that the creature was now pursuing him. Not wanting to close until his shoulder healed. he headed out into the fields, bounding from dike to dike.

The creature slithered after him, making good headway with its multiple legs. As his shoulder started working, Shikarou angled back towards the village. This time, he kept alert as he jumped onto the nearest rooftop and leapt from one to the next and into the center of the village.

There he turned to face his pursuer. It eased into view, traveling at the same speed, one he suspected it could keep up for days. He cast lightning on it and watched the spell hit and get absorbed without effect. A fireball had the same effect, although a pall of smoke began to drift from the rice paddy it was in when he hit it.

He began to cast spells on himself. The first was haste. Others reinforced his armor and made him resistant to venom. When he was done, he advanced on the demon. It slowed and raised its stinger. Suddenly it struck.

Shikarou blurred to the side and amputated the stinger. The creature scuttled backwards and dropped its hindquarters before raising its head and heading towards him.

He stepped forward and it raised its regenerated stinger and attacked. With an oath, Shikarou bounded over the stinger and cut, slicing deeply in the creature's abdomen. He landed next to it and cut again. The creature hunched away from his attack and began to rotate its body to reach him. His sword blurred and yellow liquid sprayed in a fountain as he chopped the creature in half.

He stopped and wiped his eyes clear. The creature's halves moved and tried to crawl away. He began chopping off legs as he planned his next move.

To kill the creature, he ended up leveling a couple of houses and cremating the demon on a pyre built from the rubble. Then he burned the other creature and the bodies of the villagers.

Before he left the village, he swept it carefully, finding the monster's nest and almost fifty eggs, one for each dead villager. He smashed them and burned that hut as well.

His eyes opened and he looked around slowly as people began to stir. "That is what I faced. Hopefully whatever is here isn't that powerful." He rubbed his jaw slowly. "I'm older and more powerful now, so I may be able to more easily kill something like that, but I didn't enjoy finding an empty village and I don't want to do it again." He glanced at a smiling Dorothea. "Don't say a word." Her smiled grew and she winked.

"The creatures I faced were resistant to magic and immune to nonmagical weapons. Fire only affected them after they were sectioned and you saw how it absorbed my spells." He sighed. "A pair of those creatures here would kill everything they ran across and breed like lice."

"I don't know if the first creature was trying to bite me or if it was trying to get into position to use its stinger when I attacked it. The second only tried to stick me."

"If there is something out there like what I faced, it has to be destroyed. It sucked the bone from my shoulder in seconds. I don't want that to happen to any of you."

"If we face any creatures like those, only flying pokegirls will engage. Everyone else will evacuate to here and prepare to defend the walls if the creatures approach. They're not fast, but they are determined. The Tendos and the Saotomes will be your first priority, which means that anyone who stands and fights will have to deal with me afterwards if we survive."

"I don't know how well or even if your pokegirl techniques will work on them, but if the opportunity arises, give it a try. However, only use ranged attacks."

He pushed to his feet. "I will repeat this for the sake of clarity. The Tendos and the Saotomes are your first priority. The evacuation of noncombatants is your second. I am not one of your priorities. If I have to die to destroy this threat, then you will let me. Demons are not something to take lightly and I have not trained you in the ways to hunt them."

He glanced around. "And you will not join me in death. Your job is to protect the targets I have assigned and get word to Faelan if that becomes possible." He smiled slowly.

"I have reason to believe that whatever happens I will survive. I won't explain that statement, you'll just have to take me at my word. In any case, I do not intend to stuff myself down the creature's gullet and try to choke it to death from the inside. So there had better be no stupid heroics to try to save me. If one of you dies trying to save my life, I won't be able to kill you myself, but I will be very put out."

There was a low chuckle from Nanu. "We will, of course, only obey your orders as long as you stay out of trouble." Several pairs of eyes watched the conversation intently.

"She's right." Bellona touched his hair. "You are our paramount priority, no matter what you order." She shuddered. "I will not be given up to the next available Tamer. It doesn't help that there is only one person who knows what a Tamer is, other than you, and if he's like the Ranma we've met, I'll pass."

She smiled softly. "It is true that we are your pokegirls. And for once we have a Tamer we want. You." There was a growl of agreement. "You've allowed us to have a choice and we are not going to let you take that choice away from us. We fight with you or you don't fight."

Branwyn nodded. "We will live or die together. You made the mistake of making us a family. Now you have to live with it."

Shikarou threw up his hands. "Is anyone going to be reasonable?"

Stardust shook her head. "We will if you will."

He sighed. "So be it. I gave you choice and I can't take it back now just because it's inconvenient for me. If I could, I would."

Dorothea nodded. "So would we."

Two days later a second body turned up. The police believed they could handle it and didn't call the Tendo residence. The next day, another one was found. The body count had reached twelve when the local police chief became desperate enough to call on Tendo Soun.

Soun sent for Shikarou, who agreed to investigate the site of the latest attack. Branwyn went with him and Lorelei, Dorothea, Yushiko, Pythia and Circe flew patrols overhead, staying high enough to be hard to see. Yushiko and Dorothea stayed close to the other pokegirls in case a teleport deployment was required.

The latest body was in a small park. Another female, her hair was a bright fan that glinted in the morning sun. She wore a jogging suit which bulged and flattened as her corpse settled after her skeleton had been removed.

There weren't any new scents and the police had searched the area, destroying any marks that Shikarou could have used. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead, touching his tongue to her skin. Sitting up, he signaled that police could remove the body and turned to the files from the other deaths.

He flipped through each of them and then settled down for a more detailed perusal.

Aggie threw up an overlay on his vision. **Here is Nerima. Now watch as I plot the bodies chronologically, according to time of death instead of when the police found them. ** Flashing yellow dots appeared**. If you plot them as a group, the epicenter is here.** A series of lines appeared, connecting the deaths and radiating from a central point. The convergence was inside a building. **To their credit, the police searched this and found nothing.**

**Now watch. The first four deaths, plotted over time.** Four of the dots turned red and new lines radiated out. They converged on the bank of a pond, in a park. **The next six deaths.** Dots changed to blue and more lines appeared. These converged on a different park, near a pond. **The last two deaths.** These flashed green. Lines went out from them. **While a third death would probably give you a location, the first two calculated lairs were within six miles of the deaths associated with them. ** An area flashed cyan. This area has a park with a pond and is within the average range of the first two lairs. **All of the lairs should be checked for eggs or offspring. All of the deaths took place at night. Since it is early morning, it is likely that the creature is in its lair.**

Shikarou nodded. "Download that to my handheld." He looked at Branwyn, who was staring at him in shock. She'd heard Aggie over her twee. "Useful, isn't she?"

She shook off her astonishment and glanced up as she relayed information to Circe. "Are we taking the police?"

"I don't see where we have much choice. I think they'll be angrier if we don't take them then if we do and a bunch of them get eaten." He rubbed an ear. "The big problem will come when we tell them if they decide that we aren't going with them at all. Then a bunch of them get eaten, we get blamed somehow, and the creature probably moves again."

"What can we do?"

"It's not our city and it's not our world. We record every conversation with anyone to show exactly what's going on. That is just about all we can do, other than talking to Soun and hoping he can get us involved." His ears flicked halfway back and eased forward. "If we are disinvited to the party, then we'll set up surveillance and try to track the demon after it eats the police, as long as the police don't make it too hazardous for us to attempt."

"What would do that?"

"Helicopters and jet fighters sound like a very good reason to be circumspect. Woolgathering isn't going to get the job done. Let's go find the sergeant so I can argue with him about seeing the captain."

Shikarou looked out over the park and at the tiny lake in its center. "So this is the first lair."

"So what do you think the police are doing right now?"

He shrugged. "Circe reported that the soldiers with the flamethrowers haven't arrived yet, so I doubt they're going in."

Branwyn nodded. "Do you think flamethrowers will kill the demon?"

He flashed a grin. "I never had a flamethrower to experiment with. Some demons are vulnerable to extreme heat while others love it. Since I haven't seen this demon, I don't know. I guess the after action reports will tell."

He rose. "Follow the plan."

The Unicorn nodded. "Just like with the Widow, I'm your backup. Be careful."

Shikarou nodded and headed into the park with all senses at full alert. It was overcast and there were only a few people in the park. He was most concerned about a mother and her child who were floating a toy boat in the lake but so far the scene remained harmless.

Carefully he searched the park until he reached the lake. He sniffed and sneezed. There was an acrid odor coming from the lake itself, faint but distinct. _The creature may have laired in the lake itself. I'm going to have to go in._

Across the park Branwyn stiffened. _I can still retrieve you, but I won't be able to see you. Be very cautious, my love._

Shikarou waved at her in acknowledgment as he cast the water breathing spell. He summoned his sword and scabbard and tucked them into his belt before wading into the lake. The woman watched before grabbing up her child and the boat and fleeing.

The water was very clear and Shikarou began a careful exploration of the depths. He found the seven egg cases embedded in some brush that had probably been dumped to give fish some cover. _Have Circe contact the captain on the scene and tell him to look in the lake. Some hand grenades might chase the demon out or we could be invited to help._

He drew his sword and stabbed the closest egg. It split open and a greenish cloud spread in the water. It was very acidic and burned his nostrils when he breathed. Quickly he stabbed the other eggs, watching with a cheerful smile as they burst.

He hiked to the surface and looked at his wife as he dripped on the sidewalk. "Let's move on to the next lair and then I think that we will drop in on the police and see how they are faring against the demon."

"Um, they said they didn't want our help."

"I remember. I also remembered that I don't care."

Branwyn stopped in mid-step. "I see. Is there any reason for this sudden burst of memory?"

"They don't have any authority over me unless I let them. I've decided I'm not willing to do that."

She grinned suddenly. "All right! So we take on all comers?"

"That's what we do in the Blue League. Why stop just because we happen to be somewhere else. They're going to get massacred without our help and even though they are too stupid to realize it doesn't mean I'm going to let them have all the fun." He smiled. "I'm kami and they're not. Even though I'm no longer oath-bonded to the Empress, I still help if needed."

"Even if the humans don't want it?"

"Especially that."

Circe appeared and took his hand. "The army has arrived and taken over the scene. They're still deploying their units and aren't ready to face the demon."

"How are the police?"

"Grumpy." Circe looked at Branwyn. "See you in a few minutes." Branwyn nodded as they vanished.

They appeared next to the lake. Shikarou looked around as Circe vanished again to take up station at 1000 ft. He glanced around. The Japan Ground Self Defense Force had been the ground arm of the Japan Self Defense Force since the 1950s. Unit flashes identified these soldiers as members of one of the Special Forces units based here in Nerima.

A policeman saw him first. "You there, get away from there!"

Shikarou grinned. "No!"

"Come here!" The policeman waved imperiously.

He shook his head. "You come here! I'm done yelling!"

The policeman stormed over. "I gave you an order." He froze and stared at Shikarou's ears.

"I am kami and I am here to fight the demon that's in the lake." He smiled and the cop shuddered as fangs gleamed. "If you behave, I may let you help. Now why don't you tell your superior that I'm here and I'm proving uncooperative so someone else will take responsibility for dealing with me and you can go do something fun."

The policeman blinked and gave a shy smile. "That would be satisfactory to me." He turned and trotted off.

Shikarou watched the lake as he waited, glancing at the sun. "It's going to be dark in a little while. I want to face the demon in the sunlight if possible. Sometimes they become more powerful at night."

Branwyn's voice sounded in his ears. "How are you going to get it out of the water?"

"The eggs are pretty soft and a good shockwave should destroy them. That should piss it off."

A JGDSF major followed by two troopers came up. "You there!"

Shikarou flicked his ears. "You yelled?"

The major reddened. "You are in a proscribed area. You are under arrest."

"Don't you need a policeman to do that?" Shikarou shrugged. "In any case, no, I'm not. I am kami and I'm here to fight the demon. You will just get killed and it would be bad for your karma." He reached out a plucked a grenade from a soldier's battledress. "Ah, here's what I need." He snatched another one and flipped the pins out.

The major squawked and ran as he released the spoon on one grenade and tossed it into the center of the tiny lake. His troopers quickly gave chase. Two seconds later, the second grenade followed.

There was a muffled thump and the water in the lake shivered. Another thump was followed by bubbles rising to the surface.

Shikarou backed up and waited as non-coms suddenly started bellowing orders and he could hear weapons being charged. Summoning his power, he sank his teeth into his hand and poured blood into two distinct pools.

The water roiled and the demon vaulted onto the shore, bellowing in rage. It was about eight feet tall and was almost as broad again. It wore ancient samurai armor and daisho. His nose said that it was a she as she bellowed again and swung her gaze around the area. Her eyes lit on him and she cocked her head and froze. "You."

He frowned. "Me?"

"You are kami." She snarled and drew her weapons. "You seek to hide behind your mortals."

"That's an interesting interpretation of the situation since they are behind me." He summoned his sword. "You have killed mortals without cause and under the law you must stand judgment."

"There is no law." She grinned at him. "Join me and give me your seed. Our children will be powerful beyond imagining."

Shikarou heard a shrill snarl of anger and recognized Branwyn's voice. "I don't think my wife approves of you. Surrender."

"You do not have the power to stop me." She went into a crouch. "I will suck the bones from your body over and over before I let you die."

His eyes narrowed, however the formalities needed to be followed. "I am here to take your surrender or take your miserable life. You have offered me your life." He raised his hand. "I have touched you, smelled you and tasted you. You are mine and I command you to me."

The pools of blood erupted into vaporous black forms which quickly coalesced into the forms of women from the waist up and nebulous smoke from the waist down. One of them screamed fury at the demoness while the other swirled around behind her. She paled. "You control vengeful spirits? What are you?"

"I am Shikarou, kami of death. Kill her." The two vengeful spirits attacked at the same time he did.

The demoness fought valiantly but the outcome was never truly in doubt. Soon her head bounced across the sand and the spirits of the two women she had murdered claimed her soul and dissipated on the breeze.

Shikarou bent over and sucked air as Circe landed behind him. "Do you even need us?"

He straightened. "Of course I do. In our world, pokegirls fight, not Tamers. Well, not usually." He sent his sword away as some soldiers advanced. "Get her swords and scabbards. They're magical and I am claiming them."

The weapons leapt into Circe's arms. "For Yushiko?"

"No, I'm planning on having Yushiko's weapon's enchanted. I'm not sure who will end up with these."

A colonel stopped in front of him. "You are the expert Tendo Soun sent." He bowed. "Thank you, lord kami. We had snipers try to kill her during your duel and she never even noticed. Fighting her without you would have been a disaster."

Shikarou's ears went flat. "It's a good thing for you she didn't. I'd have been a little upset if you'd taken my kill."

A worried look crossed the colonel's face and vanished. "Well it didn't, so you have no reason to be angry."

Shikarou sighed and his ears went up. "The grenades should have finished off the eggs, if there were any; however you'll need to send down divers to make sure. I've already sanitized the other two lairs."

He stretched and in mid stretch cursed. "When did they get here?" He nodded towards some cameramen and reporters.

"They were here before the fight, lord kami." The colonel looked amused. "We got your whole victory on film."

"Fuck." He took Circe's hand. "Tent, please." They vanished.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 58

DragonQueen Bellona 52

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 50

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Mini-Top Nanu 41

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Saotome, Ranma

Age: 17

Residence: Unknown

Region: Earth

Status: Active

Rank: NA

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Griffon Kasumi 40

Herochan Shampoo 37

Cheshire Nabiki 35

Angel Rei 29

Megami Usagi 27

Mareen Rain 25

Alpha Nabiki

Beta Kasumi


	31. Chapter 31

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 31

"SHIKAROU!" There was a thump behind him on the roof. "Hey, Shikarou, didn't ya hear me call you?"

He turned his head. "I heard you, Ranma. I think they heard you on the other side of Tokyo, much less here. What do you want?"

"Tendo-san wants to talk to ya. He says it's important." A grin split his face. "Course, he always says that."

"What does he want now?" Shikarou rolled to his feet and sighed. "Just where is my host?"

"He's in the dojo. Oh, by the way, that was a nice fight with the demon. I saw the video that the news has this morning. It's pretty impressive, especially where you cut off her head."

"They showed the whole thing?"

"Yeah. It was incredible." Saotome grinned. "It made Akane turn green and leave the rest of her breakfast."

"You are welcome." Shikarou ran along the roof to the back of the house and dropped to the ground next to the covered walkway to the dojo.

Inside, Soun was accompanied by a handful of older men and one woman. Shikarou bowed to them. "Gentlemen. Lady." He focused on Soun. "Tendo-san, you wanted to see me?" He kept his ears carefully neutral.

"Shikarou, my friend," Tendo began expansively, "these are some of the leaders of our wonderful community and they are here to thank you for destroying the demon." All of the men bowed deeply to Shikarou, whose ears went flat and then pulled back up at the display.

The oldest bowed again. "I thank you, master kami, for saving us from the demon's depredations."

Shikarou gave a mental sigh and pulled himself up regally. "You are welcome," he intoned formally. "I have only done what was necessary, but I accept your gratitude with pleasure."

"Master Kami, we have brought gifts that we may reward you for what you have done."

Shikarou grimaced inside. He didn't want anything from these people, but to refuse the reward would be an insult. He flashed a grin. At least these days they would be unlikely to include a couple of slave girls in the rewards. While they were sometimes fun, it was probably for the best. He suspected that slaves would be difficult to justify with Branwyn. "While rewards are not what I sought in my confrontation with the demoness, I humbly accept them and thank you."

"Are you the Tendo family kami?" The question came from the only woman in the group.

Soun nodded frantically. "No, I am not. I am staying with the Tendo's for the time being, but my responsibilities will require me to move on sometime in the future." Soun suddenly looked crushed.

The woman nodded. "Soun has agreed to let us put your shrine on his property, is this acceptable to you as well?"

Shikarou gave Tendo a look that sent the man edging away from him. "I suppose that will be acceptable. However, I am a humble kami and deserve nothing more than a small shrine."

"We had thought to build you a shrine similar to the one that will be erected at the JGSDF base. Will that be acceptable?" To the side, Soun was nodding broadly.

"Yes, it will be." In Shikarou's opinion, shrines were for the worshippers, not the worshipped, but he was curious as to what kind of shrine would be built at the Japan Ground Self Defense Force base. He made a mental note to investigate further. _Circe, please come here._ "Please leave the reward in the hands of my steward." The Alaka-Wham appeared and nodded pleasantly to the assembled people. He bowed to them one last time. "I wish you a good day."

"Are thou angry at Soun?"

"Dorothea, when I finally get angry at someone, you'll know it. However, to answer the question you probably should have asked, yes, I'm trying to decide if Soun needs to learn to get by with just one kidney and no testicles. He's got a lot of other organs that are redundant and I'm considering his need for them as well."

"Is there any harm in shrines being set up to thee? Thou are a kami."

"I don't know. Having shrines on more than one world? I've never done that before. But what I really didn't like was Soun trying to make these people believe that I am the Tendo family spirit."

Pythia appeared in front of them. "I think you are going to want to see this." She pointed behind him.

Shikarou didn't turn. "Unless there's a pile of steaming organs with a tag identifying them as being Tendo Soun's, I don't care."

The G-Spliced chuckled. "Lorelei is in stasis to keep from freaking out Ranma and Dorothea is next to you. So who is the white winged pokegirl flying towards us from several miles away?"

Shikarou gave her a disbelieving stare and turned to look. White wings gleamed in the sun as the pokegirl banked and headed towards the Tendo dojo. Dorothea touched his arm. "That's an Angel." She summoned her wings and vaulted into the air, climbing powerfully to meet the oncoming Celestial.

"I'll tell Branwyn." Pythia vanished.

Shikarou looked around and rubbed an ear thoughtfully. "They've been leaving me unguarded more often since the fight with the demoness." He grinned. "I like that."

Dorothea led the Angel down to the roof where Shikarou waited. She landed heavily as the Seraph climbed and began a racetrack pattern overhead. Shikarou caught her as she started to collapse. _Branwyn, bring a healing potion and some food._ "Are you all right?"

Her voice was full of exhaustion. "Are you Shikarou?"

"I am."

"Ranma needs your help."

Branwyn appeared with Candace. The NurseJoy looked the Angel over quickly. "She doesn't need a potion, she needs sleep."

"There is no time. You must help us." The Angel struggled briefly. She was so tired that her wing buffets felt like he was being attacked by an angry pigeon that had wings made of pillows.

Shikarou tightened his grip until she relaxed against him. "I will." He looked at Candace. "I know you'd rather prescribe natural rest, but get me a Refresher potion."

She nodded and took Branwyn's hand. "We'll be right back." They vanished.

"Rei, I want you to just rest for a minute. I will do what I can to help Ranma."

She lifted her head. "You know me?" Eyes regarded him with faint curiosity.

Shikarou shook his head. "No, I was sent to find you. I do know Professor Stroak and he told me about you."

Branwyn appeared again with Candace. The NurseJoy shook her head. "Put her down gently." Shikarou carefully laid the Angel down on the roof and started to step back, but Rei clung to his hand with frantic strength. With his free hand he waved Dorothea down to join them.

"That's fine." Candace kneeled and applied the Refresher. When she was done she used her heal ability on Rei just to be sure.

"Thank you." Rei sat up slowly. "When can we leave?" Branwyn handed her a loaf of fresh bread and the Angel finally released Shikarou's hand before she tore into the food eagerly.

Shikarou frowned. "What kind of trouble is he in?"

She swallowed a chunk of bread and grabbed for the bottle of lemonade that the Unicorn held out. "He's in jail."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "I know that Angels are known for their brevity, but I need a little more to work with then that." His eyes flickered towards Branwyn. _You, Lorelei, Elizabeth, Yushiko, Pythia, Circe. Put Candace in a pokeball and bring her along. Also, get my pack and some more food from Helen. Bring everyone else out and leave Bellona in charge. Have her prepare to defend or run. Yes, I know they are mutually contradictory, but she can take steps for both._

Branwyn blew him a kiss and winked. _I'm on it._

She vanished as Rei gave him a glare. "Ranma's in jail and you need to rescue him. What more do you need to know?"

"A great deal. Knowledge is power. Why is he in jail?"

"Originally he was in jail for stealing some food for us. After Kasumi pulled the door off the jail cell, they locked him up for escaping."

"Where is he being held and how long has he been there?"

"Kunimi, Nagasaki on Kyushu. He's been there a week." She tore more bread off. "This is very good bread."

"When you meet Helen, please tell her that. Where is the rest of your harem?"

"We're living in a cave on Unzen Dake. Nabiki has been stealing some food for us to eat, but we're always hungry."

Shikarou thought quickly. He'd let his pokegirls out briefly at Shimonoseki when he'd arrived, so they could teleport that far and fly the rest of the way. That would leave a flight of about 150 kilometers or 93 miles. Pythia could cover that in less than ten minutes, but it would take Rei closer to an hour for the same trip. Still, they'd be there soon enough.

Branwyn appeared and handed him a collection of pokeballs. "Candace's pokeball is in your backpack." She offered him the pack and turned to Rei. "Where is your pokeball?"

"Ranma had all of our pokeballs, so the police have them now."

Shikarou turned to Dorothea. "I want you to help Bellona. If there's a problem, send Stardust."

The Seraph nodded. "We shall be ready for whatever thou require."

Shikarou nodded. "Rei, we are going to teleport most of the way and then fly the rest. I want to go to the mountain first and deliver some food for your harem. Only then can we go after Ranma."

The Angels wings wavered and vanished. She bobbed her head in a quick bow. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me until you're reunited with your Tamer."

Branwyn slipped her arm through Rei's. "Ladies first?" When Shikarou grinned and waved, they vanished. The Unicorn was back a moment later and took his hand. "She's worried that we won't help her." A shrug. "I peeked." She kissed his cheek. "Let's go prove her wrong."

They disappeared as Dorothea dismissed her wings and took up her watch once more. A smile appeared and vanished to be replaced by worry. "Take care, my heart."

Pythia hovered overhead as Rei landed. Lorelei flared and stalled, dropping Shikarou before folding her wings and landing easily next to her Tamer. Rei dismissed her wings. "Wait here." She strode into the cave entrance.

Shikarou turned to Lorelei. "We'll keep the initial meeting small, but I want to put out an incentive to talk to me. Keep an eye out."

She nodded and rubbed her cheek against his. "Now you bear my scent and this Kasumi will know you are mine."

"I'm not poaching any of Ranma's harem." Shikarou grimaced. "And one cat is more than enough."

Lorelei gave a rumbling purr. "Good." She folded her wings and flexed her claws before springing up onto a nearby rock. "Keep it that way."

Shikarou pulled out his wand and created several tables full of different types of food. He chuckled and waved the wand again. The breeze swirled and turned into the cave. "That should do it." He turned to the entrance just in time to see faces staring out at him. "I am Shikarou. Please, eat."

He dodged as pokegirls charged the table, almost being knocked sprawling by Kasumi. The Griffon grabbed a chunk of tuna and crammed it into her mouth. Her head swung around and she growled at the nearby kami as she ate.

Shikarou joined Lorelei on the rock. "They're starving and half feral. It seems less likely I'll get eaten here." She laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist as the two of them watched Ranma's pokegirls eat.

The Sphinx bumped her head against his. "I could eat you, but it wouldn't be exactly the kind of eating that you are thinking about."

"And that is a very good thing." They shared another laugh. "However, considering how long it's been since they've seen their Tamer, I expect that would just cause more problems."

When the noises began to die down, Shikarou shook his head. "It sounds safer now. Wish me luck."

Lorelei snorted. "Good hunting."

Shikarou laughed and dropped off the rock. "Nabiki?"

The Cheshire looked up. Grabbing another big piece of tuna, she smiled and nibbled on it before answering. "Rei says you are Shikarou and that Stroak sent you. Prove it." Her ears went flat. "Well?"

"I spoke to your father before coming here to get any information I could. He was very upset until I reassured him that I was not going to bring you back. Only then did he relax and tell me what I needed to know."

A very near human pokegirl barked a laugh and sprayed food all over a Mareen, who shoved her away. "Usagi, stop that."

The Megami got out a muffled "sorry," but kept chewing.

Nabiki grinned again. "Ok, you pass. Are you here to get Ranma out of jail?"

"Yes."

"What if they won't let him go?"

"I said I'd get him out. I didn't put any limitations on it."

A purple haired Herochan moved to stand with Nabiki. "If you lie to us, I will break you in two."

The pokegirls jumped when Lorelei roared a challenge. "We came here on your request so stop with the fucking threats!"

Shikarou chuckled. "She has a point. While I'm here to help you, I would really appreciate a little cooperation from you."

"You just want to tame us." The Mareen joined the conversation. "I've seen it before."

"Not from me. My harem keeps me busy enough as it is." Shikarou sighed. "If I wanted to catch you, I'd have deployed my harem and we wouldn't be talking." He rubbed his ears.

Usagi watched. "Are you really a kami?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then he's ok. A kami wouldn't do anything to hurt us."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "That's not completely true, but pretty close." His ears flicked. "It is, however, true in this case. So, where is this jail?"

The bored looking guard rattled keys in the lock and clattered the door to the cell open. "Saotome." Ranma looked up. "Out. You're being released. Follow me to property."

The young man kept his mouth shut at his good fortune and silently followed the guard. A strange looking man with wolf ears and a thick braid of ankle length hair was waiting there with the station captain.

The captain spoke cheerfully. "See, he looks well. We took very good care of him."

The man's eyes flicked over him and away. "Oh?"

The captain looked slightly nervous. "He was well treated. He's being released into your custody and as we agreed, you will take him far away from here."

That earned him an amused smile. "That is my intent."

Ranma was given a cardboard box with his stuff in it. His backpack had been lost when Usagi dropped it into the sea so he didn't receive anything else. Quickly, he filled his pockets.

The wolf eared man nodded to the chief. "Thank you. I know you are a very busy man and I don't want to take up any more of your time."

"No trouble, no trouble indeed, but yes, I do have things that I must do." He bowed as to a superior and hurriedly left.

The wolf eared man watched him go. "I am really going to have to get a copy of that video."

"Who are you?" Ranma asked bluntly.

The wolf eared man jerked his head at the door. "Outside. I don't want to talk in front of the guards and cameras." He sighed. "Especially not the cameras. Not again."

He led Ranma down a corridor and outside before turning into a grassy area scattered with a small handful of trees. "Here he is."

Ranma started to ask a question but was suddenly busy with an armful of Rei. The wolf eared man spoke briefly to a Japanese woman wearing a cloak and led her far enough away to give Ranma and his pokegirl an illusion of privacy.

It took a couple of minutes to convince Rei that he wasn't going to evaporate as well as convince her that taming next to the police station wasn't a good idea. Finally, he could ask her about the wolf eared man.

She rested her head against his chest. "That's Shikarou. He was sent by Stroak to find us."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She sighed happily. "Nabiki and I were getting some food and we saw him on television with an Alaka-Wham and so we knew he was a Tamer. The reporter said he was staying at the Tendo dojo so Nabiki sent me there to seek his help. Usagi said I would be safe and she was right."

Ranma nodded. "Let's find out what's going on." He led his Angel over to Shikarou and the woman. "Thank you for getting me released."

"You're welcome. I am Shikarou." He indicated the woman. "This is Yushiko."

"Saotome Ranma. Rei says you were sent by Professor Stroak?"

"Indirectly. He was contacted by an associate who believed you were sent to the wrong dimension. Stroak asked me to investigate and when it was discovered that he was right, I was asked to retrieve you so you could be sent to your proper home."

"How is the Professor?"

"He gets called on regularly to solve the problems of people who, if they bothered to exert themselves a little, could usually solve their own problems. He's rightfully testy about it." His lips curved in a smile. "However, Maryanne keeps him sane in spite of their efforts." The smile vanished. "We need to be getting you to the cave where your harem has been hiding. You'll need to pokeball them just about as soon as we arrive unless you want a taming orgy. I thought we'd spend a couple of days letting you get reacquainted with them before we returned to the Tendo dojo."

Ranma sighed. "Do we have to go there?"

"Yes. Half of my harem is there and I'd prefer not to leave them." His ears flicked. "And there are some people I'd like to say goodbye to."

"That little runt of theirs wouldn't keep his hands off my pokegirls and I was forbidden to bring Kasumi or Nabiki into the house," Ranma grumbled.

"I've got a Sphinx, so I understand. However, I've also got a very nice tent you can stay in." He grinned. "It's very nice and I think you'll like it. As for Happosai, I've learned he can be trained, even if it sometimes takes a bit of effort." _And if that proves problematic, he can always be killed._

"So, first to the cavern of pokegirls and then to Nerima."

Kasumi put the last of the breakfast down and settled down with her family. She glanced at her father. "It's odd to have two Ranma's here."

Genma grunted. "Yeah. I don't know which one to attack, I mean train."

"Him." Both Ranma's spoke at the same time and Akane giggled.

Shikarou was here because he'd been invited to breakfast everyday. Ranma had joined them for the chance at a second breakfast. He and his harem had quickly settled into the expansion Shikarou had set up in the tent and the pokegirls were busy luxuriating in not having to scrape for a meal. Ranma was enjoying the food and having clean clothes.

The kami was going to have a few choice words with Stroak and anyone else involved with sending Ranma here when he returned. The idea of giving him six more mouths to feed and no money to get him started was appalling, angering, sad and typical of those who live comfortably and don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Stroak may not deserve the lecture he was about to get, since he'd lived on a desert island for a while. The rest of them were going to get a bloody strip torn from their skin and if they got too obstreperous about it the event might go from figurative to literal.

Kasumi looked up curiously. "Is your home world like this one, Ranma?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I've got one of those annoying things, too." He nodded towards Genma. "Mine turns into a cat instead of a panda, though." The other Ranma turned green.

"Where were you when you went to Shikarou's world?"

"Pop dragged me to Jusenkyo. He'd heard all about how it was a wonderful place to train." He grimaced. "We ended up swimming to China as Pops didn't have any money. And, since he doesn't speak Chinese, we were kind of stuck while we were traveling. We were still there when I was taken away."

Genma colored and looked away as his son glared at him. "Gee, that sounds familiar."

Ranma frowned. "The funny thing is that just before I left, Pops said something about seeing his old friend again."

"Oh, my. Do you think there is a Tendo family there, too?" Her eyes widened. "I wonder if they are like us."

Ranma laughed. "I dunno. Guess it doesn't matter."

"Ranma, wasn't there an agreement between the Saotome-san and the Tendo-san of the pokegirl world about his daughters?"

"Yeah, that's how I ended up with my Kasumi and Nabiki." He shrugged. "They thought I was their Ranma and I didn't know enough to protest."

"And father had made arrangements with our Saotome-san to betroth Ranma to Akane." Soun and Genma quailed under the angry gazes of their respective children.

"Yeah, so?"

"Each world had a Tendo family and a Saotome family and each group of them had an agreement concerning their children. I was just wondering if perhaps there was a similar agreement between your father and his friend."

Ranma suddenly looked ill.

Kasumi continued. "That would mean another Tendo family with another Akane and Nabiki." She looked suddenly thoughtful. "And perhaps another Kasumi. Oh, my. If things were like here when Ranma arrived, then Akane would be sixteen, Nabiki seventeen and Kasumi would be nineteen."

She remained thoughtful throughout breakfast and for the rest of the day.

Genma leaned back and patted his stomach with a sigh of repletion. "That was incredible."

There were murmurs of agreement from around the table. Kasumi smiled. "Helen and I thank you very much, but I hope you've left room for desert." She rose and began gathering the dinner plates.

Shikarou stirred and she shook her head. "I've got this. You just sit there."

Soun had wanted to celebrate breaking ground on the shrine and Helen and Tendo Kasumi had volunteered to make a very special dinner to do just that. Helen had confided to Shikarou that the dinner would also serve as a celebration of finally finding Ranma and his harem and he'd quietly let Ranma and Nabiki know. They'd been very grateful and morale had risen in the Saotome harem.

Huge mounds of delicious food had come out of Kasumi's kitchen. A lot of it went to the tent to feed everyone who hadn't been able to fit at the Tendo table. Ranma had decided to eat with his harem in the tent. Shikarou hadn't been able to escape eating with Genma and Happosai, and his obvious envy had made Ranma very happy.

The day before, Shikarou had arranged for some money to come Ranma's way and he'd taken his harem shopping for some luxury items for them, the young man being under some vague impression that the money was his and had been sent by Stroak.

His alpha, Nabiki, had been skeptical, but had been taken aside by Branwyn and had remained silent. Besides, some of the gifts were to be hers, which helped to provide her with an incentive not to question the windfall.

She had, however, managed to get Shikarou alone for a few minutes beforehand. Her ears flicked slowly. "This money you 'brought' for Ranma isn't his, is it?"

"Sure it is. He has it, doesn't he?"

Her eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking if Stroak gave you money from Ranma's savings to give to us."

"Oh, that. No. I wanted you ladies to have some nice trinkets, so I gave him some money for shopping."

She looked into his eyes for a long minute. "How much did it cost to get him out of jail?"

"Is it important?"

"No. How much?"

He nodded. "A little over three million yen, including the damages Kasumi did along with the fine for vagrancy."

Nabiki's eyes widened. "We can't pay that back. He doesn't have that much even in his savings."

"I don't think I mentioned being paid back, did I?"

"Don't give me that," she snapped. "Everyone wants paid back."

"Come with me." Shikarou led her out of the Saotome section of the tent and to his room. He pointed at the bed. "Sit." Warily, she perched on the edge of the bed, her tail flicking nervously.

Shikarou opened a wall safe and pulled out a bar of gold. He handed it to her and her eyes opened at its weight. "This is solid gold and it weighs more than fifty pounds." He leaned over and dropped his voice. "I have over five hundred of these hidden somewhere."

Nabiki's mouth dropped open. "That many?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

He took the bar back and her fingers clung to it briefly. "While I don't normally give my money away, I happen to think your being dumped here was unconscionable and, since I have the money to give, I will." He put the bar in the safe and closed it. "By the bye, this safe is keyed to my DNA and brainwave patterns and can't be phased or teleported through. You would die of old age before Kasumi could tunnel through it."

Nabiki blinked and a slow smile appeared. "I don't know what you are insinuating," she said in a lofty tone.

"Sure you do. I'd try to steal it from me if I were you." He pulled a handful of money from his pocket. "Here. I've already given Ranma some, but since you handle the harem's money and you aren't too proud to take my largess, I'll use you as the cash conduit, if you don't mind."

She grinned and took the cash, making it disappear somewhere on her person. "Mind? Not in the least." She gave him a mischievous wink. "If my kami wants to give me money, then who am I to say no?"

He sighed. "You, too?"

"Sure, as long as it pays." She bounced up and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks."

His mind snapped back to the present as Kasumi took the plates away, heading behind him to the kitchen.

He did a quick inventory of his fingers; he'd been stuck next to Genma and had almost been stabbed more than one time as the man had once again competed with his son to see who could be the biggest glutton. Presumably, he'd been put there because out of all the people at the table he would be able to regenerate any lost digits.

Kasumi returned with fresh plates and a tray of something rich enough to cause weight gain just from its aroma. "I still have to get the syrup but please don't wait for that before you start serving," she told her father. Soun nodded and began handing around slices as she vanished into the kitchen once more.

Suddenly, a hot combination of honey, cinnamon and other spices hit Shikarou in the back of the neck and ran down into his clothing. A heavy weight slammed into his back as Kasumi fell on top of him. "Shikarou, are you all right?" she half-cried as she began trying to ineffectually dab away the sauce with his napkin.

"I'm ok." He pulled at his kimono. "That's not going to do any good, I'm afraid. It's in my kimono with me. I'll have to go clean up."

She sighed and settled back on her knees. "Use our bath. I'll get you some fresh clothes from your tent." She looked at her little sister. "Akane, I'll take care of cleaning this up but then I need to wash Shikarou's clothes. Will you clean up dinner for me?"

Akane nodded importantly. "Of course, Kasumi."

"Thank you. Come let me know when you are done." Kasumi took Shikarou's arm and half pulled him to the bath. "You need to get cleaned up right away, before the sauce ruins your kimono." She slipped into the inner bath and came out a moment later. "The bath is filling with hot water for your soak, so hurry. I'll check on you in a little bit and get your clothes."

Shikarou sighed as she shut the door. "All I intended to do was wash," he muttered. He stripped and undid his braid before quickly washing and climbing into the bath and making himself comfortable.

He settled back and closed his eyes as his hair floated around him. One ear lazily rotated as he heard the outer bath door open and shut. "It's me," Kasumi called softly.

A moment later he heard the inner bath door slid partially open and shut. "Shikarou?"

He slowly opened his eyes and rolled his head to look at her, suddenly coming alert.

She stood nude, an anxious look on her face. "I want to go with you and I'm afraid if I let you leave you'll meet a younger Kasumi and she'll want you as much as I do and then I'll never see you again."

Shikarou stared for a moment and shook himself as he met her eyes. "You're sure about this?"

"More than anything in my life," she replied quietly.

He held out his hand and she sighed happily as she took it. She settled into the bath with him and looked into his eyes. "I want to be a maiden when I go to my wedding bed."

He nodded. "Very well. I take it you want us to be found together?"

"Akane will come find me when she's done cleaning up dinner." She smiled. "She's very persistent and will check to see if you've seen me. If you don't answer, she'll open the door and peek." She slid forward and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. "And she will find me."

"Your father isn't going to be happy. He may even throw me out."

"Then I will go with you as your wife." She looked up at him and he kissed her.

He felt her heart suddenly start pounding and she pulled away slowly. "Oh, my." Her eyes fastened on his lips. "I don't think we should do that again."

"Oh?"

She flushed. "I said I want to be a maiden when I go to my wedding bed. This isn't a bed and after that kiss I don't care quite as much as I did before it."

"All right, we'll just cuddle until we're found."

She settled against him again. "Thank you."

They were silent for a time. "Branwyn knows about this, doesn't she?"

"Yes. She said I'd be good for you and that I couldn't threaten her place in your life." She glanced up at him. "She said that tonight, after everyone finally goes to bed after the excitement that's going to happen, she'll take care of our biggest problem."

"Do I want to know what's going to happen?"

"Since you can't lie, no."

"She and I are going to have to have another one of those talks about keeping secrets from me."

"Be gentle with her. She loves you desperately."

Suddenly he snorted. "That desert didn't need syrup, did it?"

She gave a throaty laugh. "My wanting to marry you does not mean I'm willing to ruin my desert. Of course it didn't."

A little while later she spoke again. "Would you cut your hair for me?"

"I can if you want, but it will grow out that long again overnight."

"Oh. Then I shall have to grow mine longer." She froze when the outer bath door opened. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "That should be Akane."

Akane's voice carried in a hoarse whisper. "Kasumi?"

Kasumi pressed her body against his. "Help keep me hidden from Happosai when he shows up," she whispered against his cheek. She turned her head and looked at the inner bath door as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Shikarou, do you know where Kasumi might be?" Akane's voice came from just the other side of the door. Shikarou fought a snicker. "Shikarou?" she called louder this time. "His clothes are here," he heard her mutter.

She cracked open the door to the inner bath and an eye peered in. "Shikarou?" The eye went wide. "KASUMI! OH NO KASUMI! SHIKAROU WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

There was a sudden ringing silence and then Soun yelled something and there was the pounding of feet down the hall and into the bath. The door to the inner bath got thrown open and crowded in the doorway was everyone in the house. Soun's eyes grew as large as dinner plates. "KASUMI!"

Kasumi smiled mysteriously. "Hello, father. Please shut the door."

"SHIKAROU HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER? KASUMI HOW COULD YOU DO TH IS TO ME? THE TENDO FAMILY IS RUINED. AKANE WILL HAVE TO COOK AND WE WILL ALL DIE!"

"WHAT!" Akane shrieked.

Soun jumped as if stung. "I mean, Akane, you're not ready to take up all of Kasumi's duties. You have a fiancé. That means Nabiki will have to take over the household work."

"WHAT!" Nabiki shrieked. "I WILL NOT!"

Kasumi looked at Shikarou. "This could get interesting," she murmured.

The yelling moved out into the hallway as Nabiki, Akane and Soun engaged in a shouting match. Occasionally Ranma's or Genma's voice could be heard. Once, they heard Happosai, but he was cut off by Nabiki. "I'D RATHER MARRY A GOAT THAN YOU, YOU PERVERT!"

Kasumi sighed. "You'd at least thought I'd have merited a few more yells than that."

"You're already ruined. He's got to salvage what he can."

"I suppose you're right. Still, you'd think all the time I gave him would count for something."

"I can live with them yelling at each other and not at us."

She looked up at him for a moment. "You know, so can I."

The house had finally fallen quiet. Soun had taken to what he swore was his deathbed and Nabiki had locked herself in her room. Akane had managed to blame this on Ranma and finally yelled herself hoarse. Happosai had ordered Genma and Ranma to go with him on a "therapy" patrol and they were long gone. After it quieted down, Kasumi and Shikarou had finished cleaning the kitchen before she'd gone to her room.

Shikarou headed out for the tent just as a band of pokegirls wearing masks left the entrance. They froze. Branwyn's voice said quietly. "You didn't see us and you can't identify us. Go to bed."

Shikarou chuckled. "Why not? You renegades aren't going to hurt anyone, are you?"

"Of course not. We just have to do a little work before the night is over."

He shook his head. "Carry on." He sighed and went inside.

A few minutes later they were on the second floor outside the girl's bedrooms. Branwyn looked at Circe and Elizabeth. "You two take Akane and Pythia and I will take Nabiki." She hefted her restraints. "And go."

There were a few muffled cries and then all was silent. In the tent the two restrained and blindfolded sisters were tossed on a bed. Branwyn reached over and picked up a small disk. She pressed it against Akane's head and the girl went limp. Ten seconds later a large electronic device built into the wall flashed a small light. The disk was then placed on Nabiki's head. She also immediately passed out and another ten seconds passed before the light flashed once more.

"Take them back to their rooms and leave them as we found them." Branwyn attached the disk to the teacher. "They'll be unconscious for another half hour. Now I get to tell Shikarou what happened."

Circe picked up Akane while Pythia took Nabiki and then the two of them teleported away.

"Go away," Soun moaned. "Let me join my wife."

"Stop that," Shikarou snapped. "I'm here to talk to you about Kasumi."

His eyes glittered in the semi-dark. "What about my precious Kasumi? What have you done to her now?"

"I'm here to pay bride price, since we didn't have an agreement about marrying." Shikarou smiled to himself as Soun was suddenly paying attention. "Part of it has already been paid. Last night, Akane and Nabiki were both taught everything that Kasumi knows about the dojo. They know how to cook like her and keep house like her." He shrugged. "The rest I'm afraid I'll have to pay in gold. How about fifteen million yen? At your typical monetary expenditures, that will support your family for at least ten years."

Soun's voice sounded stronger. "She's worth at least twenty."

"Fine. Twenty five it is." Soun sat up and stared at him. "Yes, I said twenty five million yen."

"And you said Nabiki and Akane know how to keep the house and cook?"

"Yes, they do."

"Welcome to the family!" He sobered suddenly. "I want proof they can cook."

"Then make Nabiki cook tonight. Kasumi will watch her and Akane can take care of breakfast tomorrow." He smiled. "Kasumi will stay here in the dojo until we are properly married. I would like to have that happen as soon as possible."

"If Akane and Nabiki can cook, you'll be married this weekend!"

Kasumi smiled as she watched Pythia carry the last box out the door. It was hard to be leaving the room she'd lived in for so long, but now she had new duties as Shikarou's wife. Duties she was looking forward to doing for the rest of her life.

Akane slipped into the room. "You've been married for two days and you've been smiling for almost the whole time. Is it that different?"

"It's wonderful, Akane." Kasumi hugged her sister. "Shikarou is a wonderful husband." She dropped her voice. "And a good lover."

Akane flushed. "Kasumi, you shouldn't say such things."

"Why? It is the truth and nothing to be ashamed of." Branwyn shut the door behind her. "Someday you'll be married and find out what it's like. Shikarou is a good husband and Kasumi will be a good sister wife to me."

Akane shook her head. "I'll be married to Ranma and he's a jerk."

"Akane! I know you don't believe that." Kasumi sat down on the bed and motioned her sister to join her. "Ranma is young and so are you."

Branwyn chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, Shikarou's father told me he was a brat when he was your age, but in a couple of years he straightened out. Part of Ranma's problem is you." She nodded sagely. "You don't know what you want, but you know you don't want to give him up. That and the fact that you are both dominant personalities is going to make for an interesting marriage."

She sighed. "You aren't a stupid young woman, but sometimes you don't think things through. You are going to have to, because while you sometimes don't think things through, I have yet to see your Ranma think about the consequences of his actions until he's done acting. Part of the problem is that he's never been socialized. He did grow up on the road with Genma and I can tell you he's no prize."

All three women shared a smile. "It means you are going to have to work extra hard with Ranma, but I think he might be worth it. However, don't think you can run roughshod over him, in some ways he's as stubborn as Shikarou. The only difference is when he's angry and sullen, he's like a wall and sometimes you can batter him down."

Akane nodded. "I know. What's Shikarou like?"

"I've never seen him truly angry, but when he's being stubborn, he's like the ocean. Whatever you do seems to have no effect and if you aren't careful, he'll swallow you up."

Kasumi took her sister's hand. "The responsibility for the dojo was always going to fall on you, Akane. You love this place more than any of us. Nabiki won't stay and I'll be leaving when Shikarou does. What you need to remember is that Nabiki is still a member of this family and she needs to pull her weight. Unfortunately, you are going to have to make her help; she won't do it on her own. And keep her away from the money. I've given you access to the household accounts and you'll have to give Nabiki an allowance. Fortunately, with the money Shikarou paid father, things should be easier for you than they were for me."

"I'll make you proud, Kasumi."

"I'm already proud of you. If we can come back, we will, but I can't promise you anything right now." She sighed. "There's another thing you'll have to do in a couple of years. Before she left us, mother made father promise to remarry. You are going to have to make him keep that promise."

"I, I didn't know that."

"There's a lot you don't know. I'm giving you mother's diaries and her workbooks. These cover everything she thought was important or things that our grandmothers thought important. One of them has all of her recipes in it and others deal with the other wifely duties." She cocked her head. "That includes one on sex. You need to read it, and soon." Akane flushed. "These have been passed down from mother to daughter for a long time and I'm giving them to you, as mother would have done if she were here. There's another copy of everything in a box under my bed for Nabiki. You'll have do decide when she's ready for it."

"Oh, Kasumi!" Akane collapsed against her sister, sobbing. Kasumi held her close.

"You also need to get in touch with Ranma's mother, Nodoka. She may have other workbooks and things for a Saotome wife."

She looked up to watch a hungry look pass over Branwyn's face. "Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, no." The Unicorn shook her head. "It's just that I envy you your sense of history and family. Before my mother, there was nothing."

"Well, you are my sister wife now, Branwyn. You have the Tendo past to call your own if you want." She smiled slyly. "I even have a copy of my mother's books for my daughters and you are welcome to read them."

Branwyn looked stunned. "Thank you, Kasumi. That is a wonderful gift. I'm only sorry that I don't have one as wonderful to give you."

Kasumi smiled. "You let me marry Shikarou. That is a present I'll never be able to match."

Akane frowned. "How can you live with the fact that he's going to be cheating on you all of the time?"

"Akane, you are wrong. Shikarou is giving his harem everything they need. If Ranma is like my husband, you will be a very lucky woman indeed." She smiled. "I knew what was going on before I decided to marry him. That puts me ahead of most other wives, and as I said before, he is a wonderful lover." She glanced up at Branwyn and back to her sister. "Branwyn tells me that he's man enough for all of us."

"I doubt Ranma will be so wonderful."

"It's likely you are right, at least in the beginning. However, one thing I've noticed about your fiancé is that he's a quick learner. If you make it to his benefit to become a good lover, he will." She shook her head. "On the other hand, if you make it hard for him to want to be with you, he'll never improve at all. At worst, he'll take a lover or three and make your life miserable. Remember, there is always Shampoo and who knows how many other women out there betrothed to him, thanks to Genma. Always remember, most of this is Genma's fault." She smiled sweetly. "And don't forget to point that out to Ranma's other fiancés. Maybe you'll get lucky and one of them will run his father off."

Branwyn smiled thinly. "Since you are my sister-in-law, if you'd like I can have him killed. From his behavior, it would be doing the world a favor."

Akane blinked and her eyes narrowed. "Let me think about that one." Kasumi smiled approvingly. She was starting to think about the home ahead of her own squeamishness. It was a good sign and mother would have approved of her for it.

The Unicorn nodded. "I'll be leaving you a method of getting in touch with us in an emergency. Use it if you need to. Shikarou thinks we'll be able to return from time to time, but I don't know how often that will be, or even if it's possible." She grinned. "However, I've noticed that when Shikarou thinks something is possible, it tends to happen. He doesn't make those kinds of statements unless he already knows something and wants to impress us with his incredible powers." The grin vanished. "Don't get me wrong, his abilities are impressive and I know, from what's in his mind, that I have only seen a fraction of his capabilities. He tries to let us pokegirls do his fighting for him because, as he says, that's the way things are supposed to be done in our world."

She looked at Kasumi. "You'll have to decide if you want to become a Tamer. I'll get you some literature that will explain what that entails."

Kasumi nodded. "What do you recommend, sister?"

Branwyn flushed with pleasure. "I think you'll need at least one pokegirl, but we'll see if you are interested in taming."

Kasumi blinked. "I think we need to continue this conversation later." Her eyes flicked towards Akane.

Branwyn nodded. "I think you're right."

"So you are headed back to China?" Genma looked interested. "Are you going to Jusenkyo?"

Shikarou watched him with distaste. Nothing he'd seen so far had impressed him with the elder Saotome. "We're going to Shimonoseki first and then we'll see what's next." There was no way he was going to let his pokegirls handle Genma or Happosai. Ranma, at least, was trying to be an adult as much as he knew how. Most of his problems seemed to stem from Genma's methods of child rearing and lack of socialization.

Genma looked disappointed. "Well, thanks anyway." He was watching Branwyn's breasts as he spoke and had been for some time.

_Not a chance in hell._ Branwyn looked up at his thought and glanced at Genma before nodding vigorously. She mimed a dropping motion and he smiled. "I'll be back when I can," he said, turning to Soun, "and I'll take good care of your daughter."

Soun blinked. "Your wife," he corrected. "While she's welcome here, this isn't her home any longer."

Branwyn's eyes narrowed. _Some things don't change across the universes, do they?_ Shikarou gave a tiny shake of his head. _I wonder if the next one will be as much of an asshole._

_Doubtful, since I am not going to marry one of his daughters._ "Yes, she is my wife." He glanced at Kasumi, who was working with Elizabeth to adjust the straps of her new backpack for the perfect blend of comfort and utility. It was taking a while. "I'll take better care of her then she will of me."

Soun smiled. "Then she will be well taken care of indeed."

Ranma came over. "I've put up all my pokegirls. Nabiki wants to practice her teleportation once we get somewhere safe. I think it's a good idea, too."

Shikarou frowned. "Once we get back to the pokegirl world, I think that would be fine. Until then, however, I would prefer it if you stayed close. I don't want to have to chase you to the United States because of a misjump."

Ranma's eyes widened. "Has that happened to you?"

"Once I teleported with Circe and came out a few miles up and I didn't have Circe with me either. I could have died except for my magic."

Ranma nodded. "No teleport practice without your assistance. Gotcha. No problem."

"Good." He looked over at Branwyn. "Status check."

Pythia chuckled. "Well, I've done the preflight checklist and the walkaround on her. One of her tires is getting a little bald, but everything else checks out ok; and the crew chief says that the tire will be taken care of before you can get tower clearance to taxi her onto the runway."

Branwyn burst out laughing as Shikarou sighed. "See what I have to put up with?"

Akane came to the window. "Oh, father, I forgot to tell you that Auntie Nodoka called and is coming by today. She should be here in less than an hour."

Genma cringed and ran for the house. Soun sighed. "I guess that means things are back to normal, whatever that means."

Shikarou chuckled. "What is normal?" He looked around. "Branwyn, we'll need to get out of here in less than an hour. Can we do it in fifteen minutes?"

She glanced at Elizabeth and Kasumi. "I think so." She turned and headed towards them, muttering under her breath.

Pythia shook her head. "She's uncomfortable having someone whose rank she's unsure of."

"I understand." He nodded. "She wants to study magic, so she won't be traveling much."

"Since you two are newlyweds, does that mean we won't be going anywhere for a while?"

"Kasumi understands if I need to travel, but I suspect there's going to be some disappointed pokegirls on Caomh Sith who'll want me to tame them. She's going to want me to spend time with her instead." He watched his new wife. "I think I'm going to enjoy being married to her."

"And in time you may come to love her?"

He nodded. "In the fullness of time all things are possible. I might meet a blue fox who says I have some silly destiny to fulfill and I might love a human."

Pythia's ears canted sideways. "Um, but you've already met the blue fox."

He gave her an amused look. "Why, I do believe you are right. Kind of makes you wonder about the rest of my statement."

She waited for him to elaborate and snorted with annoyance when he didn't. "Fine. Be that way. I have to go do something somewhere else." She stalked off.

Shikarou snickered quietly.

The Jusenkyo guide doffed his cap and bowed. "Good day. Welcome to Sacred Training Ground of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo." He frowned. "Oh, is you. You come back." He grinned. "You too too smart to go in spring. You want buy souvenir duck? All the rage at Amazon Village."

Kasumi looked curious. "Is that where Shampoo and Cologne come from?"

The guide froze. "You no say that name. Amazon elder have ears like hawk have eyes. She hear from other side of world and come bother me."

"Sorry." Kasumi looked around. "So, this is where it all began." She smiled suddenly. "For all of us in one form or fashion. It took Ranma to the pokegirl world and brought Shikarou to me."

"It's not my world," Ranma groused.

"No, but in complementary magic, the two places could be considered interchangeable for the purposes of dimensional travel." Ranma gave her a look of incomprehension.

Shikarou sighed. "Kasumi, leave him alone." He'd given her access to his spell books and, of course, she'd started with the theories of interdimensional travel. "Father has conclusively proven that isn't true anyway. That sort of thinking is what got Ranma sent here in the first place."

She frowned. "So why do you have out of date books?"

"Because I haven't been back to Tirsul to buy new ones since they updated." He raised a hand to forestall her next comment. "As soon as we return I'll contact father for a complete updated library."

Kasumi nodded happily. "I would expect no less from my husband."

Ranma snickered until Kasumi gave him a sweet smile. "So, you've met my sisters and me, have you put any thought into which one of the ones from your world you'll want to marry?" He turned slightly green. "I didn't think so."

Branwyn watched intently. _I am going to have to learn how to do that._

_Do what?_

_Watch her, she sounds so nice and polite and she just gutted him like a trout. I'm very impressed. It really looks like she said that without thinking about it or its effect on him. I can't wait to watch her use that on Poppet. Mother is going to go absolutely berserk._

"Harmony, thy name is not pokegirl," he muttered to himself. He raised his voice. "All right, let's pull back from the springs by at least half a kilometer and set up camp. Branwyn, I want everyone to be personally instructed by you as to why the springs are completely off limits. I do not want any of my harem getting some idea of being a human girl half the time."

Branwyn looked startled. "I never thought of that." She glanced at the spring speculatively.

"Don't."

His alpha winced at the iron in his voice. "Yes, husband. I was just wondering how much water it took and what we could charge to Tamers who have hard to tame pokegirls like Snorlass or Sharptits. It could also be an interesting weapon against a Widow."

"I said no."

Branwyn nodded slowly. "I understand. Later, perhaps?"

"With proper protective gear, suitably tested, perhaps."

Branwyn became happy again. "Ok."

Once camp was set up, Shikarou settled down with Branwyn, Bellona, Circe, Stardust, Pythia, Kasumi, Nabiki and Ranma.

"Ladies, gentleman. We need to try to decide how we are going to get back home, um, to the pokegirl universe." Shikarou pointed to a large black piece of electronics. "That is supposed to be a dimensional signal that will tell Dr. Banzai that we are ready to go home. I'm going to try it, but I suspect that it's a longshot for a couple of reasons. First, it is my understanding that technological equipment is ill suited for communication across dimensions. It's not impossible, but highly improbable."

"Second, and I suspect more importantly, the equipment that was used to send me here may have been badly damaged or destroyed during my transport. Lightning struck the portal and, while Aggie doesn't know enough about the design that Dr. Freeman used to accurately model the effects of lightning on an operating portal, she does know enough to sum up the suspected effects in one word: FUBAR."

"What's that?" Ranma gave him a curious look.

"Fucked up beyond all repair. The portal spat out pieces of molten metal that I suspect was part of the latticework that made up the power waveguide. If so, the entire wave control unit would have to be replaced and calibrated, if any spares are on hand, which is a process that can take anywhere from a few days to a month. Without spares, the portal generator doesn't work anymore."

"What other options do we have?" Kasumi frowned and searched her memory for anything she'd read recently that could help.

"I can function as a kind of booster for pokegirl teleportation. Circe and I have already traveled in time on the pokegirl earth and we suspect that we can travel between dimensions as well. There are some safety concerns, but we'll table that part of the explanation for the moment."

"However, the whole issue is problematic because she can't carry more than one person and she can't do the special teleports without me and I'm not leaving you behind."

Branwyn frowned. "You could go for help."

"That is a possibility. I'm not in favor of that because, like I just said, I don't want to leave anyone behind, and best case scenario is I have to leave Kasumi and Ranma. So that is worst case sort of event."

Pythia flicked her ears. "Do we have any other options?"

Shikarou ground his teeth and finally admitted in a grudging voice. "Yes."

Branwyn took one look at his face and sighed. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"What does?" Kasumi looked interestedly between the two of them.

"I think he's going to have to pull another Bunnygirl out of his hat and he hates to do that." Branwyn touched his arm and he turned to look at her. "This isn't the pokegirl world and you don't have to let us protect you."

"I'm just trying to follow the rules. Blend in and don't draw attention to yourself." He smiled suddenly. "I'm an abject failure at that, aren't I?"

Pythia nodded. "Yes, you are, but we still care for you anyway."

Shikarou nodded. "Fine, we're not on the pokegirl world and I don't have to try to hide behind you." He shrugged. "I'm a mage by training and I can open dimensional gates."

The silence was profound.

Kasumi nodded finally. "That would make sense. That's why you could hint that we might come back to here."

"That's right. I can open a portal to anywhere I've been." He sighed. "But we'll try the communications device first."

Nabiki nodded. "When?"

"Tomorrow morning. Let's get a full night's rest. Sometimes dimensional travel can be exhausting."

Ranma looked at the communications array. Shikarou had set it up during the night and let it run through all of its preoperational checks. The first thing to draw the eye was a parabolic antenna that rotated endlessly. "What does it do?"

Shikarou shrugged. "Swivels."

Branwyn poked him. "Besides that."

"Well, I turned it on an hour ago and it should be just about finished charging for its first attempt at communication."

"Then what?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "I didn't build the fucking thing. For all I know, we get turned into marshmallows and sucked through a dimensional straw."

She met his gaze for a moment. "I guess I deserved that."

His ears flicked. "No, you didn't. I apologize for taking my frustration out on you."

Kasumi took his hand. "Why don't you come over here and sit down." She grabbed Branwyn's hand in her free hand. "You too." When she had them settled, she kissed each of them on the cheek and headed off to check on Elizabeth.

Branwyn watched her go. "I want to learn how do to that mental judo she just used on us."

Shikarou glanced at her. "I want to learn how to defend against it."

A short time later, the parabolic antenna stopped rotating. Ranma yelled excitedly. "It's doing something." People rushed over and watched.

Minutes flowed by and Usagi suddenly laughed. "No, it stopped doing something."

Nanu grinned. "It's a typical Tamer simulator. Just as soon as you are ready for something, it stops."

That was good for a long round of laughter. When it settled down, Branwyn turned to Shikarou. "So, how long until you can cast this spell?"

"About five minutes."

"What do you have to do?"

He grinned. "Pee."

"Kami bless us," she muttered.

Shikarou sighed. "Are you aware that I can hear prayers at close range, so when you do that, I get it in something more than stereo sound?"

"Really. That must make taming Yushiko fun." That earned her a glare as he headed off into the woods.

A few minutes later, he was back and moved to the center of the cleared area. After checking to make sure that everyone was well back, he opened the dimensional portal. Energy flared and pulsed around him and the wind whipped the leaves and dead grass. The pulses grew brighter and brighter and finally vanished.

Shikarou straightened and pointed. "There." A glowing dot appeared and slowly became a vertical circle of crackling energy, expanding until it was a good two meters across. He stepped through and a moment later was back. "Ok, Branwyn, Helen, Pythia first, then Kasumi, Ranma and his harem that's out. Elizabeth, Circe, and Nanu are next and I bring up the rear. Move people. This isn't fun to keep open. Remember, keep moving off the dock and don't block the portal."

People streamed through and exited on the dock in Caomh Sith. Faelan stood just beyond the end of the dock and watched with Molly and Svetlana. Finally, Shikarou exited and turned. "Thank you." The gate shrank to the dot and slowly faded.

Faelan grabbed his arm. "One day."

"Excellent. Faelan, I'd like you to meet my new wife, Kasumi."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 57

DragonQueen Bellona 52

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 48

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 43

Mini-Top Nanu 41

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Saotome, Ranma

Age: 17

Residence: Unknown

Region: Earth

Status: Active

Rank: NA

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Griffon Kasumi 40

Herochan Shampoo 37

Cheshire Nabiki 35

Angel Rei 29

Megami Usagi 27

Mareen Rain 25

Alpha Nabiki

Beta Kasumi


	32. Chapter 32

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 32

(06/25/99 0800 New Avalon, Blue Continent)

The Grandelf looked up as Shikarou stalked up to her desk. "Good morning, sir." She suddenly squawked as he slapped a small disk onto her monitor. "What are you doing?"

**I'm in. Accessing systems. Backdoor installed. **

Slipping around the desk, Shikarou caught her hands before she could hit the alarm. "Naughty, naughty." She resisted and he cranked up the pressure until she whimpered.

**Alarm system compromised. Mainframe accessed. Reviewing records. Establishing contact with Selene. Downloading. Complete. Beverly is in her office. She has an override on her com. I'll let it ring.**

A window opened in the monitor and the Quillara appeared, blowing on a cup of tea. "What is it?"

Shikarou leaned forward. "Where is he?" His voice was a low snarl.

Beverly dropped her cup and a second later there was the sound of shattering porcelain. She jumped. "How did you?" She broke off and tried to regain her composure. "How did you get back?"

"Where. Is. Banzai?" He bared his teeth in something that was not a smile. The Grandelf froze beneath his hands. "I am keeping a very tight rein on my temper but if you start playing games with me, I am going to get seriously pissed off."

Her eyes flicked to the right. "He's not here."

Shikarou sighed. "Very well." The window closed. He released the Grandelf and stood. "I'm sorry to have caused you any discomfort."

A map appeared as an overlay in his vision. **Here is Beverly's office.** Shikarou grabbed the disk as he headed for the elevator. As the door shut he could see the Grandelf accessing her computer.

To his surprise the elevator door opened on the correct floor. He trotted down the hall to the security gate. Belinda was standing on the other side. "You can't come any further. I've contacted security."

**I can open the gate.**

_So can I._ Shikarou took the security gate in his hands and pulled. Metal screamed as he peeled the door open.

He smiled at the stunned Quillara and forced his voice to a conversational level. "Now, let's continue our conversation where I can reach you when you lie to me. Your boss almost got me killed and his communications device failed me when I was ready to come home. I want to have a word with him. I won't hurt anyone, but the games are going to end. I don't have time for them."

He smiled and she flinched. He sighed and tried again, putting some humor into it and watched her relax slightly. "I've had a couple of months to brood over what happened and I'm really trying to stay calm. Now, how about we stop the runaround?" He shook his head slowly. "I realize he's a busy man, but if he took off the day after he almost killed me, I'm going to think that shows a severe lack of character."

Beverly bristled. Literally. The tips of her spines became visible for a second through her clothing. "I'll have you know that Dr. Banzai has been working frantically to try to rescue you."

"So where is my hero?" he asked sarcastically.

"I put him to bed three hours ago."

"So he got a nice nap. Roust him out." He smiled again without humor and she stiffened. "And don't bother giving me a defiant 'no'. It wasn't a request and he's going to get up if I have to do it." Another amused smile. "You're much prettier than me so I'm going to assume he'd prefer you be the one awakening him. Besides, that gives you time to shove some coffee and maybe a quick breakfast into him. My way, he just gets up."

When she hesitated, he cocked his ears. "I'll stay here and be a good boy for twenty minutes, unless security comes to bother me or I get the impression that you are trying to flee. Any longer than that and I'll come looking for both of you. It's the best offer you are going to get this morning, ok?"

Beverly gave an abrupt nod and touched a button on her computer before rushing from the room. Shikarou placed the remote jack on her monitor.

**The security alert has been cancelled. There was a significant explosion in the gateway lab the day you left. Dr. Freeman was injured and the gateway was damaged. The extent isn't reported, but the indications are that some major repairs will be needed. There is a spare waveguide in storage. **

** Would you like to play a game of Go?**

"Blood no, I've been playing that thing for over a century and I'm sick of it. I think I would prefer a game of chess?"

**I'd love that but I calculate that I will win 92% of our matches.**

"I see. And what percentage of our matches would you win if we were playing Go?"

**Only 84%.**

"Only? I think I'll read instead."

**Spoilfun. What would you like?**

"I'm in a gloomy sort of mood. How about _Inferno_?"

**Dante or Niven and Pournelle?**

"I'm not familiar with the second one. Let's try it." He retrieved the remote jack and stuck it back in his pocket as words appeared in a visual overlay.

The Niven and Pournelle version wasn't gloomy, but Shikarou enjoyed it and was busy reading when Banzai appeared, looking immaculate.

"Shikarou! I'm glad to see you're well."

"How's Freeman?"

Banzai smiled. "He was pretty badly injured in the explosion, but our medical staff is top notch and he's already up and around."

"So when will the repairs to the gateway be completed?"

Banzai blinked. "We're still evaluating the extent of the damage, so I'm not sure. How did you know it was damaged?"

"I saw lightning, the natural kind as opposed to what a pokegirl generates, strike the portal as it was closing. Bits of the lattice came out on my end, so it was easy to guess that there was some damage. Since Freeman wasn't behind any protective barrier, it was natural to presume he'd been injured."

Banzai nodded. "Thanks. Knowing the source of the power surge will help a lot in repairing the portal. How did you get back?"

"That's not important. I did bring back the Ranma you requested, so I'd appreciate it if the repairs were expedited so he can be returned to his home as quickly as possible."

Banzai nodded. "Where is he staying? I'm afraid we really didn't plan for accommodations for him and his harem."

Shikarou snorted. "I figured as much. He's staying with me for the time being and you can reach him by contacting me."

"Thank you for keeping him. I'll be in touch as soon as we are ready."

"I'd prefer regular updates instead. He and I both have lives too and we don't just sit around waiting on you."

"I'll see what I can do. If you have any more questions, contact Beverly." That, of course, was administrativese for "don't bother me anymore".

"I'll do that."

(06/25/99 1100 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"You got married again." Kerrik sighed. "Am I condemned to miss every one of your weddings?"

Shikarou flashed a grin. "Since I don't expect to get married many more times, it's likely."

Kasumi smiled. "We'll try to issue invitations for when Shikarou and Poppet get married, if they don't do the same thing that he and Branwyn did and elope."

Branwyn gave her an amused look. "And you didn't have a quick wedding as well?"

"I recognized that if I gave him half a chance he might disappear on me." Kasumi sipped at her tea. "I am very pleased to meet my father-in-law." She smiled. "Shikarou needs to get some books from you."

Kerrik gave her a bland look. "I know. He told me what he wanted when he contacted me about your marriage."

Her eyes lit up. "Did you bring them?"

"I did."

"Good." She gave him another smile. "I can't wait to get started studying magic."

Kerrik gave her an amused look. "Ok." He turned back to Shikarou. "I've actually brought you a full library for your school and a possible instructor."

Shikarou blinked. "Sib?"

"No, this is your project and I didn't think you were quite ready for siblings to attempt to horn in. I'm giving you the original Moonblood library, and all that goes with it, as part of the library for your school."

Shikarou's eyes went wide. "I am deeply honored, father. I will treasure this gift for the rest of my life." He bowed formally. "Thank you."

Kerrik smiled. "I'm glad you're pleased." He glanced around. "The Moonblood library is a fairly comprehensive magical research library. It's a little out of date, but that's easily corrected. However, the true gift that comes with it are the collected journals of one of clan leaders, a man by the name of Caspa. He was a powerful mage, one of the best of his generation, and he was killed in a raid by a rival clan who sought to steal several rare texts from the clan library. It was his death that started the slow spiral that doomed the Moonblood clan.

He died protecting those books and almost immediately after his death, he came back as a powerful ghost and actually completed his self appointed task by wiping out the raiders."

"Caspa continues to guard the Moonblood library and will not let any of it be taken away or sold. He will also guard any other books that are placed with them." Kerrik's eyes gleamed. "While this normally might mean that the he'd kill anyone who even tried to touch the books, he's more reasonable than that and will allow copies to be made by persons with the legitimate authority to do so."

"Essentially, I'm giving you a library that can't be stolen from or damaged. Caspa has tracked thieves for millions of kilometers to get revenge on an attempted theft and there has never been a successful one. As for protecting it from damage, for a while I had the Moonblood library stored in a small building on a remote piece of property. At one point, that property was attacked by another clan eager for the knowledge in those books.

When they realized that they couldn't take the library because they weren't the rightful owners, they nuked it with a thirty kiloton weapon. Caspa protected the entire library from any damage at all. The rest of the building was vaporized." An unhappy expression flicked across his face and vanished. "What annoys me is I still don't know how he did it."

Kerrik smiled. "Anyway, I've spoken with him and he's shown some interest in becoming a teacher at your proposed school. You'll have to make arrangements for a classroom in the vicinity of the library, but I suspect that won't be a problem."

"And he should be willing to help teach Kasumi." Shikarou nodded to his wife as her face lit up. "I've known him since I was a child and he is nice enough to call me his friend."

Kerrik nodded. "You're one of my few children who treated him as a real person and one of two who was his friend. That's why he thought this would be a wonderful idea when I asked him."

Branwyn cocked her head. "Who is the other person?"

Kerrik gave her a grave look. "Dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"My children die sometimes. It happens." Kerrik's light tone was belied by the sudden darkness in his amber eyes. "I've learned to accept it as much as I can."

Branwyn nodded. "I don't understand, but I do remember when my sister died. Poppet cried for weeks."

Kerrik nodded slowly. "Death is a part of life. I know this and, intellectually, I accept it; but when it comes to my children, I still have problems with it. Most parents do."

(06/25/99 1330 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"How are you doing?"

Ranma threw the ball again and Kasumi dove to catch it, her wings flashing in the sun. "Are you aware that you've got a feral pokegirl at the clinic?"

"The Moonflower? Yes, she's happy and we leave her alone. She tends the area around the clinic."

"In Indigo, someone would have captured her by now."

Shikarou shrugged. "We're trying something new. She's not a problem, so we let her do pretty much as she wants. There's a gazebo around back that she sleeps in when it rains and Alice puts out food for her. Did you see the sign?"

"Don't pick the Moonflowers? Cute."

"I thought so too. Candace put it up and she has an odd sense of humor." He watched as Kasumi dropped the ball into Ranma's lap as she flew by and the young man threw it again.

"This is a nice place. We don't have any worries here."

Shikarou continued watching Kasumi as she dove for the ball. "I wish I didn't have any worries, but someone has to so you don't." One ear rotated. "Hello, Nabiki."

An annoyed voice sounded. "How did you know?"

"Fade is a good ability, but it doesn't do a thing to mask your scent."

Nabiki slowly appeared and sat down next to Ranma, folding her arms and glaring at Shikarou. "You could pretend not to know I was there."

"Yes, but that would have been doing you a disservice and might make you careless around someone who meant you harm."

Nabiki blinked and stopped glaring.

"I spoke to Dr. Banzai today. He's not sure when the portal will be up and running. He didn't say 'if', but I think I heard it in his voice."

Ranma turned to look at him and winced, grabbing his crotch. Kasumi had dropped the ball when he wasn't paying attention. Kasumi landed. "Are you all right, master?"

"I asked you to stop calling me that."

"Sorry." She shifted to her humanoid form and settled down next to Nabiki.

Shikarou smiled. "How are you today, Kasumi?"

"I'm ok. Are you coming with us when we go home?"

Ranma sighed. "Shikarou just said that Dr. Banzai may not be able to get the way home working soon."

Kasumi's wings rustled as she shrugged. "So? Shikarou said he was taking us home and that means he will. Whether or not this Dr. Banzai can help us is beside the point, Shikarou will take us to your home."

Reaching over Nabiki, Ranma patted the Griffon's hand. "Dr. Banzai is the one with the dimension spanning device, remember?"

Shikarou sighed. "She's right. I said I would take you home and I will. I'd like to wait a little while to see if Banzai can fix his toy, but if you want to leave right away, I'll use my magic."

Nabiki spat on the ground. "Your way seems safer than any portal we've gone through. We got dumped on Ranma and you got blown up."

Shikarou exchanged a look with Ranma. "She's got a point," someone muttered.

"I still want to wait a day or two. I'm having the savings that you left here liquidated and turned into gold and silver bullion." Nabiki looked up at Shikarou's words. "Ranma originally intended it to be divided up among his harem after he left, but you went with him. You might as well take it with you."

Nabiki frowned. "That's not a lot of money."

"Every little bit helps."

Ranma frowned. "I thought the money you gave me back on the other earth was my savings." Nabiki suddenly looked nervous.

"Yes, you did, didn't you?" Shikarou shrugged. "I never said that."

That got him a glare from Ranma. "You lied to me."

"I can't lie. You made that little assumption on your own."

"A lie by omission," he began.

Shikarou cut him off. "Is not a lie, no matter what you may believe. Of course, you can try to blame me for your failure to seek the whole truth, since humans are quite good at that sort of behavior. However, if you try, I'll just ignore you."

He decided to change the topic before someone said something precipitous. "Now, in order to properly take care of your harem, you are going to need money. Your alpha, Nabiki, pointed out, quite correctly, that your savings aren't going to be much. Therefore you are going to have to find a way to make money because foraging is an uncertain business at best, especially in an urban area."

Ranma looked interested. "What do you think we can do? We can't exactly get jobs."

"I would also be inclined to doubt that would work well for you. However, if I'm not mistaken, Rei is a militant Angel, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Angels are usually divided into two camps. One camp believes in the milk of human kindness prevailing no matter what and the second one believes you have to slap it in the head to get its attention and kick it in the ass to get it moving."

Kasumi snickered. "She's definitely a second camp Angel." Ranma and Nabiki nodded in unison.

"That makes things easier then. What you'll probably want to do is identify criminals and beat them up." He grinned. "You can claim anything they have as spoils of war. I'd recommend taking only cash and things that can be easily converted to cash." He rubbed an ear.

"Art can be very valuable, but it can be easy to identify and you run the risk of being arrested for having stolen property. If you find drugs, destroy them. While it could be argued that they are easily converted to cash, you have to know who's doing the buying and, frankly, they're not worth the trouble they can bring."

"If there is a reward, you can think about turning them in for that, too. However, I would only consider that away from the area around your home base, lest your identities get out and someone's associates come looking for revenge."

Ranma looked interested. "That I can do." He grinned suddenly. "That, we can do."

Shikarou grinned back. "I'm always glad to help someone on the path to righteousness and easy cash. Besides, it beats rummaging in dumpsters. The menu is more than slightly irregular."

Kasumi gave him a shrewd look. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Which one?"

"Are you coming with us?" Tension suddenly filled the air.

Shikarou nodded. "I want to make sure you get to the right world." The tension disappeared almost instantly.

Ranma slid to his feet and stuck out his hand. "I, ah." He looked away. "I."

Shikarou cut him off again. "You're welcome." He glanced at the hand. "And you've spent too long in the West." He bowed and Ranma laughed and bowed back.

"Come on, girls." Ranma headed towards the tent, followed closely by Kasumi.

Nabiki stopped in front of Shikarou and held out her hand. "Oh, great and powerful kami, please give of your munificence." Shikarou sighed and handed her a small pile of gold coins. She grinned. "Thank you, oh wondrous one." Turning, she raced after her Tamer.

(06/25/99 1830 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Urufu Kasumi stretched and settled against her husband. "This is nice, but I would like a house. Besides, we both know that this tent is Branwyn's territory and I want some territory of my very own."

Shikarou chuckled. "Already with the demands." She gave him an amused look. "A Japanese style house would probably not take the winters here well."

"I know that. I want a Western house. It will be nice in the winter, but, actually, I think that the most important reason to build a Western style home is to keep the ferals outside should one come by." Kasumi smiled slowly. "I already have to share my husband with a small army of women and I don't want to accidentally add to that number. A good stout door and rock walls are an excellent starting point. Walls around the property are nice too, but some pokegirls can bypass that easily."

"We'll start looking for a place to build just as soon as I get back." He gave her an odd look. "Do you want to come along?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to see another me. The Griffon Kasumi that Ranma has is spooky enough, but to see another woman just like me, in my house and in my room? No, that I can live quite well without."

"Are you worried about me being there?"

"No. Shikarou, I know we don't love each other yet, but I also know you are one of the most honorable people I've ever met. If you thought there was the most remote chance you'd come back with another Kasumi or even another Tendo girl, you wouldn't go." She cocked her head. "What happened to this world's Akane?"

"I understand she ended up with someone named Ryoga Hibiki."

Kasumi giggled. "P-chan?"

"I don't get the reference."

She kissed his chin. "There is a Ryoga Hibiki on our world. He's got the worst sense of direction you can imagine. One time he tried to leave our bath and it took him three hours to get to the living room." She snickered. "He once had a duel with Ranma in the lot behind his house and he got lost on the way and didn't get there for four days. Ranma had gotten hungry and gone home by that time and Ryoga swore vengeance."

"My. That is bad."

"That's not the worst of it. After the failed attempt at the duel, Ryoga went on a trek to find and defeat Ranma. During the course of his trek, he ended up at Jusenkyo. There he fell into a spring and got turned into a baby pig. Later, he found his way back to Nerima and Akane adopted him as her pet, which she named P-chan. He's madly in lust with her and has no idea about how to express it. Only Ranma and I know who P-chan really is, and Ranma doesn't know I do."

"How do you know?"

She gave him a sweet smile. "I'm Kasumi. I know everything."

He peered at her for a minute. "I'll keep that in mind."

Kasumi smirked. "When are you going to leave?"

"We'll leave in two days unless I hear good news from Banzai. Ranma is anxious to get home. He won't admit it but I think he's worried about his father."

Kasumi snorted. "That old bandit will be just fine. He should be worried about the Tendo women."

"So you think there is an agreement there too?"

"That world is only four D points from the universe I come from. Of course there is."

"Yeah, I think so too."

Kasumi glanced up at him. "Do you think I should become a Tamer?"

"The first thing you need to ask yourself is if you are interested in having sex with a woman."

She shrugged. "Sex with you is a lot more fun that I thought it would be. I'd be willing to give it a try, if you didn't mind."

"A pokegirl would be able to help protect you from potential danger," he said musingly.

She kissed his shoulder gently. "I have you for that." Leaning her head against him, she sighed. "But you won't be around all of the time." There was a moment of silence. "You can forbid me from doing it, if you want."

"You do want to try this, don't you?" He wrapped an arm around her. "Once you get a pokegirl, it's like having another lover. I don't want you to discover you don't like it and then we have to find a home for your starter."

"It sounds like you have a suggestion."

"I do. Why don't you ask a member of my harem to introduce you to taming a pokegirl? That way if you don't like it, there's no harm done. I'll let Branwyn know that this is something I approve of."

She sat up and kissed him gently. "Thank you for approving."

"It's actually better for me, too. If you have pokegirls of your own, it would mean that you wouldn't be alone thinking evil thoughts about me on nights when you knew I was with members of my harem." He shivered. "Thoughts about knives or chainsaws."

She laughed quietly. "Nights? How about mornings and afternoons and evenings?"

"Well, yeah, those too."

She changed subjects suddenly. Shikarou was learning she did that. He suspected that she was one of those really intelligent people who just did that sort of thing, usually making those around them think that they were scatterbrained. "Would you mind if I asked Helen? She's already my friend and I think she'd be gentle with me." She looked worried. "What if she says no?"

"She won't. She likes you too." He frowned. "This does not mean that I'm going to give her to you."

Kasumi poked him gently. "Helen thinks the sun rises and sets because of you. I would never take her away from the man she loves." She kissed him on the nose. "Even if that man is my husband."

He shook his head. "You are a wonderful woman."

"Yes, I know." She gave him a stern look. "But continue to tell me every chance you get."

(06/26/99 0830 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The com screen lit. "Good morning, Beverly."

The Quillara gave him a wary look. "Shikarou. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Dr. Banzai made you the fall girl for giving me information." He smiled slightly. "So, I'm calling."

"Wonderful. I'll have to find a way to reward his generosity." She sighed. "Are you going to tear my door down again?"

"I have no intention of doing so at this time. I was a little upset at the way I'd been left hanging."

"Please remember that it wasn't my fault." She frowned and rested her chin in her hand. "So what information do you want?"

Shikarou cocked his head. "You know, you're right and I owe you a formal apology. Can I take you to dinner?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm Dr. Banzai's pokegirl."

"All I was offering was dinner," he smiled, "nothing else. I'd rather apologize to your face so hopefully you can enjoy my discomfiture that much more."

"Don't like giving apologies, do you?"

He shrugged. "Who does? If you'd like, you can bring him."

"I'll have to see what he thinks about the idea. Pokegirls don't usually receive invitations to dinner."

"I'm rather unconventional." He settled back. "So what's the progress on the portal equipment?"

"Very little. The damage is proving to be very extensive. It wasn't designed to withstand lightning strikes." She smirked. "Apparently they never considered weather effects. Dr. Freeman is talking about a whole redesign of the system."

"That sounds ominous for those of us who'd like to use it sometime before the next decade rolls around."

She nodded. "If it helps, I happen to agree with you. I wish I had better news to tell."

"So do I. Well, thank you for your help. Do you think I should bother calling tomorrow?"

She flashed a tiny smile. "Sure, why not. After all, who knows, Snorlasses might fly."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you then." He ended the call and leaned back.

Branwyn rubbed his shoulders gently. "So what now?"

"Tell Ranma and Nabiki we leave in the morning. We'll go like we did last time, taking everything and everyone we did before. Please ask Candace and Stardust if they'd like to come with us."

She tugged his braid to the side. "Stardust has already said she's had enough travel, but I'll extend the invitation. Candace should come."

"All right. You and Bellona prep the harem. I'll talk to Faelan and Lynn."

Branwyn slipped her arms around his neck and leaned against his back. "Kasumi asked Helen to her bed tonight. Should I try to stop that?"

"No. Just make sure Helen gets a wake up early enough to be ready to go on time and let her know that I'll take care of breakfast."

"You're worried we might get stuck there?"

"Branwyn, dimensional travel is always perilous. We could get stuck in a world with low enough magic levels that I can't open a return gate, or we might get slingshotted so far away I can't find a return path. Anything can happen on any trip."

"So we're not visiting Kasumi's world often, are we?"

"Once you've mapped both ends of a trip, it does become safer and that is a good place for procuring luxury items we can use or sell. We'll probably be making regular trips after things calm down a bit."

He sighed. "I'm going to have to settle things with my mother so we can start traveling to Tirsul. There's just too much stuff there that we could use to make things better here." He shook his head. "That includes some magic and technological equipment that would make dimensional travel safer."

Branwyn's arms tightened. "How about we take one insurmountable problem at a time, my love?"

"That sounds like an outstanding idea."

(06/27/99 0900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Urufu Kasumi slipped her arm through her husband's and leaned against him as they watched Ranma putting his harem away. She yawned. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"High libido pokegirls will do that to you," he commented quietly.

"Are you jealous?"

"No, I'm not." He took her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. "Satisfied?"

"No, but I am content." They turned back to watching as Ranma argued with Usagi. "I'm going to become a Tamer."

"Good. Are you going to go on a Taming journey?"

She laughed. "That holds no interest for me. I only need one or two pokegirls and that won't make a combat harem."

"Sounds like you already know what you want."

She glanced at him. "I usually do." He snorted and she smiled. "I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for, now I just need to match my wants with various pokegirls and see what I can find."

"That sounds rare and expensive. When I get back, we'll visit the Conservatory. There are a lot of rare pokegirls there and you might find one you like."

"Ok. I want to meet my future sister wife anyway." She leaned closer and dropped her voice. "Branwyn is hoping Poppet and I don't get along, at least not for a while. I think a little disappointment will be good for her."

"Damn, you do know everything."

She smiled softly. "I certainly try." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as hard as she could. "Come back to me as soon as you can."

"I will."

(06/26/99 2300 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Svetlana sat up with a gasp and reached for Faelan. She shivered when she realized he wasn't in the bed and reached for her robe.

He was sitting in the living area of their tent with her sister-in-law Kasumi. She was going to be staying with them until Shikarou returned.

Kasumi sat with her hands wrapped around a cup of tea. She turned strangely old eyes on the Megami-sama. "You, too?"

Svetlana took Faelan's arm and wrapped it around herself. "You can feel it?"

"If you are talking about the evil outside; yes, I can."

"Faelan?"

He shrugged. "It can't get in here. That much I know already. Kasumi says it's looking for something or someone."

Svetlana closed her eyes and reached out with that which made her a Celestial. "It searches for an answer and must provide it to its master."

Faelan touched his wand. "What is the question?"

"I don't know." She shivered again and opened her eyes. "Kasumi, how did you know about it?"

She sipped at her tea. "The women of my family have a long tradition of having certain gifts. One of them is the ability to just know certain things. It only happens when we become adult and only if we have a responsibility for others. My mother told me about it when she became ill. I had it when I took care of my father's household and since I now care for Shikarou's, I have it here." Her eyes narrowed. "It's moving."

Svetlana nodded. "Yes. It isn't friendly, but it doesn't mean us harm, at least not right now." She turned to Faelan. "Trying to fight it would be a mistake. We're not ready." She frowned. "That's what it is searching for. Threats. It wants to know if anyone here is a threat. To it? No, to its master." Her eyes widened. "It's gone now and won't be back."

Faelan untangled himself from his wife. "Svetlana, wake everyone up. I want Derdekea and Tetsuyo and you. Amy, Zorione and Maureen will be the reserve. Let's find out where that thing went while it was here and make sure it didn't leave us any surprises." He turned to Kasumi. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No. I know there's nothing out there. But learn its scent. That may prove useful."

Faelan blinked in surprise. "I will."

Kasumi chuckled suddenly. "It made a mistake, coming when it did. It missed a large portion of our resources."

Svetlana frowned and then smiled. "Shikarou isn't here."

Faelan returned the smile. "Neither is his harem. That thing missed two more Celestials and a mage." His smile turned savage. "If it comes here, its master may be in for quite the shock."

Ranma dropped through the gate and onto the rock that he'd been standing on so long ago when his journey started. He looked around and dropped easily to the ground. A moment later, Shikarou landed where he'd been. The gate hissed quietly shut, crackled once and was gone.

Shikarou raised his head and took a deep breath. "I smell cat. That could be a good sign." He hopped off the rock as Ranma let his pokegirls out of their pokeballs. "If my spell was right, about fifteen minutes has passed since you left here. I can smell you, but then you are standing next to me."

Rei snickered while Usagi gave a great gusty laugh. Shikarou folded his ears back against the sudden noise. Nabiki looked around. "Do you want us to look for a cat?"

Ranma shook his head. "If it is my pop, he'll just run at the sight of you. Build a fire and start boiling some water. We'll need it when we find him." He looked at Shikarou. "We need to find him."

Shikarou nodded and released Circe and Branwyn. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ranma looked confused. "What?"

"You've forgotten to warn your pokegirls about staying away from the springs." He pointed with his chin at Usagi, who had pulled out a pail and was headed straight for the nearest spring.

Ranma cursed and gave chase.

Shikarou shook his head. "Circe, we're looking for a cat who thinks he's an annoying bald glutton. The sex of the cat is unknown, but Shampoo was a female cat. Can you find him?"

Circe closed her eyes and her antennae lifted and fell slowly. She lifted an arm and pointed in the direction of the Jusenkyo guide's home. "Over there. It's angry and hurt."

Shikarou released Yushiko. "We're at Jusenkyo again. Set up an overhead patrol."

"Yes, lord." Her wings shimmered into existence and she launched herself into the air.

He cocked an ear and listened to the argument between Ranma and Usagi. "I was going to get water like you wanted," she said crossly.

"Why didn't you use Rain?. She can make it with her watergun attack, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. But I'm almost to that pond. I'll just get it from there."

"Usagi! That's one of the cursed springs. If you touch that water you'll turn into something else."

"Oh. That would be bad."

Ranma suppressed an urge to smack himself in the forehead. "Yes, it would," he said between gritted teeth. "Get the water from Rain." He followed her back to where his pokegirls were setting up the fire before breaking off and going over to Shikarou. He sighed. "She's a Megami but she evolved from a Bunnygirl. Is there any hope for her?"

Branwyn patted his shoulder. "Coming from being a Bunnygirl, she'll never be a genius."

He sighed. "I just want common sense."

The Unicorn gave him an astonished look. "From a Megami? Never happen. They don't have common sense to use until they become Megami-sama." She grinned maliciously. "Then they have it, but don't use it." The look became suddenly contrite. "Svetlana, of course, uses hers all of the time."

"According to Circe, your father is somewhere over there. He's pissed off about something." Shikarou flashed a smile. "Did you bring a collar for him?"

Ranma started laughing. "Can you imagine his response if I did that. I'd get him a nice pink one with a big bow."

"Just remind him of what the other Genma told me once. Martial artists can turn any adversity into training. He was trying to steal money from me at the time and I caught him." He chuckled suddenly. "Oh, get a sack. A nice heavy sack with a tight weave would be perfect. And get Usagi's bucket and fill it from Rain."

Ranma grinned. "I will, just as soon as he starts complaining." He squared his shoulders. "Let's get this over with." He headed off.

Shikarou dropped his voice. "Branwyn, take Circe and find us a place several kilometers away to make camp." He nodded towards Ranma's harem. "Once you find one, move that catastrophe waiting to happen. It's likely to take some time to explain to Genma what's going on and it's not safe anywhere around the training ground."

She nodded. "We'll take care of it."

They approached the house and Shikarou paused long enough to cast his illusion spells before knocking. "We close, go away." Shikarou frowned and knocked again, harder. "I say we close." There was a yowl from inside.

Ranma drew back his fist but stopped when Shikarou held up a hand. "We want the cat. I'll pay you for it."

There was the sound of locks turning and the door was jerked open. The Jusenkyo guide had scratches on his face and a thick bandage on his right hand. Lying on the table behind him was a sack with the mouth tied shut. "Cat not for sale. Stupid cat bite me. I sell to Amazon village, woman claim for husband. He get punish for rest of life."

Ranma burst out laughing and Shikarou fought a smile. "Hold out your hand." With a wary look, he did so and Shikarou dropped a gold coin into it. "For the cat." Another coin. "For the food the bald guy ate." Two more coins. "For the food the boy ate and all of their gear." He leaned forward and looked into the guide's eyes. "And if you refuse the money, I will drop you into one of the springs."

The guide paled and looked at the coins. He bit one and nodded. "Take stuff and go."

Ranma grabbed the bag. It jerked and yowled again. He grinned. "Pops, I'm going to rescue you." There was a questioning mwerl. "Yup, it's me."

Shikarou gathered up the packs. He hefted them. "Ranma, does this look like everything?"

"It's been over a year, I really don't remember." He slung the bag over his shoulder. "Come on, pop."

Once they got outside, Ranma froze. "Our pokegirls are gone."

Shikarou pointed up. "There's Yushiko and I also see Kasumi." He waved and the Griffon banked and dove.

She landed easily. "Branwyn told us to move the fire to the new camp. I'm supposed to show you where it is."

Shikarou had already seen the flash of white wings off to the left and had recognized Lorelei's flight movements. Kasumi pointed in that direction. "It's over there about a kilometer."

Ranma nodded. "Lead the way." The Griffon happily led them to the new camp, where a nice fire was going and a teapot was starting to steam.

Yushiko remained overhead, moving with them until they were almost there before landing next to her Tamer. "Did everything go well?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "So far. Tell Branwyn to set up a standard perimeter. I'm not worried about pokegirls, but there are Amazons nearby and I think they might be just as bad."

"Yes, lord." Yushiko hurried ahead, her wings shimmering out of existence as she ran. She spoke to Branwyn, who immediately started giving orders to Helen and Elizabeth. Both pokegirls quickly headed off into the woods as Pythia moved to hover over the edge of the camp.

Ranma untied that bag and pulled out a gray and white cat. "Hey, pop, you have hair again." The cat snarled and swiped at him. "Don't worry; I know how to get you back." He reached for the teapot and poured boiling water over the cat, which screeched and ran, changing back into Genma as he tried to scramble up a tree.

Branwyn snickered. "I don't think it needs to be quite that hot."

Usagi blinked. "Sorry." Rei gave her a disgusted look.

Genma stopped and stared at himself. "Thank you, boy!" Suddenly he was hugging his son, who squirmed to get away.

"Get off me!"

Genma released his son and looked around. "What is all this?"

Ranma grinned. "I think we need to talk about what happened to you before we talk about what happened to me."

Genma looked suspiciously at him. "What do you know?" He blinked when a tray of food was suddenly in front of him.

Rain grinned as she held it out to her Tamer's father. "Here. You need something to eat."

Genma took one look at the Mareen and finished climbing the tree. "USE THE FINAL ATTACK, BOY! RUN!"

Ranma groaned. "Somebody get him down."

Nabiki nodded. "We're on it. Kasumi."

The Griffon grinned and walked over to the tree. Looking up, she called. "Come down right now." Genma threw a branch at her. She frowned, changed to her battle form and pulled the tree out of the ground. Genma screeched and fell out of the tree as the Griffon shook it. Kasumi threw the tree to the side and grabbed him by the back of his gi before dragging him back to his son.

Shikarou and Branwyn exchanged amused looks as Ranma sighed. "Thank you, Kasumi. Well, pop, if she wanted to hurt you, I think you'd be hurting right now."

"What the hell is going on here, boy?"

"Shut up for a minute and I'll explain." He sat down next to his father and began talking.

While he talked, Rei comforted the hurt Mareen and Branwyn went about setting up the rest of camp.

Shikarou kept busy until the yelling started. "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?"

"It's the only right thing to do, boy."

"I AM NOT GOING TO JUMP INTO A SPRING SO YOU FEEL BETTER!"

Branwyn snickered. "This could get interesting."

"I suppose that's one word for it." Shikarou shook his head. "I wonder if this is a good time to ask about the Tendos." The Unicorn blinked and burst out laughing, which got the attention of the two Saotomes.

Ranma glared. "What is so funny?"

Branwyn took a deep breath and wiped tears from her eyes. "We were wondering if you wanted to get everything out of the way at once."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask him about Soun."

Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yeah, pop; did you set me up to marry one of the Tendo girls?"

Genma eyes went wide. "Well, ah, maybe?"

"MAYBE?" Ranma turned scarlet and then took a deep breath as his color slowly returned to normal. "Explain."

"You don't take that tone with me, boy."

"Oh, really? Kasumi." The Griffon grinned and spread her claws.

Genma blanched and held up his hands. "All right. My good friend Soun has no sons to carry on the Tendo school and you need a wife. It was only a natural development of our friendship."

Ranma looked up. "Shikarou, what would you do if your father did this to you?"

He looked thoughtful. "I'd probably kill him and then carry out the obligation he laid on me."

"That sounds reasonable." Ranma flexed his hands.

"Boy! Don't do anything hasty! Killing me won't accomplish anything and I've still got so much to teach you."

"Shikarou?"

The kami shrugged. "He might. In any case, it's likely that Happosai will get loose here, too, and Genma is a good punching bag for him."

Genma turned chalk white. "Master! Where! HIDE ME!" He scurried behind his son. "YOU CAN TAKE HIM, BOY!"

Branwyn was laughing so hard she had to sit down.

Circe leaned against Shikarou's back. "He's pathetic."

"Yes, but he is Ranma's father."

Nabiki appeared in front of them and Genma jumped. A week hadn't been long enough for him to come to terms with the fact that these pokegirls belonged to his son.

The rooms in the tent were soundproofed which meant that he still didn't know about the taming.

The Cheshire reached into her pockets and produced handfuls of money. "Ok, I don't have enough to buy the tickets to Shimonseki yet, but give me a little time and I'll take care of it."

Circe glanced at Shikarou. _I had been wondering why she had been spending so much time with Kebi while we were at Caomh Sith. Now I understand. She was learning to be a pickpocket._

"She seems to be a natural."

Circe snorted at his quiet comment. "Ranma doesn't have a problem with it."

He gave her an amused look. "I don't have a problem with Kebi's stealing, either."

She frowned thoughtfully. "I guess it's different when it's a member of our family." He chuckled.

Genma was watching with undisguised greed. "We feast on great food tonight, boy!" He completely missed the look Helen gave him that suggested she'd remember that statement.

Shikarou sighed. "He can't be that stupid, can he? Never mind, of course he can."

Circe disagreed. "No, he can't. Someone that stupid doesn't know which hole the dick goes in and he's got a son."

"Accidents happen. Maybe Nodoka is smart enough for both of them."

Ranma pocketed the money. "Good job, Nabiki." The Cheshire preened at the compliment.

"Give it here, boy. I keep the money in this family."

"Nothing doing, pop. You'll just blow it and we need this for the ferry." He grinned. "We have to take it since you can't swim to Japan as a cat."

Genma glared. "You better show me more respect than that. I am still your father, boy."

"It's your fault we went to Jusenkyo and it's your fault I have to marry one of the Tendo daughters." Ranma's voice began to rise. "It's your fault I didn't have a mother while growing up. You bastard, don't you ever tell me to show you respect. You don't deserve any!"

Genma stared in shock. To be honest, so did Ranma's harem.

Usagi leaned over and whispered something to him. Ranma sighed. "Yes, but you are the only good thing that's come out of his interference." The Megami hugged him.

He looked over at Shikarou. "Would you watch my father? I need some time alone with my harem."

Shikarou nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him. You do what you have to." He smiled slightly. "But if you don't come back in two days, I'll leave him here."

Ranma shook his head. "Don't tempt me. Girls, come with me." They headed directly away from Shanghai.

Branwyn looked at Shikarou and cocked her head questioningly. When he nodded she turned to Helen. "Find us a secluded place to camp." The Milktit nodded and disappeared into the trees.

Genma stared at Shikarou. "What have you done to my son?"

"I haven't done anything to him. If you actually listened to him, then you know he spent about a year on his own. He made all of the decisions and he was the one in charge. In other words, Genma, he had to grow into a man." Shikarou shook his head slowly. "He didn't do too bad a job of it, either."

"One of the results of that is he is going to be much less pliable to your manipulation. You might get better results if you treat him as an equal."

"He is still my son!"

"Yes, he is. But he's no longer your boy and you might want to stop calling him that." Shikarou gave him an amused glance. "Another thing you might want to rethink is the systematic abuse you've been trying to heap on him. Whether he is willing to take it or not, eventually you are going to anger his harem and Kasumi is quite capable of tearing you into tiny pieces if the situation demands it. She might not feel a whole lot of remorse over it, either."

He sighed. "The others are also capable of finishing you off and they have no loyalty to you. Pokegirls are conditioned to deal with threats to their Tamer and right now you are working hard to become such a threat. You really don't want to do that."

"What can I do?"

"You might want to start trying to make friends with Ranma. He's changed in the last year and you don't really know him that well anymore."

Genma looked away. "He is my son. He will do what I want."

"One of the things you have given him, Genma, is your stubbornness. You two are going to butt heads until he gets tired of it and then he just might leave you."

"I'm going to have to think about this." He turned and started looking for a place to sit. "When do we eat?"

"What did you say to my father?" Ranma looked out the window as the train headed into a tunnel. Tokyo was still a ways away and Genma was sound asleep. Elizabeth kept a close eye on Shikarou and Rei performed a similar function for Ranma.

"What do you mean? I've said a lot to him since we met."

Ranma gave him a slightly frustrated look. "Shanghai."

"I tried to explain to him that you became a man while you were gone. I also suggested that he start treating you like one or you might leave him."

Ranma colored slightly. "You said that? That's quite a compliment coming from you."

Shikarou gave him a flat look. "If you set up a shrine to me, I don't want to know about it."

Ranma grinned. "Yes, kami." He sobered. "He's been trying. Not very well, but then he's a jerk. However, he has been trying to treat me better. He's also staying far away from Kasumi. Do you know anything about that?"

"I told him that Kasumi was capable of ripping him to shreds."

"She would never attack a human! She knows better than that."

Shikarou looked innocent. "I don't think I got around to mentioning that particular fact." He shrugged. "Besides, if you ordered her to, I don't think she'd hesitate. After all, pokegirls obey." He glanced at Elizabeth. "Usually."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

Ranma shook his head. "You've come closer to achieving parity than anyone I can think of, including me."

"Bah. Parity is a pipe dream. Pokegirl genetics makes it an impossibility. I just let mine be themselves and appreciate them for that."

"Mine won't do that."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "Most of yours come from the same place and have the same prejudices. Let's face it, the Tendo ranch is not the most liberal place on the planet. The members of my harem come from all over the place, so they pretty much came contrary. Give yours some time. If you think about it, they've probably already come a long way towards individual growth."

"What do I do about the situation with the Tendos?"

"You either get married or you don't. However, if you are determined to follow through on the obligation your father laid on you, the only real choice for you is Akane."

"Why do you think that? The ones I've known were bitches."

Shikarou settled into the chair. "Let me give you the benefit of my vast years of chasing pussy. You already have a Kasumi and a Nabiki in your harem and choosing one of their analogs here would be an insult to not only the one in your harem, but quite likely the analog would see it as such."

"So that leaves Akane. Now, I talked with my wife Kasumi about the whole situation and it was set up from the beginning to screw that Ranma in every orifice he has."

Shikarou frowned. "First, I need to know if you intend to accede to your father's wishes."

Ranma looked determined. "I have to."

"All right, here's what I recommend. When we get there, you tell your father that you want the cute one."

"Akane isn't cute."

"No, a bitch isn't cute. By starting out with a compliment, you are keeping the bitch from appearing. She'll automatically presume you mean Kasumi because she's got a self esteem problem. Then you point to her."

"How will that make things different?"

"The bitchy Akane was pretty much dumped on Ranma, who she initially thought was a girl. There were some other misunderstandings, but the fact remains she was the last choice and her sisters decided that Ranma got her. She never had a say in the matter or felt wanted."

"By making the choice yourself, and by picking her without hesitating, you'll make her feel special. Girls eat that sort of thing up. Another thing, never, ever refer to her as a girl. Call her a lady or a woman. Girls love that, too." Rei smiled and nodded.

"What else?"

"Start out humble. Yes, I know it will be difficult, but if you start out humble then later on it's easier to correct any insults. And remember that she's just as proud as you are."

"Practice apologies. You are going to need them and you are going to have to sound sincere. Having said that, don't apologize if you aren't at fault." Shikarou grinned. "Having said _that_, think about how she might see a situation before you decide you are blameless."

"Tell her the truth about your harem and about taming from the beginning. Remember what I said about being humble? This is an excellent time to put that to work."

"If you try to hide it, she will walk in on you at the worst possible time. It's a universal constant, like gravity. Lie about another woman and sex and you will be found out. It might not happen every time, but it only takes one episode of her walking in on you with your dick in someone to turn your life into a living hell and telling her 'I have to do it' at that point is too little, too late."

Ranma looked thoughtful. "Can I compliment her?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. Do it frequently, especially if you think she deserves it or she looks like she's done something special for you." She frowned. "You look ok is not a compliment. Your hair is pretty or you have a pretty smile, those are compliments."

She frowned. "Something else I saw the other Ranma do that made Akane grind her teeth is jump right in."

"I don't understand."

"We girls talked a lot, and Akane talked with us. Ranma tended to just butt into any situation. She couldn't stand that, which goes back to her being proud. I think you should try asking or give a good reason." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "What I would suggest is that you explain to her that since you are engaged, you should start trying to think of yourselves as a couple. That would mean that her fights are yours too. Be nice about it, but be determined."

Rei touched him on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid to tell people that she's your fiancé. She will like that."

"That's a lot of stuff to remember." Ranma slumped in his seat. "I'm doomed."

Rei took his arm. "You are a good Tamer. Treat her as well as you would one of us and you should be fine." She smiled. "We will also be there to show her that you have a kind heart." Ranma turned beet red and she giggled quietly.

Shikarou stirred. "There's one other thing about her pride. I know that you are a better martial artist than she is, but try not to rub it in. If you do things differently, show her. You two are expected to carry on the martial arts traditions of you families and in my opinion, the best way to do that is by blending the best of them both. If she's like the other Akane, she's strong but not especially fast."

Ranma nodded as his mind jumped ahead. "Then I can work with her on increasing her speed."

"That's right. Be her friend. Later, you can worry about the rest." Shikarou glanced up as the train began to slow. "Tokyo." He turned to Ranma. "It's showtime."

Ranma took a deep breath and grabbed Rei's hand. "I'm ready."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 59

Milktit Helen 58

DragonQueen Bellona 53

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 50

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 46

Sphinx Lorelei 45

Mini-Top Nanu 43

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Name: Saotome, Ranma

Age: 17

Residence: Unknown

Region: Earth

Status: Active

Rank: NA

Security Clearance: Delta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Griffon Kasumi 40

Herochan Shampoo 37

Cheshire Nabiki 35

Angel Rei 29

Megami Usagi 27

Mareen Rain 25

Alpha Nabiki

Beta Kasumi


	33. Chapter 33

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 33

(06/27/99 0100 Blue Continent)

"Report, Germanicus." The whisper echoed in the darkness. It seemed to fill the room with sibilant echoes that grew in power and slowly faded.

"Master, I have but returned from the island of South Uist, now named Caomh Sith. As you directed, I explored the area for the presence of the Sidhe."

"And did you find any?" The whisper was softer, but a tremendous rage filled every syllable.

There was a deafening silence. Finally there came a reply. "Perhaps."

"An interesting answer. Elaborate."

"Master, I sensed the presence of something. In part it had the flavor of a Sidhe, but also another flavor as well, as if a Sidhe had crossed with something else to produce offspring."

"No Sidhe would deign to sully its blood with lesser races." The whisper mused. "Do you dare to speculate?"

"No, master, I have never tasted its like before." The silence stretched for an unknown time.

"I should have gone myself. Did you find anything else?"

"Master, there is also a Celestial pokegirl there. They can be quite formidable."

"You state the obvious, Germanicus. Perhaps it was a mistake to rely upon you."

"Master, I am your loyal servant."

The whisper became musing again. "Of course you are, Germanicus, for you have no choice in the matter." Another pause. This time the whisper was stronger and more decisive. "The bitch would not try to breed with mortal blood. They are of no import."

"Yes, master."

"For the time being I will ignore them. Ygerna will have to retrieve the Grimoire for me and if she can't do it on her own, I may have to force her hand."

"How shall we proceed, master?"

"Contact my agents inside the Order. The time has come for me to take more direct action."

"Yes, master."

"Germanicus, I grow tired of your 'yes, master'. You will become more useful or I will dispense with your services. Now, contact my seneschal within the Order and summon him to me."

"As you command, my lord."

(06/27/99 0600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Branwyn stepped through the portal and looked around as she moved aside to make room for the others. The bright moonlight showed that the pier was empty except for a single figure wrapped in a heavy cloak against the morning chill. She frowned at the unexpected intruder and began to gather energy. "Hello?"

Kasumi dropped the hood and smiled. Branwyn relaxed. "Welcome back. How did it go?"

"He didn't get married again, if that's what you are concerned about. How did you know we were here?"

There was an amused chuckle. "I'm Kasumi and I know things. Since I don't see Ranma, I can presume that it was his world?"

"It was." The Unicorn watched as Yushiko came through. "We took him all of the way to the Tendo hall and stayed there for a few days before coming back."

"So his father did have an agreement with that world's Tendo. I thought that might be the case. Was everything successful? How did Ranma do there?"

Branwyn gave a tired shake of her head. "I'll let our husband tell you about it. I need a hot bath and some sleep."

"Were there problems?"

"Things were actually fairly uneventful. We spent the whole time expecting the bottom to fall out, which means we were under heavy stress. Now that we're back, I can relax. She looked surprised. "Suddenly, I'm very tired."

Shikarou came through the gate and it closed behind him. Suddenly Kasumi was in his arms. "Hello, Shikarou, I missed you very much. It's good to have you back here with me."

He kissed her gently. "It's good to be home." He twisted slightly as Yushiko pulled the pack off his shoulders. "Thanks." The Armsmistress smiled and nodded before heading off with her alpha.

Kasumi snuggled against him. "So, this was the right world after all. Tell me what happened."

He shrugged. "There's not a lot to the tale. When we arrived, maybe half an hour had elapsed since Ranma had been brought to this world. Genma was in his cat form and he'd bitten the Jusenkyo guide. The guide had captured him and in an ironic twist Genma was about to be sold to the Amazon village as husband material. It was an interesting form of punishment. Anyway, after a brief discussion, we rescued him and headed for Japan."

"Genma and Ranma had a disagreement over who was in charge but eventually Ranma agreed to his father's wishes, at least for the most part."

"We took a ferry to Shimonseki and caught the train to Tokyo."

"While on the train, we talked about what to do at the Tendo residence and I gave Ranma some advice on dealing with women. He did a passable job at the introduction, choosing Akane to be his fiancé."

Kasumi cocked her head. "He chose her? What about Kasumi and Nabiki? Did they force her into it?"

"They didn't get the opportunity. Ranma announced almost immediately that he wanted the prettiest woman there and indicated that Akane was his choice." He smiled. "Her sisters seemed a little put out."

"I can guess they would be. That was very sweet of him. Was this part of your advice to him?"

"Yes, it was. Akane was, of course, stunned. Nobody had ever been serious when talking about her being pretty. I do admit she did look nice with the long hair."

Kasumi wrapped his arm around her. "Yes, she was very lovely with long hair. So, what happened next?"

"I have a recording of the entire encounter."

"I'd rather hear it from you." She smiled. "It helps to put things into their proper context."

"Ranma told her that they were both very young and he wanted to take it slowly, but that if they were going to be a couple they had to start working together right away. He told her that he realized that this was a shock to both of them and asked her help in working through it."

"At that point he also indicated that he had some secret information to give her and asked her to be understanding of his shortcomings since the only socialization he'd had was in the company of a confirmed jerk."

Kasumi blinked. "He said that? In front of his father? How did Genma take that statement?"

"Poorly. He frothed for a moment and then Ranma threw water on him and turned him into a cat." Shikarou smiled. "I popped the old man into a bag and he hissed for a while but eventually calmed down."

A peal of laughter rang out from Kasumi. "That's incredible. How did Akane feel about this?"

"She was flattered that he was trying to be understanding and intrigued by the idea of his confiding secrets to her. Her sister, Nabiki, was beside herself with frustrated curiosity the whole time we were there since Ranma took great pains to make sure that only Akane heard what he had to tell her."

"So what was this secret?"

"He got her alone and explained about pokegirls, harems and taming."

Kasumi came to a stop, pulling him to a halt. "Are you telling me that Ranma explained about having sex with his pokegirls?"

"Part of my advice was to be up front with Akane about the things that were part of his life, including his harem." Shikarou's ears flicked. "She was shocked, but after he introduced her to his harem, she was actually happy to find them friendly."

"Even Rei?"

"Ok, mostly friendly, with one distant pokegirl. It didn't hurt that they are all around the same age she is, and Ranma had stressed to them that Akane was going to be his wife someday and everyone had to learn to get along."

Kasumi's eyes went wide. "He actually said the word wife?"

"Akane looked pretty stunned after hearing it."

"I'll bet she did. No one expects a sixteen year old to say that."

"He's seventeen, but yes, Akane definitely didn't. Ranma took her out to the park and they spent the day getting acquainted." He sighed. "The next day was a bit more catastrophic."

"Tell me."

"Ranma had to go to school. It turns out that was part of the agreement that Soun and Genma made. So he went and he took his pokegirls."

"Did you know that Rain knows hydro pump? She used it to clear a path to the school through the collection of idiots that were waiting to fight Akane so, as she put it, 'Ranma's fiancé didn't have to get mussed'. Akane was very flattered."

"Not long afterwards, Kasumi shredded both Kuno's sword and part of Kuno until he fled." He smirked. "Nabiki has been learning how to pick pockets from Kebi and she got his wallet. She took them all to dinner out with his cash."

"Ranma's harem was so protective of both him and Akane that he didn't have to lift a finger the entire day. By the time he knew something was happening, the members of his harem were already dealing with it. Of course, they were a little hard on the school."

Kasumi grinned briefly. "That's hilarious. What did you do?"

"I stayed close enough to get involved if there was any trouble they couldn't handle, but otherwise far out of the way, like a smart kami." He shrugged. "When we left, Ranma and Akane had some mutual enemies at the school, some mutual friends in the harem and the start of a solid friendship."

"Well, you are quite the matchmaker." Kasumi snuggled against him. "Our children won't have a chance, will they?"

"My children will be allowed to find their own loves," He commented absently as he glanced around.

"Of course they will. It's just our job to send them at the people they might love."

He suddenly focused on his new bride. "I see some marital strife in several years, don't I?"

"Not if you agree with me."

Ears flicked. "Right. Marital strife it is."

(06/27/99 1100 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"So you looked for the evil presence you felt, as well as any traps or spells it might have left behind. What did your search reveal?"

Faelan shrugged. "Nothing. No magic, no traps and no monsters. There was a scent of herbs and dry dead things."

Shikarou frowned. "Dry dead things? That's interesting." He looked thoughtful. "Any mummies from around here would be peat bog mummies, not dry mummies. The climate and terrain don't promote their creation."

"Maybe it's a tourist mummy here with her family."

Shikarou gave him a look. "You couldn't get a laugh with that if you used Smilex mist on the crowd."

His brother winced. "Ouch. Tough audience. In any case, I need your help."

That got him a raised eyebrow. "What for?"

"Whatever it was, malevolent was its middle name and I would like to be able to access any possible powers I have in case it decides to come in for tea next time."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"I want you to teach me how to access my kami powers."

Shikarou regarded him solemnly. "Are you sure? I'm asking because you've got a shrine and worshippers. Acknowledging your kami gifts would make you more aware of them as well as more responsible for their wants."

Faelan gave him an odd look. "Midori does that for me now, she can continue doing it."

"I disagree. She's doing it right now because you can't. If you access your powers, part of the price may dealing with your own worshippers until you can set Midori up as your agent once more." He frowned. "By the bye, just what kind of kami are you?"

"I'm a protective spirit. I'm only responsible for a few hundred meters around my shrine."

"That's going to be fortunate. I have a little more responsibility as a spirit of death and of life."

"I don't understand how you can be both."

Shikarou flicked an ear. "I came here as a death spirit. My responsibilities were simple; I protected the newly dead while they crossed the river. This gave me a place in the family shrines, albeit a very small one."

"However, when Yushiko's mother prayed to me and became pregnant, some other women started praying to me as a spirit who breathes life into their bodies." He shook his head. "The fact that I had nothing to do with Nakamoto Nobuko's pregnancy is beside the point. The other women believed I possessed the power to cause pregnancies, which gives me the power to cause pregnancies." He snorted. "Now it appears that they may also be praying to me to jazz up their sex life and it's playing hell with mine."

"Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Nakamoto is Yushiko's family name. Her mother, Nobuko, is the daughter of Yoshihara Noriko and Keiichi."

Faelan grimaced. "So belief does make it real."

"Yes. One of the prime tenants of magic works in religion as well."

"It doesn't matter. I may need all of my available power, which means being able to use my kami powers."

Shikarou nodded. "I know it does, but I wanted to make sure you knew what could happen. The shrine isn't important. What your worshippers think of you is."

"Ok, now I know. When can we start?"

"After lunch."

Later that afternoon, Shikarou stood at the top of a nearby hill and watched his brother run to meet him.

Faelan skidded to a halt. "Sorry. We had a small emergency."

"I see. So do you need to return to deal with it?"

He shook his head. "No, everything is as under control as it's going to get."

Shikarou nodded. "Good. Once we start, I don't want you getting distracted."

He rubbed an ear tuft idly. "I don't know just how hard you expect this to be but actually it's not. Accessing new powers is like learning to do anything else that's new and all I'm going to be able to do today is give you some of the basics. As you age, you will undoubtedly develop new abilities that you will have to learn to harness. Some of them I will be able to help you with, but others will be unique to you and will depend on several things."

"What kind of things?"

"First of all, father is a wolf kami. My dam is a human kami, but she has shapechanging abilities. So far I've only manifested the ability to change into a wolf and a hybrid form, both of which are heavily influenced by father's bloodline. If my dam's powers will show in me is currently unknown." He shrugged. "My mother is Magdalene, but we don't share any blood in common." He smiled briefly. "I used to wish we did, but that's typical for a kid. I wanted so much to be a Kirin."

"We share the same father. However, your dam and mother is Tanika, who is a cat spirit. When you begin to manifest metamorphic abilities, you may be a wolf, a cat, both, or an admixture of both or even some combination of all of these. We have sibs who can't shapechange at all, but none of them come from our dams. All of Tanika's children can change form, even those that weren't sired by father."

"I don't have to be concerned about that yet, since you are probably too young to begin shapechanging, at least by using innate power. Transformation by spells, of course, is an entirely different subject."

Faelan nodded. "Mother said my sibs typically don't begin to change form until they are at least fifty years older than I am now."

Shikarou nodded. "I'll make a note of that and we'll start experimenting in about forty years." He frowned. "Where was I? Oh, another thing that may affect your powers is the fact that you are half kami while I'm three quarters. Of course, you are half Sidhe and I'm not, but that didn't prevent me from being able to access the Grimoire."

His ears flicked. "While I could talk all day, we'll start with the one ability that has remained constant in any of our sibs. I want to teach you how to summon your weapons and armor."

"Armor? I've never seen you wear armor." Faelan gave his brother a puzzled look. "Can you summon armor?"

"I do think I mentioned that all of our sibs could do this and I didn't leave myself out of that, did I?" He grinned. "I can summon it, but I don't like armor. My style of combat stresses speed and flexibility. Any armor, no matter how light, interferes with that." A light shrug. "I did wear it for most of my service to the Empress, but finally there was an episode where there was this huge oni that kept hooking its talons in my armor and then smashing me into hard objects like walls and rocks. After that, I decided it was easier if creatures like that were to grab my clothes or ribs, because I could pull myself free."

Faelan blanched. "Did you ever have to do that? Pull your own ribs out, I mean."

"Once. I was fighting a demon right at the edge of a volcano and the bitch stabbed me in the right side with a kusarigama. Then she jumped into the volcano, but kept hold of the chain, intending to drag me over the side with her. I ripped it free along with most of two ribs." He shrugged. "It hurt more than I liked, but it beat being dragged over the side and burned to charcoal. I've never experimented to see if that much heat would kill me."

"Um, why did she jump to her death?"

"She was immune to heat." A nasty smile flitted over his face. "But, as it turned out, she wasn't immune to arrows."

"Oh."

Suddenly Branwyn appeared and let Kasumi go. The Unicorn looked at her. "Over there looks good. She pulled out her wand and created a small table and two chairs along with some snacks and drinks."

Kasumi smiled at Shikarou. "We just came to watch the show."

Faelan gave his brother an odd look. "Wanted witnesses to my humiliation, did you?"

"I didn't tell them what was going on." Shikarou raised his hands in a placating manner. "I wanted this to be private."

Branwyn smiled beatifically. "Aggie did."

**Branwyn has standing instructions for me to contact her if you seem to be getting into a dangerous situation.**

Shikarou's eyes took on a dangerous glitter. "Oh, does she? I can fix that right now."

Kasumi cocked her head. "Now, Shikarou, you know that Aggie was just trying to make sure that you stay healthy. As your new bride, I can appreciate that."

His ears went flat for an instant and he forced a smile at his brother. "Do you want to continue?"

Faelan considered for a moment and turned to the women. "Make another chair, let Svetlana join you and remain quiet or Shikarou and I will go somewhere where we will not be disturbed."

Branwyn snorted. "There's no place you can go that I can't find him."

Shikarou blinked and a dangerous smile appeared. "Is that a challenge?"

Branwyn grinned and opened her mouth when Kasumi grabbed her wrist. "No, she was not challenging you, husband."

Branwyn frowned at Kasumi, but said nothing. A moment later Svetlana appeared. "You called, Branwyn?"

Kasumi motioned to the two gentlemen. "Shikarou and Faelan are working to give your husband access to his kami abilities and we thought you might want to watch."

Svetlana looked the two men over. "Why is Shikarou pissed?"

Branwyn smiled. "We didn't ask if they minded."

Svetlana touched Shikarou's arm. "May I stay? I would like to see how this works, if only because I'll be carrying your brother's children in a year and a bit." She dropped her voice so that only he could hear. "I hope that you will be there to teach my children, but we both know that both you and my husband may be taken from me without warning and I may have to do this myself."

Shikarou's eyes softened. "Thank you for asking. I wish you didn't have a point, but you do. However, if we do die, I know father will make sure you are taken care of."

She shook her head slowly. "I'm sure Kerrik will, but I would rather have my husband. If not him, then you are my second choice."

He smiled suddenly. "You do me great honor. Please, stay and observe if you wish, but I don't know how much it will help." She nodded and joined the others. Shikarou looked at his brother and chuckled. "You know, she just became ok."

Faelan smirked. "Yes, we are screwed, but it's a pleasant sort of feeling. Shall we?"

"All right. You showed me how to access my Sidhe side through opening myself to the land, right? Well, becoming acquainted with your kami self is different, but similar. You have to meet your beast." He scratched an ear. "Some kami families have traditions where their young have to wrestle their beast or fight it or something like that, but it really isn't necessary. You have to face your beast and accept it."

"How do I do that?"

"First, all you need to understand is that your beast is inside you and that you will be meeting it in an arena that only exists inside your consciousness. Once again, some families have very complex rituals involved in opening yourself to your beast, but there is one thing that all have in common." He flashed a smiled. "That's because it's the only thing that is truly needed. At some point everyone consumes the charged blood of a kami. Who gives the blood doesn't matter, and in fact you can drink your own charged blood if no one else is around or willing. The older the kami who gives the blood, the more power that can be charged and the better it is for the youngster." His ears flicked. "So, you will be drinking mine."

Faelan frowned. "Why does age have anything to do with the amount of power you can put into your blood?"

"The amount of power that can be charged into blood is a strict percentage of your overall power level. Older kami have more power, in general, and therefore can add more absolute power before that limit is reached."

Shikarou's voice took on a ritualistic tone. "Faelan, open your mind and your heart to the things that surround us. Smell the wind. Feel the life around you."

Faelan's eyes drifted shut and his face went still.

Shikarou spoke again. "Let your mind be unfettered by any concerns and unlock your power." Faelan's hair began to slowly twist in an invisible wind as Shikarou sank his fangs into his right wrist. Blood climbed up his arm and pooled in his cupped hand. He raised his hand to Faelan's mouth. "Drink and begin the hunt."

Faelan shivered as he sucked the blood from Shikarou's hand. His skin began to glow a soft white and the movement of his hair became more pronounced. Tiny balls of energy began to swirl around him, with more appearing each second. Soon, they formed a sphere of white stars that slowly rotated around Faelan.

They slowed and stopped, hovering for a heartbeat and then the sphere collapsed inward, the energy rushing inside Faelan's body. He cried out and dropped to his knees.

Faelan opened shiny blue eyes and slowly looked around as the glow of his skin faded. He smiled as Shikarou offered him a hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "That felt incredible."

"Yes. So what is your beast?"

"I am my mother's son. My beast is the demon cat."

Shikarou hugged him. "Congratulations. Are you ready to proceed to the next stage?"

"I am." He smiled slowly.

"Good." Shikarou smiled. "Now pay close attention."

"I have a question. Don't we have to have our swords made before we can summon them?"

Shikarou shook his head. "Some clans do, but our line forms the swords from the magic that surrounds us. We can summon two types of swords and armor. One type is fairly mundane. It doesn't dull or break easily and if it does, all you have to do is dismiss it and summon it once more for it to be sharp and whole."

"We can also summon enchanted weapons and armor, but to do so, we must give up some of our personal energy for the item, just like when we charge our blood. The amount of energy dictates just how powerful its magic is, and once again there is a strict limit on the amount we can give, roughly one tenth of our total power. Yes, again that is proportional instead of absolute, so if we both created swords with a tenth of our power, mine would be vastly more powerful than yours."

"Now, I'm going to summon a mundane sword. Pay attention. When learning how to do this, often it is helpful to say the name of the item you are summoning. I would caution about giving your items personal names because that can lock your mind into a specific pattern and if you need to summon a different type of sword or other weapon, then it could prove difficult. Later we'll worry about summoning things without vocalizing."

"We can summon more than one type of weapon but only to our hand. However, distance is no matter in dismissal so, if you needed to, you could summon a bow and arrows and then dismiss the arrows after you used them. Guns are more problematic because you have to understand modern propellants and once the propellant is burned you cannot get that back. Remember, use as little power as you have to because you never know when you will need it." A flash of teeth. "I always seemed to need it at the worst possible time."

He held out his hand. "Feel the energy matrix around us as I do this." He focused his will. "Sword." A broadsword appeared in his hand.

He offered it to Faelan as he continued in a lecturing tone. "Examine it and note the construction. One of the tenants of magic is that you can create things you don't understand, but if you understand them you can create better items. Any unlettered kami with our gifts can summon an iron or steel sword, but what you are holding is the work of someone who's taken some metallurgy and engineering classes. The blade is a composite alloy and the structural composition is a honeycomb matrix that gives the weapon superior strength while keeping it light."

"It can also help in other ways." He summoned another sword and the one in Faelan's grip wavered and vanished. "You can summon more than one weapon at a time, but if you return the one you created, you get a significant portion of the energy you expended back. Oh, and remember there is a maximum on the energy you have. If you summoned swords and then waited a few days to dismiss them you wouldn't get any power back because you'd already made up the shortfall." He flipped the weapon and, grasping the blade, offered it to his brother. "Try this one."

Faelan took it and gasped as Shikarou released it. "Gods! What is this?"

"It happens to be my practice sword. The outside of the weapon is several layers of the honeycomb steel you saw earlier while there is an inner core of the material found on the surface of neutron stars. That sword weighs half a ton." He shrugged. "We are much more powerful than just about anyone else and if you make a weapon like this, then your successful strikes do more damage and if you lose it your opponent may be unable to wield it against you. However, using a weapon like this takes a lot of training." The sword vanished.

Faelan staggered as the weight disappeared. "I'll bet. It probably takes a whole new series of techniques. Now I try?" He grinned as Shikarou nodded. "Great! I know just the sword I want to create."

"Shikarou," Svetlana called softly. "Does Aggie know how this is done?"

He glanced over at her. "Yes, but she can't do it. She can help if you have to walk someone through it."

"Thank you." Shikarou smiled and turned back to his brother.

In the meantime, Faelan had put his hands together in front of him and concentrated. As Shikarou turned his attention back to him, he spoke. "Sword!" A greatsword appeared, growing out of his hands with the blade extending out to its full length. It grew right through the center of Shikarou's chest and out his back for several centimeters.

Shikarou's eyes blinked owlishly at his little brother.

Faelan froze as Kasumi leaped to her feet. "SHIKAROU!" She whirled to Branwyn. "GET CANDACE!" The Unicorn vanished as Kasumi rushed over to her husband.

Shikarou's mouth opened and blood poured out and down his chin. Grasping the sword blade with two fingers, he shoved hard towards his brother. The sword slid backwards and Faelan stumbled with it as Kasumi grabbed his hands. "No, if you pull the blade out, he'll die."

Shikarou's teeth flashed in a soundless snarl and Faelan blinked and pulled the sword completely out of his brother's chest. Blood ran from the holes.

Dropping the sword, Faelan grabbed Kasumi as she lunged for her husband. "Wait." She smashed at his hands, but he refused to let go.

"You really should be careful where you point that thing." Shikarou's voice was low and raspy.

Kasumi froze for an instant and wriggled free of Faelan before almost throwing herself at her husband. She started to ease him down to the ground. "Lie down. Branwyn will be back in a minute with Candace." Her voice was tight with fear.

"I'm not seriously hurt." He let Kasumi ease him down to the grass. Svetlana helped her get him prone. "I'm not," he protested.

"Hush."

He gave her an exasperated look and pulled up his shirt. "The one time I decide to dress local and wear a t-shirt. Completely ruined. Look at my chest."

Kasumi watched as his wound visibly shrank. She wrapped herself around him and held tight. "I was terrified you were going to die."

Branwyn appeared with the NurseJoy. Candace kneeled and looked him over quickly. "Talk to me, Shikarou," she muttered as she used a khukuri to split his shirt up the middle. She dropped it and placed her hands on him. The wound started to glow and fade as she began healing his injury.

"I'm healing on my own." His voice was returning to normal. "It's mostly my fault, although I must admit I expected Faelan to point his sword somewhere safe when he summoned it."

"Sorry."

Kasumi helped Shikarou to sit up. He looked her over and smiled. "Since you're already covered in my blood, this won't hurt." He pulled her in and held her tightly. "I'm glad you were worried, but I'm a lot tougher than you think."

"Don't ever frighten me like that again," she whispered to him.

"It's going to happen. I fight with my pokegirls and sometimes someone gets hurt. Sometimes bad guys think they can take me and my harem." His voice was gentle. "Thank you, Candace."

The NurseJoy kissed him on the cheek. "I agree with her. I know you have to take risks, but I still don't like it."

"I was the one with his lungs stapled to his spine. I didn't enjoy it, either. Let me up, Kasumi." Candace helped her pull him to his feet. He sighed and peeled off the fragments of his shirt.

"Thank you, everyone, for your prompt response. Now I need to get back to helping Faelan."

Kasumi touched his wrist. "Can we keep watching?"

Branwyn took Candace's hand. "I'll be right back."

"You can if you want to." Branwyn and Candace vanished as he turned back to his brother. "Now turn to face that way and dismiss your sword. Once it's gone, I want you to summon it again. We're going to keep doing this until you have it cold."

(06/28/99 1000 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Flakes spun off the slab of stone in a long line as Shikarou focused his magic. The slab measured two meters tall, eight meters long and was six centimeters thick. He'd used his magic to carve it from what looked like an old quarry and then transmuted the rock to obsidian and armored it against the elements. The slab had been then lifted to its new home on a bluff overlooking the town and settled into a notch he'd prepared yesterday afternoon.

Behind the slab there was a trail that headed down the bluff and stopped in an open area that yesterday had been scrub. Today the locale had been completely cleared and was now freshly turned. Faelan had been doing the labor down there and now he could be seen bounding up the trail towards his brother.

He grabbed the water bottle. "I'm all finished and Svetlana is ready to hurt both of us if we don't tell her what we are doing. When are you going to be done?"

Shikarou cast one last spell and the carvings filled with a silver material. "I just finished." He wiped dust from his face. "It'll last for a thousand years."

Faelan moved next to him. "It's so empty. Do you think we'll fill it all?"

"I do. Call your wife. She should see it first. Then, we'll get the others up here and start laying out the garden."

Faelan stopped at the slab and ran his fingers over the lettering in the upper left hand side. "Does it ever stop hurting?" He glanced back at his brother.

"I couldn't tell you." Shikarou sighed. "That question, you should ask Svetlana." A tiny smile. "Or perhaps you could ask Ygerna."

Faelan's ears flattened briefly. "That isn't funny."

"You two are the last of your kind on this world. She has the right to make that request."

"And I have no obligation to agree to it."

"I agree. But what happens when Svetlana finds out about it? Will she insist that you never see Ygerna again or will she instead decide that you need to help save the Sidhe race?"

Faelan shook his head. "Are you going to tell her?"

"No. I figure she'll find out eventually and Ygerna isn't one of my subjects, so her needs aren't my problem."

"Then I'll go get her." He bounded down the bluff and headed for the road into Peacetown.

Shikarou looked over the town from here. A few new buildings were under construction. Both he and Faelan had decided where they were going to put their homes and started construction on them. Faelan was carving rock from the quarry while Shikarou was growing his from the rocks in the field where he intended to put his crops. It should mean that there would be less stone in his fields when it was time to plant, but he wasn't sure the percentage removed would turn out to be significant. He suspected that he'd still be building lots of stone walls after he plowed.

Frankly, he was beginning to wonder how much dirt would be left if he got rid of it all.

Svetlana appeared and let Faelan go as she turned to look around. "So what is this huge secret?"

Faelan took her hand. "It's not a secret; it's just that we had to do this ourselves up to this point. Now you can help."

He frowned. "We don't bury our dead. We cremate them and inter their ashes in a clan garden that is specifically set up for that purpose." He gestured down the trail. "That is going to be our garden." He nodded towards the wall. "That is where we inscribe the names of the dead who are put in our garden. Shikarou is the local elder and clan leader so he has the right to allow or forbid non-family members to be interred in our garden, based on whether or not he feels that they have made some kind of a contribution to the clan."

Svetlana cocked her head. "There are already names there. Whose?"

Faelan nodded. "Azumi and Kajimi are there, along with some others. Take a look."

The Megami-sama gave her husband a puzzled look. "Who else could be there?"

"Look."

She slowly approached the slab and peered at the lettering. A look of stunned surprise crossed her face as she reached out and traced the letters. "Ron? This is my old harem and Tamer." She looked over her shoulder. "But why?"

Shikarou smiled slightly. "I don't like the idea of destiny and I try to avoid it if at all possible but, according to Dorothea, they died so that you could meet Faelan. I thought that sacrifice should be honored." He glanced down the hill. "So I went and dug them up. Their remains have been mixed into the soil down there, along with the remains of the twins."

She gave him a sad smile. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome." He frowned slightly. "When I disinterred him, I kept his pokedex and used it to get his personal information. I took the liberty of informing his family that he was deceased."

Svetlana turned white. She whispered, "We never told them."

"They'd presumed he was dead when he didn't contact them again, but they were relieved to have confirmation and to know where and when."

"Thank you, Shikarou. Your kindness surprises me, and it shouldn't."

"I do that sometimes." His ears flicked. "So, now we have to put in the plants for the garden. I thought that you, Branwyn and Kasumi would like to help design what goes where and perhaps even with the actual planting. We'll bring Misaki up here and make the soil fertile while we're planning."

Svetlana nodded. "I don't know about the others, but I want to help. I am a Wolf after all."

(06/28/99 1600 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"I'm more hurt than angry." Poppet twisted to face him. They were sitting on the bench in the garden where she'd given him Branwyn a lifetime ago. "Do you love her?"

"No, I don't. Someday I will, but no."

"Then why did you marry her?"

He paused for a moment. "There are certain actions that have a feeling of rightness to them. Making Kasumi my wife is one of them. It's something that needed to happen." His ears flicked. "No, I'm not sure why." He grimaced. "Gods, I sound like Dorothea."

That got him a slight smile. "I was about to mention that. What about me?"

"I love you and I want to marry you, Poppet."

"Then let's get married right now."

He blinked and nodded. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out his com and activated it. "Father, I'm sending you this message to let you know that Poppet and I want to get married immediately. It is June 28th, 299 AS about sixteen hundred hours. We're at the Harris Conservatory and I'll give you ten minutes." He closed the com.

"What exactly was that?"

A voice sounded from off to the side as a strange man stepped into the little clearing. He was almost two meters tall and had white hair that hung down to his ankles. "That was my son keeping his agreement with me." He bowed to Poppet. "I'm Kerrik Wolf and I'm Shikarou's father and sire."

She folded her arms and got an obstinate look. "Why didn't security contact me about your presence?"

"I'm sure they would have if I had let them know that I'm here." He smiled slightly. "I wasn't really in the mood to deal with their excitement so I let myself in. I hope it doesn't cause too much inconvenience." The smile faded. "I'm altering the datastream your systems are getting to edit myself out. It's a fairly complex spell that has come in useful before. Therefore, electronic systems don't know I'm here and I avoided the patrols. Unless the intruder is someone like me, your security is pretty good."

Poppet got a firm grip on her anger. "What agreement?"

"Shikarou was thoughtless enough to not invite me to his other weddings. I was hoping you'd either let me officiate or at least observe yours."

"You're a priest?"

He gave her a broad smile. "I have been and I still retain the authority to marry people." The smile widened slightly. "To each other, of course."

She looked startled and then chuckled. "If Shikarou will have me, I would be more than willing to marry him."

Kerrik nodded. "Well, Shikarou?"

He took Poppet's hand. "I want to marry her now."

Kerrik smiled. "Poppet, do you need to prepare for this in any way? Shikarou and I would be willing to wait, if that were so."

She stood, pulling Shikarou up with her. "No. Marry us."

The ceremony was short and pretty. When it was done, Kerrik looked at Shikarou. "Will you accept my blessing, son?"

Shikarou's eyes widened. "Yes, father."

Kerrik kissed him gently on the forehead. "May you be strong and healthy and your children as well. Be fertile to those who want it." He turned to Branwyn. "Will you accept my blessing, daughter?"

She nodded. "Yes, father."

His lips were cool against her skin. "May you be strong and healthy and your children as well. I grant you the status for which you have long wished." His eyes glowed with an inner light. "Your human daughters will never know threshold and all of your children will be beautiful and filled with the power that life brings. You will be fertile and your children many."

Poppet felt odd for a second and then it was gone. She shivered. "Thank you. We will try."

"I welcome you to my family and to my clan."

She cocked her head. "Does this mean I get access to Shikarou's technology?" Her new husband made a choking sound.

Kerrik grinned. "Indeed it does. Make me a list and I'll see if I'm willing to let you have it."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But I don't know what's available."

"No, I don't believe you do. Perhaps you should talk to your husband and your brother in law." He turned to Shikarou. "If your other wives wish my blessing, let them know I will be listening. I would appreciate it if you also told Faelan and Svetlana."

"I will."

Kerrik nodded. "Then I have only one thing left to say to you. Poppet, I suggest you bond to him immediately. It might be useful in the near future that the two of you be able to locate one another whenever necessary."

She grinned. "Just as soon as I can get him alone, I intend to."

"Then I will be going. After all, I wouldn't want to keep you two apart." He turned and disappeared down the path.

Poppet shook her head. "That is an odd man." She slipped into his arms. "Where to, husband?" Her eyes gleamed.

"You will delta bond with me the next time we make love, right?" He smiled when she nodded eagerly. "Then, let's get that out of the way and then we can go to a nice island I know about and jump back in time about a week. Kasumi wants to meet you today, but I still want time alone with you."

"Ok. My room it is."

(06/28/99 1900 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

"I'm glad you and Shikarou got married." Kasumi helped herself to a roll as Branwyn looked shocked at her words. "It means that we are meeting as equals and I hope that will keep us from having difficulties in the future."

Poppet smiled at her. "Thank you. For myself, I'm pleased that you aren't upset."

"Now that there are three of us, perhaps we can keep there from being a fourth, at least for a while."

Branwyn chuckled. "The actual count is probably much higher than that. There are a several members of the harem who would like to join us and a couple who probably already consider themselves to be his wives."

Shikarou reached for the wine. "She's right."

"Just how many wives do you expect to have?" Poppet raised an eyebrow.

"Less than father does."

Branwyn gave him a look. "I know a little bit about Kerrik. That doesn't mean much."

Shikarou smiled. "I don't want that many. Now, can we get to the actual reason we're here? I don't think it was 'now that we're married to him let's jump all over Shikarou' either."

Kasumi gave him an innocent look while Branwyn and Poppet laughed. Poppet finally got it under control and nodded. "Kasumi, you've gone through the database. Do you think there are any pokegirls here you might want?"

"Actually, yes. I'm interested in Giselle."

Branwyn's eyebrows rose. "Giselle? If you really want her, you can have her. She's of no real use to me."

"I can make good use of her."

"So, who's Giselle?"

Poppet smiled. "How about we just meet her after dinner?"

After desert had been cleaned up, Poppet took them down to central storage. "This is where we keep the pokegirls that are going to be transferred somewhere else, sold or are just surplus." She glanced at Kasumi. "Giselle is surplus and has been for several years." She shrugged. "She's too powerful to be a starter pokegirl and I couldn't justify sending her to an experienced Tamer because one of our breeding Pegasluts keeps getting these mild infections that made me keep her just in case Ana died."

Kasumi nodded. "Your records indicate that she knows some magic spells."

"That's right. She tested quite high in magical capability." Poppet pressed a finger to a pad and the system powered up. "That will warm up in a minute and I'll be able to retrieve her from storage."

Shikarou frowned. "So, where is Devon?"

"He took Letitia and Christopher to see Florence for a week. Tobias went with them." She smiled. "Now that Christopher's colic has passed, thanks to you, they are willing to inflict their son on other people."

Shikarou nodded. "Anything else I need to know about?"

Poppet frowned. "I don't know if you need to know this, but it's got me puzzled. Xantha's been getting some visitors. Unusual ones, too."

"Are you aware of the demand she's made to the other ElfQueens about ruling the Blue Continent?"

"No. What has she done?"

"She told Lynn that she is the true ruler of the Blue Continent and that all ElfQueens owe her fealty and tribute." He grinned. "She wanted me."

Poppet blinked. "You are off limits." She shook her head. "Xantha doesn't seem to remember who actually rules around here. It may be time to remind her. How did Lynn respond?"

"Lynn sent Gwyneth as an emissary. The two of them want to take the land north of Caomh Sith and turn it into an Elf Preserve with Gwyneth as the queen. The meeting was inconclusive but it did let Xantha know Lynn's not going to play her game."

Poppet looked unconvinced. "The fact that she's become expansionist is interesting, but I'm not sure that explains all of Xantha's visitors. I'll take a look into it when I have time." The console gave a beep. "Ah, it's ready." She began typing commands into the system. "Shikarou, now that we're married, could I get you to repair the neural command system that's in place here? When it worked it allowed me to operate a lot of the equipment here by telepathy."

Kasumi chuckled softly. "At least I waited a day or two before making demands."

"I don't really think that's a good idea," Shikarou commented quietly. "I want you to move to Caomh Sith and making your life here more comfortable is counterproductive to my wants."

Poppet stopped what she was doing to stare at him. "I suppose you are right, but it is very difficult to even imagine living somewhere else. I've been here for so long." She smiled slightly. "However, I am excited about coming to live with my husband and my other wives."

"Even me, mother?"

"I don't have to tame you, so, yes." A pokeball materialized on the stand. "Here she is." She glanced up. "Kasumi, I'll need your pokedex."

Kasumi produced it. "Here."

Poppet updated it and the records of the pokegirl. "Ok, the Pegaslut Giselle now belongs to Kasumi Urufu."

Branwyn frowned. "How is Devon going to feel about you giving pokegirls away?"

Her mother chuckled. "I told him about your visit and he said you could have any pokegirl or girls that you wanted. He really likes Shikarou and the rest of you as well." She smiled to Kasumi. "I think you'll like him."

"Shikarou usually shows good judgment in his choice of friends." She turned the pokeball in her hands before activating it. "Giselle, come out."

There was a flash of red and Giselle appeared. She was a little shorter than Shikarou, which meant she was several centimeters taller than her new Tamer. Tight curls of silvery blue hair framed her face and her furled wings rustled slightly as she looked around. Her golden horn flashed in the light as she looked slowly at Poppet. She was slender and her D-cup breasts looked alarmingly large on her nude form.

Poppet motioned towards Kasumi. "Giselle, this is Kasumi Urufu and she's going to be your Tamer."

"Hello, Giselle. I am Kasumi." She smiled reassuringly at the Pegaslut.

Giselle dropped her head in a nod. "Mistress, I am pleased to meet you."

Shikarou's ears flicked. She spoke English well but there was a definite accent and he couldn't place it. _Aggie?_

**Her accent is Noir. That would be French to you. Her records indicate that she was born inside the World Alliance Pokegirl League as a Ponytaur.**

_Thank you._

Kasumi took the Pegaslut's hand. "I'm going to try to be a good mistress to you, but I'm kind of new to this, so I'd like your help in defining our relationship."

Giselle cocked her head. "The rest of your harem might want to help in that."

"I don't have any other pokegirls. You are my first, and by default, my alpha." She squeezed Giselle's hand. "I will be relying on the advice of my husband's alpha, but that doesn't change the fact that you are mine and her advice will only work so far. We are going to have to decide how we want to get along."

"I'm not interested in going on a journey, instead I want to learn magic and pass that knowledge on to my children. I may also end up teaching magic in a more formal setting and I will want your help."

Giselle looked stunned and then faintly happy. "I think I would like that, mistress. Battling has never excited me."

"That's good, because I don't find it all that interesting either." She frowned. "I suspect that it will still be part of the curriculum at the school we're setting up, but we'll find other instructors for that." She gave her husband a significant look. "This is Shikarou and he's my husband. You already know Poppet, and this is Branwyn. They are my wives and you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future."

Giselle bowed to each of them. "Mistresses. Master."

Branwyn nodded back. "The first thing I recommend, Kasumi, is to evaluate Giselle's education." She glanced at Shikarou.

He nodded. "She was born a Ponytaur, so it's likely she hasn't had any formal education at all. Giselle?"

The Pegaslut nodded. "I can do my numbers and if there aren't any big words I can understand simple writing." She smiled proudly. "I can write my name."

Kasumi looked shocked. "That's nice, but you will have to learn much more than that. Shikarou has some T2s that will improve your literacy and I will work on your education."

Poppet nodded. "Kasumi, whether or not you like battling, I would recommend that Giselle train with Shikarou's harem. She is a very rare pokegirl. You will be challenged for her and since you are a basic Tamer it will look very bad if you turn down any challenges for a while. You'll probably want a more specialized combat pokegirl in your harem as well."

Kasumi gave her a chilly expression. "I am a Tendo by blood and an Urufu by marriage. I may not like battling, but I intend to be very, very good at it, if only so others will get the idea that it's a good thing to leave me alone." She gave her husband an oblique look and relaxed at his approving smile.

"Branwyn, could you take me home? I would like to introduce Giselle to where she's going to be living." She colored slightly. "Then I have to tame her into my harem."

Branwyn smiled. "My pleasure. You'll need to return Giselle to her pokeball for the trip."

Kasumi fumbled with the pokeball for a moment and sighed. "Branwyn, what am I doing wrong?" The Unicorn gave her a hand and, quickly, Giselle was put away. "Thank you. I still have a lot to learn."

Branwyn took her hand. "You're not from around here, so don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, plenty of people will be more than willing to help." She looked over her shoulder at Shikarou. "Should I come back?"

Poppet shook her head. "I'll bring him back in the morning."

"Please don't keep him too long. Helen gets bitchy if she doesn't get her morning attention from him."

"I'll keep your suffering in the back of my mind."

"Somehow I don't believe you." She vanished with Kasumi.

Poppet chuckled. "Smart girl." She slipped her arm through his. "Will you make my hair as long as Branwyn's?"

"I'd be happy to."

(06/28/99 2300 Blue Continent)

The room was cold and water could be heard dripping in the darkness. The man knelt. "You summoned me, my king?"

"I wish to know what the state of our affairs is within the Order."

"They are dissatisfied with the Queen's orders to avoid Caomh Sith, your majesty. They yearn for vengeance against the Tamer who has bested them twice."

"Dissatisfied? Surely you can do better than that. I want you to fan the flames of hate against your queen. Strengthen the rumors that she takes orders from me, her king, and let it be known that I am tired of letting a woman's whimsy keep the Order from its destiny."

"Do you intend to do that, your majesty? Your followers will want to know the truth."

"I do. She has vacillated too long and I grow tired of waiting. Direct action is required and apparently she is unable to do such. Pave the way for my ascension."

"There are still many who would be loyal to the queen, my king."

"Once again you state the obvious. Where there is rot, I will bring flame. The Order will be purged as necessary to remove the weaker elements. The queen will be taken into custody to await my will." There was a raspy chuckle. "My will."

"It will be as you command, my king. When will you act?"

"When? Why, as soon as you are ready. Tomorrow, if possible."

The man cocked his head in the darkness. "We can be ready by tomorrow at noon. Will that be sufficient?"

"It will. I look forward to giving that bitch her comeuppance." There was a hiss in the darkness. "Finally, she will be mine.

(06/29/99 0130 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

Warm breath on his cock roused Shikarou from his meditation. His cock stirred and a tongue gave the head a quick lick. He frowned. That wasn't Poppet's style. His eyes opened and he raised his head to look just as he got licked again. "Nanu?"

The Mini-Top gave him glance. "Hi." She licked his cock yet again. "I'm your guard."

"Where is Poppet?"

"She had to get up. She said something about an emergency call from one of her spies." Nanu kissed the head of his cock noisily. "She told me to keep an eye on you." Her teeth flashed in a quick smile. "I don't really think she knew what she was ordering me to do."

"I don't think this is oh god." His head flopped back as Nanu sucked his cock into her mouth and rolled her tongue around it slowly.

Her eyes flicked to meet his as she worked his cock to the back of her mouth. She sucked hard as she raised her head, dragging his cock out of her mouth and then plunged her head back and drove him into her throat. She did it again, working him deeper each time until her nose touched his belly.

Saliva pooled on him from her distended jaw and she made a muffled noise. At the same time he heard her whispered thought. _Tada._

He suppressed a chuckle, which turned into a gasp when she pulled her head back up and sucked him hard. Fabric popped beneath his claws and she grinned around him.

Her head bobbed rhythmically as she worked his cock around in her mouth and he groaned as he felt the fire growing in his loins. She alternated licking with sucking until she heard him make the noises she was looking for and then went back to sucking him hard until he exploded in her mouth. She swallowed quickly but there was too much and it ran down his cock and over her hand. He received a glare and she licked him clean. "You made me look bad."

"I won't tell."

She flashed a toothy smile and swirled her tongue around his head. "Ok. You're forgiven." She sucked him into her mouth again and he gasped. "Did Candace take pictures as part of your baseline?"

He blinked at the sudden change of topic. "I think everything was videoed. Why?"

"I think the Edo housewives are having size issues because I'm sure this thing is bigger and I want to know for sure." She slid up his body and kissed him as she rose up. "I know I usually blow you at least once more before we move to this but I don't know how long Poppet is going to be." She hissed as she dropped down on his cock. "Oh, yes, it's bigger." Her hips rolled in a slow circle as she worked him deep inside herself. "Mmm, but not too big."

Her eyes slid shut as she rode him hard and fast. Her pussy muscles milked his cock as she rocked up and down and her breath came faster and faster as her orgasm built. She moaned with each stroke and gasped when he reached up and twisted her nipples hard with his fingers.

Placing her hands flat on his chest she began to bounce on his cock as fast as she could until she froze suddenly. Her body trembled and Shikarou grabbed her hips and thrust into her as rapidly as possible. She went into convulsions as she came and her nails raked down his chest, leaving thin lines of blood. He kept thrusting and she exploded into a series of multiple orgasms, her teeth snapping in the air as her ears flopped around them.

Shikarou gathered her ears in his hands as he felt his orgasm build and pulled her head savagely back, bowing her spine as he drove up into her. Her pussy clamped down on his cock like a vise and she screamed in pleasure/pain as he spilled into her.

Nanu collapsed limply on his chest, her breathing harsh and ragged. She twisted her head slightly and began licking the blood from his skin.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 60

Milktit Helen 58

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 50

Ria Kebi 47

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Vampire Elizabeth 48

Sphinx Lorelei 45

Mini-Top Nanu 43

Blazicunt Marzia 40

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**PEGASLUT, (aka PEGASUS) the Mythical Horse Pokegirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human, Metamorph  
**Element**: Magic/Flying  
**Frequency**: Very Rare  
**Diet**: near human diet, preferably vegetables  
**Role**: used as scouts and excellent Alphas  
**Libido**: Average to High (when with Tamer)  
**Strong Vs**: Normal, Fire  
**Weak Vs**: Electric, Magic, Psychic  
**Attacks**: Feather Shuriken, Whirlwind, Mach Breaker, Agility, Stomp, Takedown, Charm, Gust, Aero  
Blast

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed (x7), Enhanced Hearing (x6), Enhanced Stamina (x5), Enhanced Dexterity (x4), Metamorphing, Flight, Elemental Affinity: Wind, Danger Sense, minor psychic talents  
**Evolves**: None  
**Evolves From**: Unicorn (Bird E-Medal)  
Pegasluts are one of the more recently discovered type of Pokegirls. They can be identified with the single horn growing out of her forehead and for her feathered wings sticking out of her back which is visible in both forms but they can make it disappear at will. They retain their appearance evolving from the Unicorn, their breast size is now a very healthy D cup, and the dramatic change would be their looks, before you would consider them cute or beautiful, now they can be considered as stunningly gorgeous.  
They are one of the fastest flying Pokegirls around. In flight, they can easily reach speeds of 50-60 mph in just a matter of seconds and unlike other fast Pokegirls can maintain this speed for even 15-20 minutes at a time. The fastest recorded flight was 152 mph and was maintained for 30 minutes. They usually take on their human form when entering cities and towns so not attract to much attention to their tamers and themselves, and also when in need of taming. When taking human form all their abilities are halved until they return to their horse form. They lose the ability to repel Pokeballs after evolving from Unicorn to Pegaslut.  
Feral Pegasluts can usually be found near mountainous regions where they make their home safe from wandering tamers and away from dangerous Pokegirls. But from time to time they would sometimes go down from her mountainous retreat to mingle with Pokegirls living beneath or when in need of Taming. Though Feral a Pegaslut can be considered as quite intelligent, though they are wary of humans and careful around them especially wandering tamers, fearing they might be captured. Trying to capture a Pegaslut is a hard feat but quite worth it. Gaining their trust and later their respect, you can gain a Pokegirl who's very willing to join you and your Harem. Evil Tamers can't hope to gain their trust.


	34. Chapter 34

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 34

(06/29/99 0430 Harris Conservatory, Blue Continent)

Poppet nodded to Nanu at her guard post and slipped into her room. She shimmied out of her dress and slid silently between Shikarou's legs. His eyes opened and he cocked an eyebrow as she rubbed her cheek against his groin before sliding up and kissing him gently. "Now you smell like me again." She ignored his stiffening erection and made herself comfortable on top of his chest.

"So you know about what happened?"

She chuckled. "I may not have your nose, but when I left you reeked of sex and me. When I came back, you smelled clean." She kissed his nose. "Nanu couldn't keep her hands off of you which," she gave him an arch look, "I was hoping for after a solid week of having you to myself."

"I'll give her your gratitude," he said dryly.

"You will do no such thing. I wanted it this time but I know she takes as much as she can and a little bit extra, so you will do nothing to encourage her." She gave him a big-eyed sad look. "Please."

He turned away. "All right, you win, just stop that." She snickered quietly. "So, was it really an emergency?"

Poppet frowned. "I'm not sure. One of my contacts in," she paused and looked around carefully, "you know where, sent me an encrypted message. Unfortunately when I decrypted it, the damned thing didn't become much clearer." She sighed. "It's damned annoying but you work with the tools fate gives you."

_Aggie?_

**She is probably referring to Sanctuary. Most people won't refer to it by name because the rumor is you never know who is in their employ.**

Shikarou made a face. "So did this cryptic message happen to say anything useful?"

Poppet grimaced. "In April, someone torched a large chunk of the Kuno estate. They tried to make it look like an accident, but the head of the family actually hired some competent investigators and there were some serious discrepancies about the locations of various family members during the night. The eldest son, Tatewaki, was seen in at least two places at once."

"Interestingly enough, some of the automatic fire suppression systems didn't activate like they were supposed to and it's suspected they were compromised."

Shikarou rolled his eyes. "Kuno? You mean to tell me that there is an analog of that lunatic here?"

"Yes, now let me talk." She shook her head and her floor length golden braid slithered over her shoulder to smack him in the face. She giggled as he sputtered and fought his way free. "Oh, that's funny."

He spat hair. "You were saying?"

"If you had been listening, you would know that I was saying that the message hinted that 'they' were involved somehow."

Shikarou wrapped his arms around her. "Hold that thought, love." _Aggie, I'm tired of her hinting about Sanctuary being able to monitor our conversation. Sweep her computer network for anything that doesn't belong._

**Just a minute. **There was a pause. **It turns out that she's got three separate tracer programs in her systems. One of them I can't remove without corrupting her operating system, it's built into the primary executive files. The other two are more recent and both go to false mailboxes. One of them monitors the in-house surveillance system at all times.**

His arms tightened. "It turns out that your caution is commendable." He met her eyes. "And Aggie says it's also warranted. Your house has some leaks."

Poppet's eyes widened. "Can repair work be done right away?"

"Apparently one of them is in the foundation. Massive renovations may be in order." _Aggie can you write a patch what will feed them false information?_

**It is very likely that they'll know that the surveillance is compromised. Are you sure you want that?**

"It may be possible to patch the leaks from the outside, but water will pond and be visible to guests."

She blinked and nodded slowly. "I see. It's a risk I'm willing to take if your contractor can get in for the renovations right away. Is that possible?"

**I will have to spend a few hours in her computer systems before I can build her a new system. Does she want a copy of the old one without the flaws or one that is Tirsuli standard?**

"My contractor will want to know if you want the work repaired with local materials or if you want some of the stuff I have at home." He frowned. "You may also want his number for yourself, like Branwyn does and Kasumi is going to get."

Poppet's eyes widened. _You know we could talk like this, but this conversation is fun._ "I think that a fence from your stuff might be better, but local materials are fine for everything else. And I would like that number."

**My redirects will ready in a few minutes. One pristine copy of her system and an excellent security program should be ready by morning. You'll have to take care of the twee.**

"I suspect my contractor will be able to start work first thing in the morning, although some temporary patches may be in place in little while." He grinned. "I'll get you a phone from home today as well."

He kissed her lip. _So you think Sanctuary was involved in the attack on the Kuno estate?_

_My agent indicates that it is a distinct possibility. However, none of this information has been confirmed and is still tentative._

Shikarou nodded. _Is it important to us?_

_Everything those bitches do could be important._ Her eyes narrowed speculatively. _I think you should talk to Stroak. Some rumors connect him with them from the years he was missing. You might be able to catch him with his guard down since last month his town was raided for the first time in several decades and I understand he's still angry about something that happened. Pirates sacked the town and his lab, but they suppressed a lot of the information about the raid and he's not supposed to be talking about anything associated with it. Take Circe and Stardust and you may get some information we can use._

Shikarou shook his head. _Whipping out powerful psychics would be a dead giveaway that I'm suspicious of him. However, if you think I need to talk to him, I will and I'll see what I can find out. I've already got an invitation to drop by when I can. Maybe he can use some help or needs a shoulder to vent on._

_I suppose anything is possible. Be careful._ Poppet killed the lights and curled up with him. _You've made me very happy. Not even Jamie was willing to marry me._

_If he'd have been able to look beyond his prejudices, I'm sure he would have dragged you into the nearest wedding chapel._ He paused for a moment. _I don't expect this to make an honest woman out of you. After all, I don't expect those kinds of miracles even from my father's blessing._

Poppet shifted slightly. _I'm glaring at you in the dark. _He projected love across their bond. _Stop that._ He snickered and pulled her close. She made a contented noise and drifted off to sleep.

(06/29/99 1100 Blue Continent)

Sir Gregory glanced around the dining room as he checked his watch. The only person around was Sir Kenneth, one of the research specialists for the Order. _Perfect. He's one of the ones I want to talk to. _ He grinned to himself and settled down across from him. "Sir Kenneth."

"Lord Gregory." Sir Kenneth bowed his head in the proper amount of deference to a superior ranked knight. "Good morning."

"I've been looking for you, Sir Kenneth." He smiled slightly. "I understand you've been working on a program to tighten our security and I want to know how it's proceeding."

"Quite well, sir. I expect to have the final results within a couple of days and I've determined a number of avenues that will make the Order much more resistant to outside penetration as well as increase our internal security."

"Excellent. These have been troubling times and that will go a long way towards easing the fears of the rank and file."

Sir Kenneth bobbed his head in thanks. "I am here only to serve, Lord Gregory."

They were quiet for a couple of moments. "Sir Kenneth, have you heard about the King of the Order?"

Sir Kenneth gave him a curious look. "Who, Lord?" He picked up his knife and began cutting his steak.

Sir Gregory smiled. "There have been stories circulating about the existence of a king who rules the Order and uses the queen as a proxy for his commands. There's a new one about how he's going to come out of the shadows and take direct control of the situation. Have you heard any of those stories?"

Sir Kenneth frowned. "Yes, sir, I have."

"What do you think of them?" There was a just barely detectible edge to Sir Gregory's voice.

Sir Kenneth shook his head. "I think, sir," he drove his knife into Gregory's throat, "that they are true, considering I started them on his orders." He went back to his steak as Gregory tried to stand and collapsed sideways in a spray of blood.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball and a com unit. He released a Bondage Queen from the pokeball. "Kim, search him carefully." Then he activated the com. "We are go. Go. Go. Go."

The Bondage Queen quickly searched the dead knight, removing some jewelry and three pokeballs. She held them up. "Sir Gregory, you're only supposed to have two pokegirls. He's been hoarding again. Naughty knight." A sly grin slipped across her face. "What will you give me for them, Kenny?"

He picked up his glass of water. "I won't douse you and make you miss the fight of your life while you beg me to tame you."

"Prick." She pouted prettily and tossed the pokeballs at him. "Let's go start killing people." She watched as he tucked the balls into his pocket.

He motioned to Gregory's chair. "Sit. I'm not finished with lunch yet."

Kim glared and settled gracefully into the chair. A slight smile appeared. "His blood is in your food." The smiled grew. "Isn't that gross?"

Sir Kenneth wiped up some of the blood and licked it from his finger before wiping up more and offering it to her. She sighed with pleasure and sucked his finger deep into her mouth, making happy noises as she did so.

(06/29/99 1145 Blue Continent)

Ygerna leaned back in her chair and sipped at her wine as she mentally composed a message for the Indigo outpost. There were indications that the personnel there had been becoming complacent in their intelligence gathering efforts and she wanted it to stop immediately.

She jumped when someone hammered on the door. Morgan hissed and stomped over to crack it. She jumped back and pulled the door open to let two figures slip through and Ygerna's eyebrows rose as for the first time in her guard pokegirl's life, the Dragoness barred the door.

The two figures rushed forward to reveal a woman wearing the muted colors of a squire and a girl wearing a blood covered cocktail dress and slippers. Incongruously, the girl had a sword stuck through the belt of the dress. She was missing her right arm at the elbow and the stump had been tied off with a crude tourniquet. The woman dropped quickly to one knee as the girl moved to stand next to her. "Your majesty, we are under attack from within. There is fierce fighting in the halls and you must take charge of our defenses." She gave the queen a frantic look. "I am but a squire, but I will lay down my life to protect you."

Ygerna blanched and looked at Morgan, who gave her a grim nod. "The hallway smells of smoke and other things, my queen. I suspect they are looking for you and the fact that you changed your routine and came here without informing anyone is the only reason we haven't been attacked yet."

The queen shot to her feet. "Summon my guard. This will end at once."

The girl bowed. "My queen, I am Barbie and I am one of the Templar pokegirls." She had a look of stunned shock on her face, but her voice was even. "My Tamer was the only Templar to support you and he is fallen. The rebels have ice pokegirls and they hit your guard first. Morgan is the only survivor." She swayed and the squire grabbed her quickly. "I met Judith here on the way to find you and she told me the servants had brought wine here, so we fought our way to you."

Morgan and Ygerna exchanged a look of shocked disbelief.

With a thunderous roar, the door exploded inward in a spray of ice and wood. Sir Kenneth peered in cautiously. "Knock, knock." He grinned. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, your majesty." He tsked as he stepped into the room, followed by one of the Templar and two other knights. Their pokegirls spread out across the back of the room behind them. Most of them showed signs of recent combat. "You really should keep to your schedule. It would make my job a whole lot easier."

"Surrender now, Kenneth, and I may be persuaded to be lenient." Ygerna announced in a ringing voice. The squire, Barbie and Morgan moved to stand at her back.

He smiled slightly and tapped his cheek thoughtfully with a long finger. "Most of the resistance has been crushed and all you have is a human, Morgan and a beat up Magic Battle Angel. I know. How about you surrender and I'll put in a good word for you to his majesty. He sends his respects and he's willing to help you repopulate the world with Sidhe."

"And who is this king? Gregory?"

Sir Kenneth smirked at Kim and smiled softly at Ygerna. "I'm afraid Gregory never made it through lunch."

The Bondage Queen grinned. "But he tasted pretty good."

Ygerna gave them a disgusted look and clapped her hands. A wall of softly glowing light sprang up between Kenneth and her group. Morgan was already pulling the tapestry aside and opening the concealed door. The Sidhe waved her hand at Judith and Barbie. "Get in there right now. We don't have much time before they breach the barrier."

Once inside the small room, Morgan shut the door, which wavered and vanished, leaving a stone wall behind. "Where do we go, your majesty?"

Ygerna reached into the ley line that ran through the room and opened a portal. "I don't know how deep the rot runs or if any of my loyal knights survive. We'll have to go to Shikarou and Faelan and beg for their succor."

(06/29/99 1130 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"I really want to thank you for adding Josephine and Midori's names to the memorial, but I thought it was only for those who were actually interred in the garden." Faelan sipped at his tea.

Shikarou nodded slowly. "It is. I went back to the day after you killed the Giantess and gathered up some of the ashes from where you burned their bodies."

Faelan stared out the window of the inn for a long moment. "Thank you. I didn't have Josephine in my harem for long, but I still miss her. There was something special about her that I haven't seen since," he said quietly.

"That's why you didn't want to take the other Sabretooth Tigress I caught into your harem." It wasn't a question.

His brother gave a jerky nod. "Yeah. It didn't seem right." He smiled slightly. "However, if you run across a set of twin Espea like the ones I had before, I'll take them in a heartbeat. Taming them was fun."

"I really don't want to know about it." Shikarou picked up his mug and took a deep swallow. He only drank tea out of cups for formal occasions. Informally, he tended to drink out of a beer pint. He snorted. "There are a lot of things I don't want to know about right now."

Faelan flicked his ears. "Like what?"

"After talking with Nanu and Branwyn, Candace took another baseline when I got back this morning." He gave a snort and drank more tea. "Things are growing that I have been perfectly happy with up to this point."

Faelan started coughing. "Sorry," he grimaced. "I tried to breathe while swallowing. Care to elaborate?" He flashed a grin. "Or are you unwilling to go off half cocked and talk about this before you know more?"

"Not particularly." Shikarou gave him a flat look at the bad pun. "The growth has been slow, but Candace found definite differences. I've told Yushiko to have a long talk with my priestesses and to be rather firm about my wants."

Faelan snickered. "At least they aren't praying to reduce your virility." He blinked at the look his brother gave him and raised a placating hand. "Whoa there, Tex. I haven't said or done anything to deserve the predatory killer look, so tone it down a touch. Angry psychopath maybe, but not that."

"You are so lucky you are my brother."

"I know. If I weren't, I wouldn't dare to even offer to break bread with such an august personage as yourself."

Shikarou fought a smile and Faelan grinned when he saw it. "That's better. I like a happy wolf kami much more than a wolf kami who's ready to hamstring me and eat my liver." He cocked his head. "Do I need to get Kebi over here to scratch your ears? You are still her puppy, right?"

A growl came from his brother but quickly died. "That's her nickname for me, not yours."

Faelan looked startled. He glanced around quickly and dropped his voice. "You like it, don't you? Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."

Shikarou looked embarrassed. "Kebi and I have been going out at night. I turn into a wolf and she rides on my back while I practice that form."

"I'm sure you've made her very happy."

Shikarou looked into his pint. "I really hope so. She makes me happy and I hope I'm giving some of it back to her. They all do. I hope I'm being good back to them, I really do."

"You are." It was Pythia. "I'm glad to see the two of you together. Ygerna is coming and she is being pursued by part of what you came here to destroy, Shikarou."

He blinked and drained the pint. "Faelan, gather your harem. Pythia, show Svetlana where she needs to go." He grinned. "Finally, I get to see my opponent."

Faelan put a hand on his arm. "If it's what came before, it doesn't know about your presence; I'd suggest letting me deal with it first. You can be standby."

Shikarou grumbled. "Tactically, that's wonderful. Personally, it stinks; but ok, we'll do it your way."

A short time later, they were perched on the hilltop where Faelan had been enspelled by the Sidhe queen.

Shikarou glanced at his brother as he took up station on the other side of the area. "Branwyn, with me. Pythia, Yushiko, you have overflight with Faelan's pokegirls. Lorelei, Kebi, Marzia, you are the reserve unit. Lorelei, you are transport for the other two." She nodded and shifted to her battle form as he activated his com spell and quickly outlined his plans to Faelan.

"Sounds good," Faelan responded, "since our pokegirls aren't used to working with each other. I'm putting Zorione in as my reserve. She's in that stand of trees and keeping out of sight. Send your girls in there too."

Branwyn cocked her head. "Reserve unit, you heard him. Move." She turned to Shikarou as they headed off. "Grates, doesn't it? Faelan being in charge."

He gave her a sideways glare before nodding. "Yes." His eyes unfocused. "She's coming."

Faelan watched as the ley line sprang into visibility and the portal opened. He glanced at Svetlana. "I wonder if Shikarou has figured out how to do that yet."

She shrugged as she kept her attention on the opening portal. "We've got four people emerging."

Ygerna, Judith, Morgan and Barbie stumbled from the portal as it closed. Judith collapsed and vomited loudly. Barbie stopped and helped her back to her feet.

Faelan muttered to himself. "We've got wounded. Branwyn, Pythia, I want you to medivac the human and the non-dragon pokegirl." He waved to Ygerna. "Get over here! Someone is following you in!"

Ygerna looked up and began to run towards him as Pythia and Branwyn teleported in and grabbed Judith and Barbie before teleporting away to the clinic. The Sidhe ground to a halt. "Where are they being taken?" Morgan lumbered up and took her place as the queen's guard.

"Medical. You'll all end up there later." He looked up. "Derdekea, you have overflight responsibility with Yushiko."

The ley line began to sputter in and out of visibility and a glowing green form stepped out of it. Svetlana glared. "That's the thing from that night."

The skeletal figure looked around slowly as the glow faded. It was clad in rotting remnants of some kind of armor and the remains of a cape graced its shoulders. Thick gray hair was pulled back in a loose braid. "Ygerna." While the creature was over a dozen meters away, its voice seemed to surround them. "You should not have fled. My master is most displeased with your behavior."

The Sidhe queen turned and glared. "I am not yours to command." She blinked and looked more closely. The blood drained from her face. "Germanicus?"

"You remember me? Good. Then you know who I serve. He wants you to come to him so that the two of you can rebuild the Sidhe race." It gestured around. "These opponents you've fled to are but annoyances and they cannot save you."

Faelan stepped forward. "You will leave my land immediately, lich." He summoned his sword and it burst into flames as he raised it. "Or you will die again, right here."

Shikarou sighed from where he crouched. "He talks too much. Attack already or give the command to flee."

The creature seemed taken aback for a moment. "So there is a mixed blood Sidhe warrior here? Ygerna, my master didn't think you'd sully yourself with a mortal. He will be so disappointed to hear about your infidelity."

Ygerna spat on the ground. "That to Eoghan and to you. I am not his to claim. To be here now, he must be as undead as you."

"He is much more than that, my queen to be." Germanicus nodded to Faelan. "I will leave, but first, a gift." It clasped its hands together and made a tossing motion into the air. "Seek the most, avoid the queen." It bowed. "I leave you a promise of things to come." It wavered and vanished as a glowing ball sprang into existence and darted away in a straight line. The ball disappeared into the grove of trees where the reserve unit waited. A heartbeat later, there came an explosion that leveled the grove, and sent fragments of trees careening in all directions.

There was a shrill scream, cut short as Shikarou raced into the still settling dust and debris. "Branwyn, Pythia, get back here immediately." He pulled up short and sighed. "Never mind." Fragments of bodies were strewn about aimlessly. "We only have one survivor."

Svetlana appeared as she teleported in with Faelan, who turned pale as he surveyed the damage. "Shikarou, I am so sorry." He sighed and knelt next to a piece of his pokegirl. "Zorione." Tears began to run down his cheeks. "Forgive me," he whispered.

Shikarou slowly searched the wreckage until he found Lorelei's head and most of a shoulder. Branwyn watched as he picked it up and moved to a clear space. "Shikarou, let it go."

He shook his head. "Lorelei is bound to me by blood. She can only die if I do or if I let her. I can't save the others, but she was mine before this happened." He laid the piece down and sank his teeth into his wrist. Blood spattered on the body. "Lorelei, I need you. It is not time for you to sleep. Rise and serve me."

Branwyn stared as Lorelei gasped and shuddered. Blood poured from the part of her that remained; a flood that was far more than could ever be in her living form. It took the shape of her missing body parts and the fur and flesh rose up through the blood. In seconds, she was whole. The remaining blood sank into her skin and was gone. The Sphinx opened her eyes. "Master." She rolled to her feet and stretched her wings. "Was I dead?"

"Not really." He turned and sighed as he watched his sobbing brother. "Faelan." His brother looked up. "If that creature returns, I will kill it. If it does not, I will find it and kill it. Do you wish to hunt with me?"

Faelan's eyes narrowed to slits. "I do," he hissed. He bowed his head. "Can you forgive me for what happened?"

Shikarou cocked his head. "No. This was not your fault and you are not to blame. Germanicus is and if this Eoghan ordered this, then it as well. They are the ones I will seek vengeance from."

Lorelei touched his shoulder. "I would hunt with you. They took my sisters and almost took me."

"Husband." Shikarou's eyes narrowed as he turned to Branwyn. "We do this together."

His eyes narrowed. "You will not be my shield this time for I will fight as well. A lich is a formidable mage and it sounded like it may have a master, who is likely another lich."

Ygerna stared at Shikarou. "Only the greatest Sidhe mages could raise the dead. What are you?"

He smiled slightly. "Me? I'm Shikarou." His ears went flat. "I am many things but today I am death and Germanicus and Eoghan will find that they have only delayed death by becoming liches, not stopped it." His eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "But first I must care for my dead." Pain filled his eyes. "Marzia and I were still getting to know each other. Kebi," his voice broke. "Kebi was mine and," he stopped. A snarl ripped the air. "No one kills my pack," he whispered. "No one."

(06/29/99 1500 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou released the spell and the bodies flashed to ashes and smoke. The vapors swirled around him and Faelan before being dissipated by the breeze. Faelan released his spell and the ashes sank into the ground of the garden and were gone. He looked up at his brother. "So, when do we leave?"

"There are some things that need to be done first." Shikarou stared off into the distance. "We may not leave for several months. We still don't know where we are going, or who our opponents are. Not knowing those things will only get us killed. Remember, we also have a responsibility to the living, to our wives and harems."

Faelan ground his teeth audibly. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Two reasons. First, I suspected you didn't know this, but I wasn't sure and I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Second, you are now committed to hunting with me, which means you have my experience to draw on." He turned to face his brother. "That experience tells me that if you rush off in a rage, even if you knew where to go, which you don't, the only reason I might not end up having to breed Svetlana myself would be if she died with you. I have seen too many kami killed by haste than by anything else and you are not going to fall prey to that mistake while I live."

His eyes softened. "We will learn our foe and we will either thoroughly plan an assault on their stronghold or, and much more to my liking, we will devise a way to draw them out to a killing ground of our choice." His ears flicked. "Or do you want to lose more of the women you love to them?"

There was a muffled crack as one of Faelan's teeth shattered and he winced. Shikarou nodded. "It's frustrating, but we must act carefully unless we want more deaths on our side."

"So how do we find out this stuff?"

"Aggie is researching everything she can find online about legends of Celtic undead and other horrors. It's doubtful they stayed in place the whole time they've been plotting whatever they want. Any scrap of rumor, legend, or anything will get plotted in time and space as best we can. We may also have to follow up any leads of hers with work in libraries and any other archival sites she discovers may hold something we need." His ears went still. "We also have another source that may shorten our searching. But you are going to have to remain calm while we investigate."

"What is it?" Faelan asked eagerly.

"Ygerna recognized Germanicus. From her reaction, I suspect she knew him while he was alive. She may prove invaluable if we can persuade her to talk."

Faelan's claws flicked. "She'll talk."

"Hold that thought, but a more conventional interrogation may prove more useful. Torture works and I'm not adverse to it, but eventually your subject will tell you anything that they think you want to hear just so the pain stops. That is usually unreliable information." _And if you torture her, my brother, she'll never mate with you._ Shikarou carefully guarded that thought from his sibling.

Faelan nodded. "You have the experience and I yield to it."

"Good. Now we need to add three names to the memorial."

(06/29/99 1630 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"How is she?"

Candace shrugged. "They're all exhausted. Ygerna said that having to rush things and not being able to cast the portal spell properly created stresses that made the trip very rough and tiring. I put them to bed and they're all asleep." She pursed her lips. "It turns out that neither one of the pokegirls has their pokeball, so we are going to have to put them into new ones. The necessary protocols are in a containment system computer, which we don't have yet. Also, the Magic Battle Angel doesn't have a Tamer anymore."

"She may end up with Judith, so I wouldn't worry about that just yet. As for the new pokeballs, I'll have Molly do it with the one in Lairg tonight. I'm not sure I want them anywhere near the Conservatory." He sighed. "You need to leave and take Maude with you."

Candace gave him a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

He gestured around at Circe, Stardust and Pythia. "Ygerna has information in her mind that I need to hunt that monster and I'm not willing to play whatever games she may want to beforehand, so we're getting it tonight."

Candace gave him a direct look before nodding. "I'll send Maude out on an errand with Amy and we can do it while she's gone."

"We?" Circe looked amused.

"I want that thing destroyed as much as you do. Kebi was my friend and Zorione was one of my patients. I'll monitor things while you four work." She shrugged. "Maybe I can head off Svetlana or Dorothea if they come by."

"That couldn't hurt." Stardust looked briefly thoughtful. "Welcome into our conspiracy." Teeth flashed. "You don't have to worry about Dorothea; she's on the roof watching for Svetlana."

Candace nodded. "Give me five minutes and I'll get rid of Maude." She kissed Shikarou on the cheek and bustled off.

Stardust nudged him. "You're staring at her ass."

"She's got a nice walk."

"That is not her walk."

He gave the Alaka-Wham an irritated look. "Drop it."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "How can you want more tamings? That thing is going to get worn to a nub."

Circe snickered. "That's it. He's unhappy that it's growing and he's trying to wear it down to keep it a proper length."

Candace came back a minute later to find them still chuckling. She gave them a cross look. "What's so funny?"

Shikarou gave Circe a bland look. "I was just asking the same question."

Stardust twitched an antenna and Candace frowned and then grinned. "Oh." She gave him an amused look. "I was thinking that maybe we need to add a libido entry to the Tamer information database. What would yours be?"

Pythia's nose quivered. "What's higher than extreme?" She blinked and sighed. "I miss her. She would have found that very funny." Suddenly the room was filled with somber faces.

Shikarou took a deep breath. "Yes, she would have. And I'm sure she does." He forced a smile. "Kebi would want us to be happy. Maybe we'll throw a wake for her and the others."

Candace blinked. "I think that would be a wonderful idea. There aren't usually memorial services of any kind for pokegirls. Once again, let's set tradition on its ear."

Pythia nodded. "I'll talk to Helen about it."

"No." Shikarou shook his head. "I'll take care of the food and drink. Helen needs this as much as the rest of us do. If she insists on cooking, fine, we'll work something out, but she needs to participate. My cooking only takes seconds."

"Um, so does hers, now."

"I said we will work something out," Shikarou snapped. He sighed. "Sorry. I'll talk to her and see what she might want to do."

Candace hugged him with all of her strength. "We understand." She clung to him for a moment before letting him go. "I'll use that sleep spell you taught me to make sure no one wakes up, especially Morgan." She headed out the doorway and stopped to look over her shoulder. "Shikarou?" When he looked up, she shook her rump. "Just keeping the blood flowing." She grinned and winked before leaving.

"That's a good nurse. She keeps your well being uppermost in her mind and doesn't even think of her own needs," Pythia said in a deadpan tone.

Shikarou joined in the quiet laughter. "Ah, yes. She is dedicated. Now we must go to work, ladies."

(06/29/99 1900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Circe levered herself out of the command chair and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm glad my twee is working now. I didn't like getting knocked out for memory downloads. I'm the last, right?"

Shikarou nodded. "Yes. Selene?"

The holographic Egyptian woman turned to him. "I'm compiling everyone's memories of the trip through Ygerna's mind now with what we already knew." A door slid open. "If everyone would move to the conference room, I can begin the briefing." She vanished.

Svetlana sighed as she and Faelan entered the conference room and chose chairs. "I still have problems with a computer as smart as I am."

Selene gave Shikarou a pained look and he nodded. _I know. You're not a computer, you are a life form in your own right and you are much smarter than Svetlana is._ She winked an acknowledgement.

He looked around the table. Faelan had brought Svetlana and Derdekea while he'd brought Branwyn, Pythia, Circe, Stardust, Candace and Bellona. Kasumi was also present with Giselle. Poppet was staring around at everything, this being her first visit to Alexandria.

Selene surveyed the room. _Commander, you have an interesting command staff. _ "All right, this briefing is to discuss the mental interrogation of the Sidhe Queen Ygerna. The interrogation team consisted of Shikarou, Pythia, Circe, and Stardust. In addition, a teacher was used to download everything in Ygerna's mind. I am still exploring what was acquired with it and it will not be covered during this briefing."

"Per Tirsuli law, personal recollections are off limits without express permission of the original memory holder, which has not been given in this case and is unlikely to be given since these memories were forcibly acquired. Commander Shikarou authorized the acquisition as an exigency of war; otherwise he would be in violation of Tirsuli law."

"Commander Shikarou has authorized me to release some of the personal memories involving Eoghan and Germanicus, but even then I am limited to a summary. Please note that this briefing is available in the teacher network for personnel unable to attend this meeting."

She clasped her hands behind her back. "Ygerna met Eoghan and Germanicus in approximately 1000 BC, in what would become northern Scotland. That's 3300 years ago for some of you who don't know when BC took place. Eoghan was a druid and had Sidhe blood. Germanicus was another druid and had been Eoghan's friend since childhood. There is an unfounded rumor that Germanicus was Eoghan's half brother, apparently his father was popular with the ladies."

She cocked her head. "It should be noted that neither Eoghan's father nor Germanicus have any Sidhe blood, so it's likely that his father was not his sire. Therefore, while he may have been popular with the ladies, he may not have been so with his own wife."

Several snickers sounded throughout the room.

Selene let them die down before she continued. "Eoghan came to her attention because of her role as one of the mages of the northern Sidhe court as pertained to testing possible Sidhe. He wanted to be recognized as Sidhe enough to join the court and she was appointed to oversee his testing."

"He arrived during the spring festival along with an escort that included Germanicus. Ygerna met both of them there and, in fact, slept with Germanicus during the festival."

"Eww." Bellona looked embarrassed briefly at the outburst until there was a murmur of agreement.

Branwyn frowned. "How many courts were there?"

Selene considered before answering. "Unknown. Courts formed and dissolved as political alliances changed and families of Sidhe grew and lost power. At the time of Eoghan, there were at least five that Ygerna knew of for certain and several others that she had heard of but never met anyone from."

"Eoghan failed his tests and was declared unfit before being banished from the northern court. His leaving was apparently filled with acrimony and included death threats, but nothing was thought of it at the time and eventually he and Germanicus disappeared into the mists of time as mortals do."

Svetlana frowned. "What did the tests consist of?"

"They were varied, depending on the testers and what they wanted to see, but the one test that had to be passed involved accessing Sidhe power. Eoghan couldn't do it and, in fact, attempted to pass off his druid magic as Sidhe." Selene's lips thinned. "It didn't work."

Kasumi looked curious. "Would Shikarou and Faelan pass?"

"They have already accessed their power, so yes. Faelan has a higher percentage of Sidhe blood and would therefore be considered of higher station than Shikarou but both would be Sidhe."

Faelan grinned. "So there."

Selene looked amused. "Indeed. During the mortal lifetime of Eoghan, several attempts were made to steal the Grimoire of Danu, which had been created by Ygerna approximately a thousand years before. It was hidden to prevent its loss and later was lost to the Sidhe, although this loss wasn't actually discovered until Ygerna went in search of it."

"The next time Ygerna had contact with either druid was today when Germanicus appeared in pursuit of her."

Selene frowned. "However, there are some other interesting things in her mind that she didn't put together. There was a gathering of the Sidhe at some kind of event that was supposed to culminate with a casting of a spell that would increase their power significantly. Every Sidhe that could be was there and Ygerna was as well."

"During the casting of the spell, something went wrong. Except for Ygerna, there were no survivors."

"It turns out that there were two other Sidhe that were unable to make the rendezvous, a Sidhe male and his pregnant wife. Interestingly enough, they died on the very same day that all the other Sidhe did. Ygerna investigated the deaths and the devastated area bore a remarkable resemblance to the blast area of the spell that Germanicus employed today."

"That is all the information that Ygerna had that is pertinent to the investigation of Germanicus and Eoghan."

Selene smiled. "Now we enter the realm of speculation and blind guesswork. Legends that date back for thousands of years tell stories about a sect of druids who managed to conquer death. Some of these stories are obvious retellings of tales from other regions recast in Celtic clothing, but other stories are more interesting."

"Some of the latter stories talk of a small group of druids who almost died but didn't end. These druids have a specific goal, to defeat life itself and become as gods." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, the stories were fragmented to begin with and much was lost first when the Celts abandoned their tradition of oral histories and again when Sukebe destroyed the world."

"There does exist, however, a series of stories that date from after the Isles became Christian. In fact, they are the only druidic stories from post Christianity and almost all of them are Irish." She paused to let that sink in. "Sadly, at this point I cannot narrow things down any more than that."

Giselle raised a hesitant hand and blushed when Shikarou smiled and motioned for her to speak. "Do you know where Ygerna came from?"

Selene smiled. "That is an excellent question, Giselle. The answer is no. The knowledge of the location of the Order of Pendragon's holdings are locked in her mind with a spell which I cannot override." She nodded towards her commander. "Shikarou believes that the spell is keyed to destroy her mind if the information is forced from her, and was unwilling to try to remove the spell himself. He hopes that Faelan can get her to tell us where it is."

Svetlana frowned. "Why Faelan?"

"Ygerna thinks that Faelan Wolf may be a suitable breeding partner." There was a tiny smile on Selene's face. Shikarou could just see her thoughts. _Take that._

Svetlana turned pale. "Why not Shikarou?"

Shikarou was giving Selene an annoyed look. "I'm not as pure of Sidhe blood as Faelan is and frankly I've already got three wives while he's only got one. I'm up by two and it's his turn in the box."

The room rocked with laughter. Even Svetlana had a chuckle. "All right, she wants my husband, which only shows her good taste. Faelan, are you up for this?"

He met her eyes evenly. "Yes. That information is the first step to destroying Germanicus and Eoghan. Remember, if they did intend to wipe out all the Sidhe except Ygerna, then it's likely I'm next."

"I never thought about it that way." A determined glint appeared in her eyes. "If it's us or them, then they go."

There was an angry growl of agreement.

(06/30/99 0030 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou slowly began worming his way out of the pile of pokegirls. Branwyn had let him know that the others had requested that they all sleep together. Marzia had been making herself a valuable part of the harem and had made several friends while Kebi –

She had been Kebi and had been loved by everyone in the harem. She'd always been friendly and willing to help. Being feralborne and never domesticated until she'd decided to give herself to Shikarou, she'd started way behind everyone else and raced to catch up.

Both of them were missed and since they were the first fatalities in Shikarou's harem, it had hit everyone very hard.

That had included Shikarou. He knew that Branwyn suspected he blamed himself for Kebi's death. She was wrong, of course. Germanicus had been Kebi's murderer and Shikarou knew that he wasn't at fault.

No, he blamed himself for failing Kebi. She'd placed her life in his hands and he'd let her die. He knew that he wasn't responsible for her death, but he also knew that he was responsible for the fact that she was no longer alive.

He stopped briefly in his room before slipping out of the tent. The moon was up, but it was a new moon and cast no light, which suited him perfectly. The stars were bright enough to see by and he glanced around while deciding where to go. His ears rotated and his face set. "Dorothea, you are supposed to be asleep right now."

Her voice came from behind him. "My lord, thou leaving woke me and I followed. On this night, thou should not be alone."

He glanced back. She was still wearing the cotton shift she slept in. It shone ghostly in the darkness and highlighted her legs. "You know, you are sexier in that than if you were nude."

She stepped closer. "I had hoped that thou would think so. Since none of the others wear clothes in bed, I had hoped it would set me apart for thee." He smiled as she became more visible. She had remembered her sword and dagger and they gleamed in the starlight. "You are nude, my lord."

He shrugged. "It didn't seem important. Are you going to accompany me?"

"Always."

"Then hold this." He handed her a small leather pouch and scooped her up. She squeaked with surprise but didn't struggle. "You trust me?"

"I do." She pressed her lips lightly against his for a brief instant before tucking her weapons close against her body. "Where are we going?"

"Away." He bounded into the forest. Several minutes later he stopped in a clearing and carefully let Dorothea stand. "I'd like you to be silent while I do this." She nodded and handed him the pouch before stepping away.

He opened the pouch and shook out Kebi's lightball. Placing it on the ground, he bit into his wrist and dribbled blood over it. "Kebi."

The air shimmered and she appeared. Dorothea gasped. Kebi laughed soundlessly at them and reached up to pat his cheek. "Puppy."

Shikarou dropped to his knees. "I'm so sorry I failed you."

A warm hand cupped his cheek and raised his head to look at her. "Not your fault. Kebi's time."

She rubbed her nose against his softly. "Kebi not mad. Puppy no hurt."

A whisper against the night. "I miss you so much."

She kissed his cheek. "Kebi make promise. Come back. Puppy be happy. Kebi want Puppy happy."

He stared at her for a moment and nodded. "However long it takes, you will always have a place with me."

"Kebi come." She picked up the lightball and offered it to him. "You keep for Kebi. I come, I want."

He cradled it against his chest. "I will have it when you come back."

"Good Puppy. Give raspberry."

Shikarou blew her a wet raspberry and she giggled and faded into nothingness. He stayed kneeling for several minutes, head bowed, his breathing slow and even. Then he smoothly rose to his feet.

Dorothea wiped her tears on her shift. Her eyes gleamed wetly in the night. "Shikarou." He cocked his head with an interested expression. "How long do thou think it will be before she returns?"

His ears flicked. "Reincarnation is an odd thing. She'll come when she comes."

"And thou will be waiting."

He nodded. "I will."

She took his hand. "And I will wait with thee." She nodded firmly. "However long it takes."

His ears stilled. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am. My lord."

His hand tightened on hers. "So be it."

Energy shimmered around the two of them and Dorothea sighed happily. "I serve thee, my lord and god. Forever." She frowned. "I hear laughter." The frown became a smile. "Kebi's laughter. She's pleased at what we've done."

Shikarou gave her a wistful look. "I don't hear anything and she did have an odd sense of humor." He frowned slightly. "I can sense that you served my father."

Dorothea nodded. "He gave me purpose. Now, thou are my purpose and my life."

He shook his head. "Very well. We need to be returning to the tent." He blinked as the terrain changed and they were standing outside the tent. "Um, Dorothea?"

"I have been studying teleport with Circe and Pythia that I might serve thee better. I still have a lot of work to do on my range and power, but this was within my current capabilities." She gave him a shy look. "Are thou pleased?"

He grinned. "I am surprised, pleased and delighted." The smile vanished as he shook his head. "In some ways I dread the next Sadie Pokens day because you, Kebi and Helen have been so wonderful that you have probably caused me to set my expectations so high for the pokegirls that might follow you. Possibly too high."

Dorothea smiled and opened the tent flap. "Thou should have high standards, my lord. Thou are a god and gods should not be satisfied with every pokegirl that comes along." She gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Although the reverse seems to be true and thou seem to want to satisfy every pokegirl that comes along."

His ears quivered with excitement. "You're jealous."

"I would never presume to be jealous of thee."

He blinked. "I didn't think you could lie."

She gave him an innocent smile. "Me, my lord? Perhaps there are still things that thou can learn about even me." The smile faded. "Thou need rest, my lord."

"Are you going to keep me company to make sure I get some?"

She flushed slowly. He watched with growing interest as it spread down her throat and beneath her shift. "If I must, my lord, then that sacrifice I will indeed make for thee."

"You are too good for me."

She shook her head gently. "Perhaps in the beginning, my lord, but slowly thou have changed that and made me just good enough for thee." She gave him an amused smile. "Svetlana does not know what to make of the changes thou have wrought and does not see the changes that have been wrought in thee by our association."

He chuckled. "I want to remember that phrase. Just good enough for me." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Does that mean you'll start sleeping nude with me?"

She sighed. "My lord, is it not true that every time thou sees me in my shift, thou wishes to remove it and ravish me?" She gave his groin a pointed look.

He grinned. "Yes."

Dorothea's gave him a smile that women have given men since the dawn of time. One full of mystery and promise. "Then, I shall continue to wear it for thee."

Shikarou stared at her, completely speechless.

(06/30/99 0600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Show me."

Nanu quickly assembled the M107. "And done."

Shikarou nodded. "Not bad. Well within the US military time requirements." The Mini-Top preened until his next words. "Now, if we account for the fact that you have five times the speed of a human, then you are woefully slow."

"That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair. Kebi learned that yesterday." His voice was grim. "I'm going to work the survivors until we have the strength to force life to be fair, even if we have to do it over a pile of dead bodies."

"Is that fair to them?" Nanu gave him an amused look.

"Who gives a shit? As long as none of mine are in the pile, I call it a win."

"I can live with that." They shared an evil smile.

"Now you get an exercise. Put in your earplugs."

Nanu carefully lifted each ear and inserted the custom hearing protection. It was designed to protect from loud noises while allowing normal conversation. "Ready."

"Here's your scenario. The rest of the harem is away when you get an emergency message from Selene. Her sensors have picked up an unknown vessel entering the harbor. You have to investigate and control the situation to the best of your ability until help can arrive. You don't know how long that will be, so as far as you know, you are on your own." He shrugged. "I know it's not realistic; with your twee, you can yell for help anywhere on this planet, but we're going to go with it. I'll go along and give you pointers as we go."

Nanu nodded. "I'm ready."

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "We'll see." He gestured and the door to the arena opened. "Go."

Nanu pounded through the door and threw herself flat, carefully setting the .50 caliber sniper rifle's bipod stakes in the ground. She peered over the weapon and blinked. "What the fuck is that?"

"Pause exercise." Shikarou cocked his head. "That is the same kind of vessel that hit Phallus town last month. Why did you set up where you did?"

"It was the first area I came to." She looked around. "Shit. You didn't make the best cover right in front of the door."

"It never works that way. Where do you think you should be?"

"In those bushes?"

"That does seem to be a better place to find a rabbit, doesn't it?" That earned him a glare. "Right now you have a big problem." He indicated the galley where it floated well offshore. "There's someone in the crow's nest that will be able to see you before you get off your first round."

"Where?"

He sighed. "The crow's nest is the little platform on the top of the mainmast. It's the middle mast."

She looked through her scope. "Crap. There's someone up there."

"Exactly. Move into the cover. Remember to use all the cover you can, but don't limit your view if possible or it will bite you in the ass and not in a fun way."

Nanu settled into the bushes deep enough to be invisible from the shore but not so far into them that she couldn't see the ground in front of her. "Resume exercise." The ship began moving again. "What do you think you should do next?"

She peered through the scope. "I see a pirate flag and they aren't trying to contact anyone on shore. I don't want to let them land if possible."

"Where will you start?"

"The, um, crow's nest?"

"That's where I would start. Range?"

Nanu picked up her binoculars. "1200 meters." She made an adjustment on her scope. "They'll be moving so I need to keep that in mind." She glanced up at him. "Ammo?"

"Use the purple tips. That's the same as the original armor piercing explosive incendiary rounds but uses Tirsuli explosives."

"When will I get to use Tirsuli weapons?"

"After you master these. If you learn to snipe with Terran weapons, then any rifle you find becomes that much more lethal."

She nodded. "Should I be worried about their cannon?"

"Not at 1200 meters. They'd be just about as useful if they picked them up and threw them at you."

"What about a modern ship?"

"One of mine would detect your first shot, backtrack with radar and burn this hill to glass before two seconds had elapsed. One with a combat AI on it would shoot down your first bullet, too. Now, I suggest you get busy with your job."

Nanu slipped a clip into the rifle and charged it. "Firing." She held the image for a few seconds and squeezed off a round. The rifle boomed and gas shot out of the muzzle brake on either side of the weapon. Downrange there was a flash and a body was catapulted out of the crow's nest from the impact.

Nanu shifted her aim and fired again, killing another crewmember. "Pause." She looked up at him. "You need to consider threat assessment, Nanu. Killing random members of the crew won't do your job. Look for high value targets. Priority targets are the people in charge or people who are linchpins to the operation. Sometimes they are the same person, and sometimes they aren't. Look and tell me what you see."

She frowned and looked through the scope, moving it up and down the length of the ship. "I should kill the pokegirl at the ship's wheel. She controls the movement of the ship and it looks like she was bellowing an order when you froze the exercise."

He nodded. "Good. Another thing to remember is that usually humans are higher value targets than pokegirls. And if someone is much better dressed than anyone else, they are a good choice too. However, try not to kill hostages. That tends to annoy the people on our side."

"Let me guess, threat assessment is a learned art?"

"That's right. You have all the training you need thanks to the teacher, but you need to learn to use it and the more you do, the better you get. You can practice this at any time, in any place. So do so." He glanced down at her. "Resume."

She returned quickly to her scope. The sniper rifle cracked again and the ship's pilot flew sideways in a spray of blood. Nanu waited a moment and fired again, killing a pokegirl that was trying to reach the ship's wheel. Shikarou nodded. "Good choice."

The ship began to turn into the breeze and the sail went flat as it swung around to face the land. Nanu cursed. "I can't see the back of the ship."

"It's called a stern. Don't worry, once they have someone at the helm, they'll be nice enough to turn it for you."

A moment later, the ship began to come about and as it did so, they could see that the cannon had been run out to battery. Nanu fired and cursed. "Missed."

"You didn't allow for the ship's movement in three dimensions. It moved forward, drifted to the side, and sank into a wave trough. You'll get better." He cocked his head. "How many rounds have you fired?"

"Five and I've got four left." She fired again and the new navigator was blasted away from the ship's wheel. "Three."

A cannon fired and then another. Neither of the rounds came anywhere near them. Shikarou nodded. "Panic fire." He grinned. "Pause."

"What!" Nanu glared at him.

"Big picture time. Always look around once in a while. What do you see?"

Nanu looked around and cursed once more. "There are some pokegirls on the shore. They must have swum to it and they're headed towards me."

"Yes. If you don't think you can drop them all, you need to evac to another site. Now you know that the panic fire wasn't. It was to distract you from the shore party. Someone is still in charge over there." He nodded. "Here's something you'll need to practice as well. Give me the rifle."

Nanu stood and handed it to him. He held it carefully. "Don't try this yourself, this weapon needs the right recoil to reload and too little can actually damage it. Resume." In a smooth motion he raised the rifle, paused for a heartbeat, and fired. Nanu looked through her binoculars and watched as the ship's wheel exploded into fragments. "Now you can retreat and they're still screwed. If the vessel is stern on to you, put your round into the rudder. Also remember that this rifle will penetrate any wall on that ship, so if you get bored and the ship is drifting or stuck, potshot into the cannon deck. You might hit some powder and have a nice fire brew up." He smiled. "It will also penetrate just about any wall on a ferry too, so keep that in mind if they come in something a little more modern."

He glanced up as the pokegirls pounded up to them. "End exercise." They faded away. "Keep an automatic weapon as a backup. This is not a machine gun and rapid firing will burn out the barrel or jam the weapon, turning it into nothing more than an ungainly club. Also remember that in a situation like this, where you are the only defender, your job is to avoid direct contact, so retreat and set up another ambush. Kill them in ones and twos over and over and they'll become a little nervous."

He grinned. "And if they come out with hostages, I would recommend ignoring them. They are likely to kill the hostages after they kill you, if you turn yourself in. Oh, and shooting the people holding the hostages, while intimidating, tends to piss the bad guys off royally. Once they kill a few hostages and realize you aren't going to give in, they will usually stop. If they don't, they weren't going to anyway."

He handed the rifle back to Nanu. She grinned. "Two rounds remaining."

"Excellent. Now let's go outside and you can clean it." He eyed her thoughtfully. "Later we'll run a similar exercise with a Tirsuli rifle and I'll show you the differences."

"Like what?"

"Oh, like the fact that you could have engaged them at 3000 meters easily. A Tirsuli sniper rifle could engage them at 10000 meters, but then there are other issues, like the fact that every shot raises a pall of dust around you and gives away your position." He shrugged. "Flying pokegirls will find you very quickly in a situation like that and it gives teleporting pokegirls a target. Your best bet at that point is to employ a remote sniping weapon and you go do something else, like sit a hundred or so meters behind it and kill anyone who teleports in."

Nanu grinned. "That's wicked."

"Nope. That's fair."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 60

Milktit Helen 58

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 50

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 50

Vampire Elizabeth 48

G-Spliced Pythia 47

Sphinx Lorelei 45

Mini-Top Nanu 43

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**BATTLE ANGEL, the Knight Of Steel Pokegirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human, Metamorph

**Element**: Steel/varies with the item equipped

**Frequency**: somewhat Rare

**Diet**: varies, but mainly human-type food

**Role**: armored warriors

**Libido**: varies from Low to High

**Strong Vs**: By Element

**Weak Vs**: By Element

**Attacks**: By Element

**Enhancements**: By Element

**Evolves**: none known at this time, speculated to evolve to Berserker in unknown conditions

**Evolves From**: Ingénue with a Steel Coat (Trade Item)

A Battle Angel is the ultimate in armored Pokégirls in terms of speed, firepower and cuteness, once they are equipped with an item and they start down their development path, it is nearly impossible to change their secondary element.

A Battle Angel has two forms: armored, in which she looks like an armored knight in form-fitting armor; her second form is her naked body, the form she is tamed in. With concentration, the Pokégirl's armor folds and retracts into her body, where upon she looks exactly like a normal human girl. Most keep their hair long, interestingly, when they are armored, their hair is as tough as their armor. They are not restricted to being fully armored or naked, but with practice can select what portions are armored and which aren't, allowing them to appear as if wearing a bikini, shorts and a shirt, or merely showing their face, or anything in-between. If surprised, attacked or distracted they instantly revert to their fully armored form. Generally, their Libidos vary from individual to individual, and often depend on their attitude towards their Tamer. Most Battle Angels have a favored type of hand-to-hand weapon that they seek to be armed with, some extend this to a particular weapon that has special meaning to them.

After transformation from an Ingénue into a Battle Angel, she has to be equipped with an Evolution Stone or she'll become a Steel/Normal type. Once equipped, she'll undergo a secondary 'evolution' path, much like an Eva. Their Feral state is relatively mild, merely intensifying their dominant personality characteristics, Steel/Ghost types become more timid, Steel/Fighting types become even more aggressive, etc.

**Attacks shared by all**: Harden, Kick, Punch, Quickturn, and Cuddle

**Depending on Personality two of the following**: Growl, Glare, Cheer, Roar, Leer

**With Experience**: Call Me Queen, Slice n' Dice, and Rage

**All can learn the following Sword Techniques and use them with any weapon, including a 'bare' armored hand**: Slash, Cut, Carve, Parry, Deflect, Bonk

_**Without an Evolution Stone: STEEL/NORMAL - The Battle Angel**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Tackle, Agility, Hyper Slap, Dodge, Trample, Quick Attack, and with experience, Hyper Quick Attack

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x6), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x2), Agility (x4)

Typically they appear in steel or bronze armor, although the style and decoration are a matter of personal taste. Without any special element, they gain much greater speed and agility than the other types. Hair can be any color. They are guarded emotionally, and in battle they are either passive, trying to avoid an unnecessary battle, or extremely aggressive and eager for battle, there seems no middle ground.

_**Evolution with a Thunder Stone: STEEL/ELECTRIC - The Electri-Cuter**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Steel, Water

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Jolt, Electric Blade, Electric Blade Mark II, Lightning Punch, Lightning Kick, Thunder Bolt, with experience, Thunder

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x2), Agility (x2)

Typically they appear in electric blue or neon yellow armor, although the style and decoration are a matter of personal taste. Hair color matches the color of the armor or starkly contrasts it. They are unrevealing emotionally, and are overly defensive in battle, although they are cantankerous. This often leads to passive-aggressive behavior. To avoid accidentally electrocuting their Tamer, they make liberal use of Jolt to discharge themselves and get their Tamer acclimated to their Electricity.

_**Evolution with a Fire Stone: STEEL/FIRE - One Hot Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Ground

**Attacks**: Warm Embrace, Burning Hands, Flame Sword, Flame Sword Mark II, Fire Punch, Fire Kick, Flame Sniper, Ignite

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x6), Armor (x4), Strength (x6), Endurance (x2)

They typically appear in red, or flame colored armor, although the style and decoration are a matter of personal taste, and are typically baroque or absolutely plain. Hair color is almost always, red, yellow, or a mix or the two. They tend to be very prickly personalities, hard to control, but extraordinarily loyal once it is won. While their armor is usually uncomfortably warm to painfully hot, the girl inside is just pleasantly warm.

_**Evolution with a Water Stone: STEEL/WATER - The Wet Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, Water

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Ground

**Attacks**: Slick Stroke, Wet Jet, Water Sword, Water Punch, Water Kick, Water Spear

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x6), Strength (x6), Endurance (x4)

Their armor is typically blue, green, or black, the style and decorations are a matter of personal taste, often in a wave motif, or simulating fish scales. Hair color is almost always blue, green silver, or rarely, a mix or two or three. They are ordinarily peaceful and passive, more fun-loving and cuddly than their sisters. This doesn't mean they can't or don't enjoy a good fight.

_One of the oddities in the Battle Angel's evolution._

_**Evolution with a Moon Stone creates: STEEL/BUG - The Bugger of a Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Sting, Rapid Sting, StringShot, Bite, Leap, Rollout

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x5), Armor (x6), Strength (x8), Endurance (x3)

The sting attacks are based on the use of a weapon, usually a thrusting rather than a slashing weapon, this does not include using an aroused Tamer as a thrusting weapon. There are rumors they can also use Lunar Blade, but this has not been confirmed. Their armor can be any color from bright single colors to elaborate camouflage and usually gives them an insectoid or arachnid appearance. Unlike the typical Battle Angel, they are generally hairless. Some of the smaller such Battle Angels have wings and can fly, although slowly and awkwardly. Their passive nature makes them conform easily to their Tamer's will, only in battle and Taming do they seem to come alive, becoming incredibly ferocious and inventive.

_**Evolution with a Leaf Stone: STEEL/PLANT - The Implant Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ground (their attacks), Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground (their defenses)

**Attacks**: Thorn Cutlass, Leaf Shield, Razor Leaf, Solar Beam, Regenerate, Antitoxin, Lust Dust, at higher levels Bloom and Buttsprout

**Enhancements**: minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x5), Strength (x8), Endurance (x4), Agility (x2)

Their armor usually appears in greens and browns, although some flavor the autumnal colors: patterns bright yellows, red, oranges, etc. Their armor often has a leaf pattern, depending on personal taste. Their hair is usually green or green-yellow, although if the armor is autumnal colors, normally their hair will be also. They are passive and retiring, until battle is joined, then they use overwhelming force. They also enjoy lying in the sun or sitting in woods. Their defenses are weak against Ground, while their attacks are strong against Ground.

_**Evolution by Angel Stone: STEEL/MAGIC**_

_There seem to be two types of Magic Battle Angels: Strong and Weak, or more accurately: Fighting and Cute, although neither should be underestimated. The Cute Knight, the Fighting Knight_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: none

**Cute Attacks**: Smile, Absorb, Flare, Burst, Energy Blade, Magic Fist, Magic Kick, Dissolve, Barrier, Mana Bolt or Mystic Bolt, Dazzle, Heal, Cry, Hypnotize, Aura Of Cute, Foresight, Dumb Luck (only for defeating opponents without fighting), S.E.P., Performance

**Fighting Attacks**: Smile, Cry, Reflect, Flare, Imitate, Recover, Magic Fist, Magic Kick, Aura Barrier, Barrier, Power Bolt, Shield, Teleport, and

**One of the following**: Electric Blade, Flame Sword, Water Sword, Ice Blade, Psi-Blade.

**One of the following**: Electric Blade Mark II, Flame Sword Mark II, Ice Blade Mark II, Psi-Blade Mark II

Note the Blade and Blade Mark II can use different elements. E.g. Electric Blade and Psi-Blade Mark II

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x2)

The armor of a Cute Type typically looks like a party dress, brightly colored and very elaborate. This does not reduce its protective value or combat effectiveness a bit. Their hair can likewise be any color or style, bows and ribbons, even bells, can be expected. The Cute-type is friendly and open, although they seem to shy away from battle and even discord among a Harem, seeking another solution or reconciliation. If her efforts are obviously not successful, they intensify their search for a solution, the enemy is often defeated during this search (weapons fail, opponents shoot each other, a piano lands on the enemy Tamer, etc.) or by disabling actions by the Battle Angel. Once these tactics fail, she can be quite the combatant.

The armor of a Fighting Type is more straightforward, usually white, sky blue or other 'good' colors and appears as heavy plate armor. Their hair can be any color, it is often severely, although attractively, styled. The Fighting-types are severe and distant, seeking battle against evil as a matter of honor. They will defeat any enemy as swiftly as possible, seemingly without pity or restraint. A Tamer who can get beneath their emotional armor will discover just how much they care about their colleagues and their enemies and seek to ease their pain.

_**Evolves with Dark Stone: STEEL/DARK - The Dark Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Dark, Dragon, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Blur, Dark Punch, Dark Kick, Shadow Shot, Shadow Strike, Dark Blade, Dark Blade Mark II, Midnight, Shadow Walk (only within Midnight effect)

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x4), Strength (x6), Endurance (x2), Agility (x2)

The armor of a Dark Knight is typically flat black, flat gray or other dark colors, the styling tends to be figure hugging and either simple or very baroque. Their hair likewise is of dark color. They often decorate their faceplate as if they were a Make-Up Artist Goth, or with a terrifyingly, inhuman image. They are often depressed and driven, sometimes to the point of melodrama or self-parody, seeking always to prove themselves. A Tamer who is able to get past their cynicism and get close to them will help bring out their wry or dry sense of humor. They are relentless, even obsessed, in the pursuit of enemies and bettering their fighting skills. They get along remarkably well with Zubutts, Golbutts, Sidekicks and Foxgloves, but not Vampires or Vampiras.

_**Evolution by Ice Crystal: STEEL/ICE - The Cold Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Flying, Ghost, Ground, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire (severe)

**Attacks**: Chilled Arousal, Simulacrum, Snow Storm, Ice Wall, Ice Blade, Ice Blade Mark II, Ice Punch, Ice Kick, Cold Snap, Heavenly Strike

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x6), Strength (x5), Endurance (x4)

Their armor is typically white or ice-blue, and the styling tends to be austere although of Japanese rather than European style. Their hair tends to be white, silver or ice-blue. Normally they act as austere as their armor, but they are relentless in their pursuit of an enemy, or of a trusted Tamer's attentions. While their armor is as cold as most ice-types, the girl inside, while chilly, requires no special precautions for Taming.

_**Evolves with a Psi Crystal STEEL/PSYCHIC - Psi-a-Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fighting, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Cry, Aura Of Cute, Teleport, Backstab, Flash, Hypnotic Gaze, Dominate, Double Team, Agility, Quick, Foresight, Armor, Fade, Psi-Blade, Psi-Blade Mark II, Heal, Aura Barrier, Confusion, Disable, Performance

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x2)

Their armor can be of any style or color, often it is a scintillating pattern that confuses and dazzles the viewer. Likewise, their hair can be any color, often several colors. With the styling of both their hair and armor, flamboyant is an understatement. They would call it battlemented, and others call it brassy or tacky. They are extremely confident of their abilities, often seeking to overwhelm opponents without having to actually fight them. They are very intent on making a name for themselves on their grand crusade, which varies with the individual. They will greatly favor a Tamer and harem who follow their morals and supports their crusading style.

_**Evolves with a Venom Stone: STEEL/POISON - Knight To Die For**_

_a.k.a. - Vixxen on Lust Dust in a can_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Sting, Rapid Sting (these two attacks are applied to weapons, punches or kicks), Needleshot, Sleep Powder, Love Sting, Lust Dust, Bloom, Buttsprout

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x6), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x3), Agility (x6)

Their armor is typically rust red, verdigris green, or another corrosion/unhealthy color. Their hair is either a sickly shade, seemingly dry and brittle, or vibrant, healthy, and brilliantly colored, by a color that does not appear in nature. Surprisingly playful for a Steel-type, they enjoy 'spreading the wealth' with Bloom and Buttsprout, although they will restrain themselves to the Tamer's harem and volunteers if asked. Fast rather than powerful, their giddy nature masks a tactical mind on par with their other evolutions, they use their abilities efficiently, then march off to claim their reward. Unlike the other Battle Angel evolutions where Libido varies from individual to individual, their Libidos are universally High and their nickname well earned.

_Another of the anomalies in a Battle Angel's Evolution,_

_**Evolution by the Heavy Metal: STEEL/FLYING - The Flighty Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire

**Attacks**: Feather Shuriken, Gust, Wing Buffet, Wingover, Dive, Mach Breaker, Wind Slash

**Enhancements**: Minimum Speed (x12), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x2), Agility (x2)

Their armor can be any color, but usually looks like metallic feathers. Unusual for a Battle Angel their hair is usually cropped short and appears more like feathers than hair. More easy going that most other evolutions of the Battle Angel, they love flying and prefer using the 'boom and zoom' tactic of diving on a target, attacking as they pass, and climbing away. They can fly while fully armored and can carry another person easily, but will not enjoy the resulting loss of speed and maneuverability, however slight.

_**Evolution with a Dragon Scale: STEEL/DRAGON - The Drag'n Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, Water

**Weak Vs**: Ice (severe)

**Attacks**: Dragon Rage, Hyper Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam, Energy Blade, Recover, Magic Fist, Magic Kick, Shadow Strike, Aura Of Cute

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x5), Armor (x10), Strength (x6), Endurance (x4), Agility (x4)

This evolution's armor can be of any color or style, a pattern simulating scales or solid primary colors are the most common. Their hair usually exactly matches the armor color and pattern. They are emotionally guarded, almost to the point of paranoia. Unless the Tamers has a high empathy rating and friendly attitude, a Drag'n Knight will be nearly impossible to Tame or control. In battle, they will attack relentlessly, until their opponent surrenders or is defeated. In Hyper Dragon Rage, they will attack until they win or they themselves are destroyed. They will often allow a target to flee, until battle is joined. A strong-willed Tamer is necessary to keep them under control.

_**Evolves with a Mana Crystal: STEEL/GHOST - The Knight Life**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Fire, Ground

**Attacks**: Energy Drain, Lick, Nightshade, Phase, Lure, Illusion, Fear Aura, Drain, Psi-Blade, Psi-Blade Mark II, Screech, Headbutt (note, this is the Knight sticking her head in a target's head, the effect is the same), Magic Fist, Magic Kick

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x6), Armor (x4), Strength (x4), Endurance (x4), Agility (x4)

The Knight Life's armor can be any color or style, however when the Battle Angel is completely armored, their entire body becomes slightly transparent and insubstantial. When unarmored they are completely indistinguishable from virtually human Pokégirls like the Ingénue or Megami. They are more shy and retiring that any of the other evolutions, attempting to avoid other people and Pokégirls unless they are confronted. A gentle Tamer can draw them out of their shell.

_**Evolution with a Diamond Stone: STEEL/GROUND - The Dirty Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Ghost, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Water

**Attack**: Dig, EarthQuake, Fissure, Ground Grip, Rock Throw, Mud Slap

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x4), Armor (x8), Strength (x15), Endurance (x6)

The armor of a Dirty Knight is colored in browns, tans, and earth tones, and the design is simple. Their hair is usually the same color as their armor. They are one of the few types who prefer to depend on their fists and feet instead of weapons, although they will use whatever weapon comes to hand. They seem very stolid and detached, although they feel and think very deeply. They take the most efficient route to the solution to problems and defeating opponents.

_Evolution with a Dream Stone gives the Battle Knight her dream: _

_**STEEL/FIGHTING - The Dream Knight**_

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Ghost, Ice, Normal, Plant, Poison, Rock, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground, Psychic

**Attacks**: Nipple Cripple, Fisting, Throwing Star, Mirror, Counter, Evade, Pose, Headbutt, Focus, Focus Energy, Backhand, Double Kick, Resist, Crushing Punch, Gatling Punch, Gatling Kick, Legsweep, with experience, Chi Blast, Sabre Claw, Mega Punch, Hyper Kick, Explode

**Enhancements**: Minimum of Speed (x5), Armor (x4), Strength (x5), Endurance (x4), Agility (x4)

They armor of the Dream Knight can be of any color or style, a single color and a simple style are favored. Their hair color seems to have no relation to the armor color or style. They consider themselves the ultimate Battle Angel. They practice and seek out challenges to test themselves against, almost constantly. A Tamer must be willing to go along with their quest, or the Dream Knight will leave. A Tamer able to hold their own against the Dream Knight's unarmored form will gain their unconditional loyalty.

_**BONDAGE QUEEN, the Evil Mistress Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Poison/Magic

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: Omnivore, but likes a meat-based diet

**Role**: Discipline, Leadership

**Libido**: Average (High when wet)

**Strong Vs**: Ghost, Poison, Psychic, Dark

**Weak Vs**: Steel, Electric, Ground, Water (*)

**Attacks**: Love Sting, Poison Mask, Enslaving Kiss, Erotic Kiss, Hydra Whip, Catapult of Hell, Shin Lasher, Lashings of Love, Aura Barrier, Barrier, Magic Kick, Insulate, Teleport (Level 55)

**Enhancements**: Lower Libido, higher self-restraint

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Bondage Elf (normal)

At first, the Bondage Queen doesn't seem evil. That's probably the first sign of trouble. She only gains a few inches in height (varies between 1/8th of an inch to 4 inches), and may or may not gain any breast enlargements (varies greatly, bust could not grow or could grow three cups sizes).

However, she is evil. Her subtle psychological influences, usually either through chemical, verbal or emotional persuasion or a combination of the three, can create various degrees of psychological changes in the victim from subtle changes to drastic ones. In the more drastic changes, the tamer and their harem may begin noticing themselves doing evil things, like skipping out on a bill or stealing items from a store. Eventually this will build to larger crimes, like stealing Pokégirls from tamers and openly robbing banks.

The more subtle changes are the ones to truly watch out for, as the tamer and their harem may not even notice themselves becoming as evil as the Bondage Queen desires. In many ways, the subtle Bondage Queen acts no different from a Dominatrix. She wants everyone loyal to her, but she is generous in her "rule", satisfying those who please her.

The difference in these styles of manipulation and the gradual progression of the harem into evil acts are what list the Bondage Queen as "the Evil Mistress" Pokégirl. Very few tamers are good enough to resist this psychological corruption, and even then, it isn't for long without a countering element, like a Celestial Pokégirl or strong-willed Alpha. At some point, they will submit to the commands of the Bondage Queen.

The Bondage Queen has the aura of a natural born leader, but their leadership skills will vary, based largely on how intelligent she is. The smart Bondage Queens can make every suggestion they make seem like the very best one.

Ironically, one of the best counters for a Bondage Queen is a Dominatrix. Dominatrixes have the natural will and resistance to poison necessary to resist the Bondage Queen's control, but it means that a tamer must make the Dominatrix their Alpha. Celestial Pokégirls do almost as good, but depending on their intelligence and will, they too may falter.

If a tamer should find themselves with Bondage Queen, and lacking either a Dominatrix or a Celestial Pokégirl, the last way to keep a Bondage Queen in line is to get her wet.

Strangely, a Bondage Queen will have a mass increase in her sex drive when wet, as if she's been afflicted with an Attraction status ailment, rendering most of her "evilness" moot. Water Pokégirls and water-based sex techniques are each doubly effective at this (meaning that a water Pokégirl using a water-sex technique is four times as effective) It should be known that constant exposure will lower the effectiveness of this tactic, so it should only be used when the tamer believes the Bondage Queen is manipulating them. And at random, just in case.


	35. Chapter 35

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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Chapter 35

(06/30/99 0900 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Faelan went back into a ready position and the flames on his sword vanished. Shikarou watched him warily as he copied his brother's movements. "Svetlana informs me that Sandy is here."

"Ah. I was expecting her soon." Shikarou dismissed his sword. "That means your training is over for now."

"Her real name isn't Sandy, is it?" Faelan's sword vanished as well. He straightened and stretched slowly.

Shikarou grinned. "Now, you know I can't lie. She does go by Sandy sometimes, but her most famous name is Sexmet."

Faelan's mouth dropped. "Sexmet? She was at your Yule party?" His ears flicked. "Well, I must admit that's a social coup." He frowned. "And who was her friend?"

"That would have been Bastit." He grinned. "I'm afraid you missed Macavity's visit."

"Remind me to never get into a name-dropping match with you. So, who's next, Typhonna?"

Shikarou chuckled and assumed a pose of mock thoughtfulness. "No, she's a little hard on the landscape. I was thinking that Cocooner is too hard on the people, so she's out as well. If I could locate them, I'd invite Moan and Sexebi." He grinned. "Inviting Legendaries, now that's hubris." He glanced behind his brother. "Right, Sexmet?"

Faelan stiffened at the warm chuckle behind him. "You should be pleased enough with the ones who come to visit, since we are the best of the bunch. I would think that wanting more would be a display of the highest flights of ego, kind of like dropping the 'lady' you'd been calling me before."

Shikarou shrugged. "You seemed to be happy enough not being Lady Sandy at Yule. Besides, all you have to do is insist."

Sexmet stepped past Faelan, giving him a wink before she looked at Shikarou. Today she was in the same form he'd seen her at Yule, that of a Nubian woman with catlike traits. She smiled. "I'm starting to understand you just a bit, Shikarou. It's when people start making demands that you suddenly become intractable." She smiled. "Sexmet is fine, at least for now."

"She's right about you getting stubborn when people start issuing orders." Faelan nodded sagely.

Shikarou gave his brother a glance. "Thanks for the support." He sighed. "So, I'm pretty sure Lorelei hasn't been to talk to you since yesterday, so I suspect you felt she was in danger and showed up to see what was going on." His ears flicked. "I don't suppose saying that she got hurt but now she's better would be sufficient, would it?" He gave her a hopeful look. "I'll ask Helen to prepare some delicious seafood pasta dish for dinner."

Her mouth twitched in a smile. "Branwyn's already doing that for me, so you can't use that as a distraction."

"Oh. I see. I don't suppose that there is anything else I could use to distract you?"

An eyebrow rose. "Actually, yes, there is; if you were willing to help me out with an experiment."

Shikarou smiled. "So, what could I do?"

"Lorelei has told me some very interesting stories about you and I could be distracted if you helped me to test her words for truth." She folded her arms under her breasts. "I haven't had a good male lover in a while."

Faelan froze. Shikarou cocked his head curiously. "Is this going to be a threesome?"

Sexmet smiled and shook her head in the negative. "Bastit is rather unhappy that she's not welcome here, but she's decided not to press the issue." She shrugged. "So I'm here alone."

Shikarou nodded. "Actually, I now have designed a spell that will protect us from her pheromones, so I don't see why she couldn't come here to visit. In fact, I would be grateful if you would give her my formal invitation."

His ears flicked. "My only problem with her was the fact that her pheromones took away our ability to choose if we wanted to agree with her or accede to her wishes. Free choice is one of the cornerstones of where Faelan and I come from and, now that we can have that, she's as welcome here as you are."

Sexmet blinked and her ears went flat for a second. "I would prefer that spell not become common knowledge."

"At this point in time I don't see any reason for anyone outside my family to have access to it."

The Legendary smiled. "That's going to be the best answer I can get from you, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

Sexmet sighed. "Very well, I'll let Bastit know she can come here. So, are you going to try to distract me?"

Faelan became very still.

Shikarou glanced at him and then turned back to Sexmet. "I think I'd like to give you a distraction."

She suddenly looked very amused. "Of course, you mean you'd like to try to distract me."

"There is no try. There is only do or do not." Faelan winced and shook his head slowly.

Sexmet stepped up to Shikarou. "I've been told that you've become a metamorph. Is this true?"

"Would you like to see?" When she nodded, he shifted into his wolf form. Her eyes widened and her ears flicked uncertainly. "You may touch me if you wish."

She ran her hands over his head and down his neck. "I suppose a cat would be too much to hope for." She touched his nose. "Have you tried in this form? Taming, I mean?"

He lifted his head to meet her eyes. "If you are feeling experimental, I could probably be talked into it."

She smiled. "What if I tried some nonverbal persuasion?"

Shikarou rumbled a chuckle. "I'm sure I'd be willing to consider whatever you might not have to say."

She blinked and gave a short laugh. "You're bigger than me when I'm like this." An odd look came into her eyes and her ears canted diffidently. "Would you let me ride you?"

Faelan held his breath as Shikarou hesitated and finally nodded. "Yes."

Sexmet grabbed his ruff and swung smoothly onto his back. "Can we go somewhere more … more private?" She was giving Faelan a slightly unfriendly look as she spoke. "I think we might want to be alone." She yelped in shock as Shikarou was suddenly in motion and they quickly disappeared from sight.

Faelan shook his head slowly and headed for Peacetown, muttering to himself as he did. "No, he went with Sexmet. Yes, I can guess what they are doing. No, I don't care. Svetlana, it's none of our business." He snickered. "Right. Like she'll buy that."

(06/30/99 1700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou came bounding up to the hill next to the inn and skidded to a halt. Sexmet laughed and jumped off of him as he changed back to his human form. He chuckled. "Buy you a drink?"

"Do you think everyone on the island is in there waiting for us?" She gave him an amused look. She was in her Catgirl form now and rubbed the fur on her cheek slowly as she waited for his response.

"Everyone? No, I doubt that. Everyone who's not feral? I won't speculate on that question." He opened the door and peeked inside. "It's not quite everyone, but there are more people than is usual for this time of day."

Branwyn gave him a smile from where she sat with Faelan, Svetlana and Ygerna. "Don't be shy, come in." She inclined her head slightly at the Sidhe queen. _See what a different cat dragged in. She's paying your brother a lot of attention. Svetlana's not very happy about it._

_Better him than me._ He led Sexmet inside and waved her towards the table as he stopped to have a quick word with the bar Elf. "Rani, beer for me and the lady would like scotch."

Rani bobbed her head. "Right away." She dropped her voice. "Is that really her?"

"Yes. She's not here for trouble; she just wanted to check up on Lorelei."

Rani shook her head. "Whatever you say, but Lorelei has been in here off and on all day and I haven't seen her before. I'll have your drinks in a moment."

Shikarou shook his head and joined everyone else. "Ok, for everyone who met Sandy at Yule, she also goes by Sexmet." Only Ygerna's eyes went wide. Svetlana merely looked amused. "Sexmet, this is my wife, Branwyn, my brother, Faelan, his wife, Svetlana and our guest, Ygerna."

Sexmet nodded a greeting. "I've met most of you, but you weren't married to each other before. Congratulations on finding some men who'd marry pokegirls."

Svetlana chuckled. "Now we hope that they will stop." Branwyn snickered loudly and Ygerna looked amused.

Svetlana noticed the Sidhe's response and her eyes narrowed.

Branwyn smirked at Sexmet. "I hope we can have Shikarou back. If Helen doesn't get her evening milking from him, you may find fugu in your seafood." She raised an eyebrow when Sexmet looked confused. "It's a species of blowfish. It's very toxic."

"Oh. By all means, I'm done with him for now." She grinned. "I've had one hunger taken care of for a while. Now, for some of the others."

Ygerna looked surprised. "That's interesting. You treat him like most Tamers treat their pokegirls."

Sexmet's eyes narrowed. "You'd better explain that statement, because right now I'm not sure I like it."

The Sidhe shrugged. "I don't really care how you feel about my words, but you are acting like he's disposable. I seriously doubt that makes him feel any kinder towards you." She smiled thinly. "And, from personal experience, I know that right after you dismiss him is when you seem to suddenly need him more than ever."

She sipped at her tea and turned amused eyes on the Legendary. "I was just surprised to see you treat him in the same manner that you claim you don't want your Sphinxes to be treated."

The Legendary's ears flattened. "I don't believe we've met before. Just what do you know about me?"

"Oh, I've been watching you ever since that human created you. I remember just how angry you were when the Sphinxes started dying, thanks to the Chinese." She leaned back. "I also remember how angry you were when Sanctuary started killing off your Cheetit and Cheetaura to replace with the abominations they created.

"I watched all of the so called Legendary pokegirls as they were created and again as many of them were destroyed. After all, I had to assess what kind of threat you might pose to the British Isles. Fortunately it was never much of an issue, since the really destructive ones gave us a wide berth."

Svetlana had the expression of someone watching a tanker full of gasoline skidding towards a cliff and who could do nothing to stop it. Shock, horror and anticipation flashed across her face in rapid sequence.

Sexmet growled low in her throat. "And just who are you?"

"I'm the," her teeth gritted, the words emerging low and angry. "Former queen of an ancient order of magical knights. Recently I was betrayed and ousted. Having no where else to go, I was forced to seek the protection of Faelan and his brother here." She sighed. "Right after I did something that would have made any lesser man turn me away in my hour of need." She gave Faelan a fond look. He looked uncomfortable at her words. Svetlana looked like she was trying not to be angry and losing the battle.

Sexmet snorted. "I'll never be that bad off."

Shikarou sighed. "While watching the two of you fight might be fun, you are both my guests, so I'm going to have to ask you to stop."

Ygerna flushed. "Please, forgive me."

The Legendary looked amused. "You give in too easily."

Ygerna gave her a haughty look. "You don't know who he is and I'm not going to enlighten you. You also, apparently, don't know anything about the rules of hospitality."

"Enough." They both looked at Shikarou. "I asked you to stop." He looked at Sexmet. "I thought you wanted to see Lorelei."

"I do."

"Then, let's go see her."

Sexmet frowned. "What about dinner?"

"If you stop acting like Jenova, then you may stay. Keep trying to fight with my guests and I'll be forced to ask you to leave."

"And if I chose not to?"

Shikarou took a deep breath. "Why is it everyone always wants to know the consequences of becoming belligerent? Why don't they say to themselves, 'he's been a nice person up to this point, maybe he's changed because I'm being an ass and I might want to stop that behavior'?"

Sexmet blinked in shock. "Did you say I was being an ass?"

He smiled. "No, I merely hinted broadly."

"You've got some gall, I'll admit that. Nobody has ever talked to me that way."

He shrugged. "I'm just a breath of fresh air."

Sexmet stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. "That you are. Have it your way, this time. Let's go see Lorelei."

As Shikarou led her out of the inn, Ygerna frowned and looked curious. "Doesn't it bother him that she's laughing at him? It's very insulting."

Branwyn shook her head. "Shikarou doesn't care if someone takes him lightly. He did get what he wanted, which was for the two of you to stop arguing."

Svetlana nodded. "I believe that he enjoys it when someone underestimates him. He believes that eventually the opportunity will arise in which that will cost them dearly, and I think that, sometimes, he helps those situations to arise."

Branwyn gave her a startled look. "I never thought about it that way, but you may be right."

"You're right, but you are also wrong." Faelan sipped at his beer.

Svetlana gave him an annoyed look. "So, enlighten us."

He grinned. "Shikarou thinks that the best way to go through life is as quietly as possible, which lets him focus on the things he believes to be important, as opposed to what others might want. Being underestimated helps that to happen, because no one thinks he can be of use."

"But he's king of this island." Svetlana gave him a puzzled look.

"And he'd foisted as much of the work as possible off on Lynn and to a lesser extent, Molly and me. The Blue League goes to her first and then she goes to him."

"I never thought of it that way."

Ygerna frowned. "It appears he's much more complex than I suspected. I wonder what he has planned for Germanicus."

"Ask him. He'll either tell you or he won't." He shrugged. "But you won't know until you ask him."

The Sidhe woman gave him a curious look. "Do you have any ideas of what to do to Germanicus?"

"Yes, I do. But Shikarou is much more creative than I am about that sort of thing, so I want to see what he has planned first. Then, I'll decide if my ideas are better. Assuming, of course, that I have time to present them before Shikarou starts rendering Germanicus down for soup."

"Lich bones are very poisonous due to several of the processes they have to go through as part of their creation." Ygerna looked slightly ill at the prospect of eating one.

"I know that and so does Shikarou. He'd make soup out of Germanicus to feed to Kenneth and the rest of the people who helped him." A grim look crossed his face. "After all, it was their assistance which allowed Germanicus to pursue you and kill our people."

Ygerna blinked. "He would do that? Really?" She smiled cheerfully. "In that case, I'll have to ask if he needs any spices or vegetables."

(06/30/99 1930 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

There came a quiet knock and the door cracked open. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Mary Forsythe looked at him uncertainly.

Shikarou smiled. "No, I didn't." He nodded to someone she couldn't see in the back of the room. "She does, however, and I want to be here to make sure things go without any coercion. Please, come in and have a seat."

Gwen pushed past her. "Ok." Mary sighed and followed her pokegirl. She hesitated when she saw who else was in the room before steeling herself and settling down in a chair.

Ygerna watched them silently. Morgan hovered protectively nearby and Judith and Barbie leaned against the wall next to the door leading to the loo.

"So, how's it hanging?" Gwen was busy pouring herself some tea and already had a plate filled with cookies. She loved the ones Helen called "Oreos" and ate them whenever she got the opportunity. She flashed a crumb laden smile at Shikarou and Ygerna before taking a loud slurp of tea.

Shikarou sighed silently. "A little to the right today." Gwen snickered at the old joke.

Mary ignored Ygerna's presence. "So, do you happen to know what she wants with me?"

"I think she wants to make you a job offer." Gwen choked on a cookie at his words and turned to stare at her Tamer.

Mary nodded. "I see." She turned to Ygerna. "I've started teaching Gwen magic spells."

The Dragoness gave a deep scowl. "That is a privilege given only to the queen's guard." Ygerna nodded at Morgan's words.

Mary nodded. "Then, I guess we're done." She nodded to Shikarou. "That was easy." She started to rise.

"Wait." Mary paused as Ygerna gave Shikarou a slightly annoyed look. "You've made her impertinent."

"I haven't _made_ her anything." He smiled. "Mary has a healthy attitude towards absurdity and I suspect that it's only been allowed free reign since she came here." Mary gave him a grateful smile that he returned. "Do me a small favor and please stay to hear what she has to say."

Mary gave him a considering look. "Very well." She inclined her head to Ygerna. "Lady."

Ygerna nodded gracefully in return. "Dame Mary, I would like you to return to my service. I need all of my loyal knights about me in this time of trouble and you were driven from our ranks by Gregory and his anger. I don't want you to blame me for his actions and I need you to rejoin me. I need you, the Order of Pendragon needs you, and the British Isles need you."

Mary looked evenly at her for a full minute before speaking. "You countenanced the way women are treated in the Order, did you not?"

Ygerna shrugged slightly. "The vast majority of the Order is composed of men. I had to consider their needs over those of my handful of women and, in truth, the slights they had to undergo were of little consequence." She crossed her legs. "Such are the decisions that rulers must make."

"Oh? He doesn't make decisions like that." Mary glanced at Shikarou. "He believes that the needs of the individual are more important than the needs of the group. If the individual cannot function within that group, she should be allowed to find another group to socialize with."

Ygerna gave Shikarou an amused look. "That is one of the fallacies of the young. He'll outgrow it in time." She smiled. "And I would hardly consider the Order of Pendragon to be a mere social club."

Mary gave Shikarou an odd look. "Do you think that will happen? That you'll change and become like her?"

He shook his head. "No. Kerrik is far older than she is and he's still a strong individualist. And, if I did start to change like that, I expect a group of angry pokegirls and Tamers would beat me until I remembered my roots."

Gwen harrumphed crumbs over his desk. "I'd lead that group," she muttered around another cookie. Barbie looked mildly repulsed at the scene as Mary gave Shikarou an apologetic look.

Mary shook her head. "I was a full knight and was treated like a servant by the other knights, as well as the higher ranked squires. As a woman, I was also treated by many as if I were a pokegirl. Some of them thought they had taming rights and there were a few I couldn't turn down." Her eyes blazed. "Here, I am valued for myself and I'm not expected to bring coffee, donuts and a blowjob for my king."

"Now there was tha..." Gwen interrupted but she froze when she registered the look Shikarou was giving her. She blinked rapidly several times and looked away. Morgan watched the exchange with interest and more than a little curiosity.

Mary continued. "I am happy in my service to Shikarou and, with all due respect to both of you, I chose to continue with him."

Shikarou nodded. "Thank you for your time, Mary."

"I am not done." Ygerna's eyes narrowed. "There are other things she needs to know about the situation."

"Yes, you are done. Mary doesn't seem interested in whatever appeals you have to make and you will respect her choice." Shikarou smiled humorlessly. "You are a guest of my brother and I respect that, but I am the lord of these lands and you will not bother Mary again."

"And if I ignore your command?"

"Again, someone wants to know consequences." His eyes narrowed. "Very well. If either Mary or Gwen informs me that you were bothering them, I won't even bother to find out if you were doing something innocuous. I will eject you from my island and you can go annoy someone else. I hope I am clear enough for you to understand. Oh, and just for the record, I dare because it is my land and my will is supreme here." He nodded towards the door and it slowly opened by itself. "Good evening. Mary, Gwen, please stay for a moment."

Ygerna looked at him angrily as she left, followed by her entourage. Shikarou leaned back in his chair. "Sorry about that, but she was going to ask you even if I tried to stop her. I hoped I could make it easier for you to decide what you wanted to do in a more formal setting, where she couldn't try to force anything."

"Did you think we would go back to her?" Mary sounded slightly hurt. "I swore an oath to you."

"Actually, I thought you'd tell her to go to hell, but I had to give you the chance to decide for yourself." He tapped a finger on his desk idly. "I would have released you from your oath, if you'd decided to return to her service."

"I'd like the two of you to formally join the Caomh Sith Guard. I know you've been helping them out unofficially, but I want to formalize things so you will hopefully have less trouble when your duties take you to other parts of the Blue League."

Mary nodded. "I'll do it in the morning."

"Thank you. Gwen?"

The Neo Iczel gave him a startled look. "What?"

"Will you join as well? I know Mary is your Tamer, but I'm going to have a lot of work for both of you, and it may involve you going on missions alone." He flicked his ears. "In fact, Mary, you might want to consider getting a second pokegirl for your personal protection. Gwen is pretty tough and I may be taking advantage of that a lot in the near future." He smiled slightly. "You are tough too, but few people off of the island are going to believe it until after you set them on fire."

Gwen grinned. "Am I going to have to bring you coffee, donuts and give you a blowjob like Mary did?"

Mary smacked her on the shoulder. "I wanted to do that. You know he didn't order me to do anything. Besides, you weren't left alone." She grimaced. "You broke his desk while he was taming you, didn't you?"

"And my wrist." Shikarou commented.

Gwen snorted. "It didn't slow you down any." She sobered. "So, you are willing to trust me without her around?"

"A pokegirl isn't a puppet. You just happen to be a person who has a psychic bond with Mary. That doesn't change who you are or what you are capable of doing on your own, if you go on the road for a few days now and then." He leaned forward and swiped at the crumbs on his desk. "I know how high your libido is and I'll do everything I can to make sure you two aren't apart more than that." He grimaced and wiped his hand on his pants. "That isn't a promise, by the bye, but you know that I'll give it my best shot."

The Neo Iczel clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on the balls of her feet. "If you are actually going to trust a nasty, vicious and violent pokegirl like myself, then I guess I will repay that trust. I'll sign up tomorrow, too."

"Thank you. I appreciate this a great deal."

(07/01/99 0800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The man stepped off the ferry and looked around. He whistled quietly. "Now, this is one crappy place."

The Demoness who'd come down the gangplank behind him snorted. "Well, I doubt she had a lot of choice in the matter."

Her Tamer shrugged. "I suppose beggars can't be choosers. Still, she called and we answer." Suddenly, he catapulted sideways as a form crashed into him. It held on, spun him in a circle and smashed him to the ground.

The Demoness started to step forward but froze as a cold barrel pressed against the back of her neck. A voice hissed at her. "This is a Tirsuli needler and, if you so much as blink violently, I will turn your brain into mush."

The man was flipped facedown and his arms were pinned behind him. The sound of ratcheting was heard and he cried out as he was jerked roughly to his feet. An angry face surrounded by a cloud of blue hair glared into his.

Alice grinned savagely. "Nice to see you again, Marcus." She spun him around and pulled a pokeball from his belt. The Demoness disappeared into its capture beam. Alice tucked the ball into her pocket and looked at Amy. "Nice job. How did you keep Lilith still?"

The Cheshire held up her retractable pen. "Needler gun." She flicked it a couple of times and stuck it in the breast pocket of her uniform before giggling. "She's so stupid."

(07/01/99 1100 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"You have got to be shitting me!" Stardust flinched at the naked fury in Shikarou's voice. "He's fucking loyal?" He noticed her edging away from him and sighed. "I'm sorry but this is just," he broke off and growled. "Frustrating as hell. I finally get my hands on Mr. Pendleton-Smythe and I have to give him up to Ygerna?" He continued, in a calmer voice. "I was really hoping he was a plant so I could pay him back for Glasgow."

Stardust slipped her arm through his and kissed his cheek. "What would you rather do to him?" She blinked as her mind touched his. "Oh. That's pretty violent." She snickered. "I don't think Ygerna could use him after that."

He gave a tiny chuckle. "I suppose you are right. Tell Branwyn to cut him loose and put out the word that he's off limits."

"Did you hear how Amy caught his Demoness?"

Shikarou frowned. "No, I didn't. Is it going to be important?"

"Amy stuck a pen to the back of her skull and told her it was some kind of gun. I'm betting Lilith is never going to live that down." Stardust gave him a big smile. "She may even do something stupid like attack Amy. Her track record on intelligent decisions isn't that remarkable so far; she's with Marcus and she got captured with a pen."

Shikarou's ears canted sideways. "Well, you know the pen is mightier than the sword."

She hit him gently. "That is so bad." A smile flickered around her lips and she gave him a glare as he smiled. "Don't grin at me like that; the only reason I think that's funny is because you do and I'm stuck with your emotions. I'm still smart enough to know that you have a twisted sense of humor."

"If she attacks Amy, under Blue League law, he's responsible," Shikarou mused. "No, then I'm sure Ygerna would try to obligate me for his loss. Make sure Molly tells him what will happen if Lilith attacks someone outside of a regulation pokegirl battle." His lip twisted in a snarl. "Make sure to stress that she should probably use small words and repeat herself often."

(07/01/99 1200 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou settled back in the hot tub and relaxed as the heat penetrated sore muscles. While he regenerated, building new muscle was still work and there was still a cost that had to be paid.

The door slid open and closed. One of his ears rotated and he sniffed the air. "Pythia."

She slipped carefully into his lap. "Greetings, my general. I hope you don't mind the intrusion."

He kissed the end of her nose. "Not at all." A smile appeared when she licked his face. "May I ask what you want?"

"You don't think your physicality is reason enough for me to seek out your company?" She pouted and then spoiled it by winking.

"Of course it is." He snorted. "However, your approach is much more direct when that's all you want."

She shifted and straddled his waist before pulling his head down to rub against her bosom. "This isn't direct?"

Shikarou chuckled and forced his head up against her grip. "I didn't say you didn't want tamed, I just want to know what else it is you're here for."

Her tail slapped against his legs. "Don't you think I'm sexy enough, or is it you want Sexmet back?" She gave him a coy look and arched her back, presenting her breasts for his inspection.

She hissed in pleasure when he sucked her nipple into his mouth. She slowly rolled her hips, rubbing herself against his growing hardness.

Shikarou ran the tips of his nails down her back. Pythia gave a low moan and twisted beneath his touch. "Yesssss." He twisted her other nipple and she grabbed his head and pulled him against her. Her groin ground against his, trapping his erection between them. She rubbed her pussy along the length of his hardness, sighing in satisfaction.

Using his shoulders as leverage, she pushed herself up until he grabbed her hips and pulled her back down. She smiled and licked his lips. "Don't you want me?"

"I do, but we are not going to do this from the rear." He gave her an amused look. "Your tail hits me in the face, and I don't want to go through that again when it's wet."  
"Then, we'll do it like this." She raised her body, reaching between them to guide his head to her opening. "If you think this is safer."

Shikarou tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her onto him. Her eyes closed as she savored the feelings of him slowly sliding inside her. Pythia opened her eyes and smiled as she rose up until he was just inside her before dropping, burying him inside her until he was completely inside. He sputtered as water surged between them and sloshed over his face.

She laughed quietly as he tightened his grip on her and stood, turning to put her ass on the edge of the deck that surrounded the tub. Her smiled faded as he drove himself into her. Teeth flashed as she sank them into his shoulder and she cried out into his skin.

Shikarou winced and she immediately released him. "Sorry." She lapped at the bite and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Don't stop."

He began moving slowly, each stroke driving his length into her core. Her legs tightened with each thrust and reluctantly loosened to allow his withdrawal.

As he thrust, Shikarou dropped his head and breathed in her fragrance, a spicy blend of things that were human and things that weren't, it was uniquely hers and he would never mistake it for anyone else's.

Pythia's legs urged him to a faster pace and he responded by slowly increasing the speed of his thrusts. A whine filled the air as she began thrashing her head from side to side.

Shikarou drove harder, each thrust rocking her body forwards. The whine grew louder until she suddenly stiffened beneath him. Her body began shuddering and her teeth clamped together as her eyes rolled into her head. He could feel his orgasm building and kept thrusting until she began moving with him again.

Pythia hissed into his ear. "Fill me. Please. Now." She stiffened again, teeth locking and Shikarou groaned as he came, filling her with his seed as she shuddered and her pussy milked his cock.

Slowly their breathing began to return to normal and he lifted himself until Pythia tightened her legs around his waist. "I want you to stay like that. You feel so good inside me." Her arms went around him and she pulled him back down on top of her.

He chuckled. Pythia gave him a curious look and his smile widened. "If you don't mind, I would like to move somewhere. My lower body is still in the hot tub and there's a water jet tickling my ass."

Pythia giggled. "Hold on." She carefully floated up a handful of centimeters and backwards a meter or two before settling back down on the deck. Shikarou lifted his legs to keep them from dragging. "Better?"

"Much." He grinned. "I could ignore it while we were busy, but afterwards, it was damned annoying." Her legs tightened reflexively as he shifted to make himself more comfortable. He licked her muzzle and she hummed at him. "Do you want to tell me what it is you wanted, now that the important stuff has been dealt with for a time."

The G-Spliced chuckled and her pussy muscles milked him again. He could feel himself stirring inside her. She met his eyes squarely with hers. "Later."

(07/01/99 1400 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Pythia lay spooned against his back, her arms tight around him. With long licks of her tongue, she groomed his ears. Shikarou's teeth were gritted and his face was scrunched up but he stayed silent as she finished up.

His back vibrated as she laughed quietly. "All done. You can stop tolerating what I'm doing."

Shikarou pressed his rump back against her gently. "It feels good when you are done, but while you're doing it…" he trailed off.

She licked his neck slowly and he shivered. "I'm ready to talk now, if you are ready to listen to me."

Shikarou reached back and patted her hip. "Then, please, do so."

"You are firmly on the path to your destiny. I'm sorry that it cost the life of some of our family and, if I'd known that, I would have warned you." Her arms tightened their grip around him. "I hope you believe me."

"I do."

Relief filled her voice. "Thank you. I cannot do much more for you except try to advise you on what I see." She suddenly sounded frustrated. "Which is damned little right now."

She sighed. "It's odd. I have known my … I guess mission is a good word for it … mission since I was decanted. Now that you are going to have a confrontation with Germanicus and Eoghan, that mission has ended and I'm at loose ends." Her muzzle wrinkled. "I don't like it one bit. I feel like I've lost my focus."

"What can I do to help?"

She giggled against his neck. "Haven't you learned by now not to ask that question? You should know better, considering all of the trouble it's gotten you into with others."

"You are mine and I want to help you. That will never change." He turned in her arms to face her. "Never."

"Thank you," she replied simply. Suddenly, she chuckled. "I just realized we're lying on your hair."

"Don't change the subject."

She gave him a glare. "I'm nervous."

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I think the question of your virginity was settled conclusively some months ago. That means you don't have anything to be nervous about."

She blinked at his words and began laughing quietly. "Trust you to deliberately misunderstand my words to try and make me feel better."

He smiled. "Did it work?"

"Yes, blast you." The G-Spliced rubbed her muzzle against his cheek. "I know that Yushiko and Dorothea serve you. Yes, I realize that Yushiko isn't really a Celestial pokegirl, but they both are so happy." She pressed her nose against his. "Do you have room for a slightly used fox in your collection of personal servants?"

He chuckled and smirked at her. "You mean you don't already know the answer to that?"

She nipped his upper lip. "Don't tease me, Shikarou. I don't have a purpose and it's terrifying."

"What is it that you are looking for from me? You should have at least a general idea of what you want."

Pythia nodded. "I do. I want to serve you in your role as a kami but I want to remain in your harem." Her eyes softened. "I want children. I don't want to be the only one of my kind in the world. I want your children, both pokegirl and whatever else we have together." She shivered. "And I want to destroy Germanicus and Eoghan. No child will be safe as long as they continue to exist."

"I guess that means they will have to go, if only to protect my godson." Shikarou looked thoughtful. "I do not see anything in your list that should prove impossible to give you."

"Do you understand what I want? I don't want to be your priestess like Yushiko or be bound by your magic like Dorothea. I want to be the servant of a god, of you."

"I don't really understand the difference, but since you seem to think my relationship with them is different, why do you want this?"

"You've never asked what kind of pokegirl DNA was used in my creation. I am a mixture of Neo Iczel for combat, Esper for tactical skills and Megami-sama for power, access to the cosmic awareness and precognitive ability." Her ears flicked nervously. "Did you know that on his last visit, your father made Dorothea and Svetlana his agents?"

"Yeah. I found out about it from Dorothea."

"That's when Svetlana relaxed and became nicer." She nodded when his eyes widened. "Yes, I believe the two are linked."  
"I want that. I want to belong, to serve." Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. "I need to."

Shikarou kissed her nose. "Pythia, if it is within my power to grant you this, then I will. However, I don't know how to do what you want."

She smiled brightly. "That's ok, even if you don't, I do know what's needed to make this happen." Pythia snuggled her body against his. "Look into my mind. I don't understand what I know, but I know this is what you need."

Shikarou nodded and slipped into her mind as she dropped her shields. A few minutes later he blinked and shook like a wolf coming out of water. "Now, I understand." He frowned slightly. "This will not make you my agent. It will turn you into one of my personal servants."

Pythia nodded. "That is what I want."

"Very well." He sighed and pushed away from her, climbing to his feet. "Kneel."

The G-Spliced blinked and slid to her knees, bowing her head. Shikarou reached down and lifted her muzzle. "Pythia, do you swear yourself to my service as a kami and a god, for now and forever?" An inky darkness began to swirl around them both.

Pythia nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. "I do so swear." A dot of black appeared in each of her red eyes and quickly filled them until nothing remained but unrelieved darkness.

"Then, rise, my servant." She clambered heavily to her feet as the swirling energy faded away. Shikarou hugged her. "And that's that." He cocked his head. "How do you feel?"

She was looking slowly around the room, her ears flicking uncertainly. "Is this how you see? It's wonderful."

Shikarou's lips quirked in a smile. "If you're asking if specialized cells in the back of my eyeballs generate electrical signals that travel down my optic nerves and into my brain for processing, the answer is yes."

Pythia's head whipped around. "That's not funny."

He chuckled. "Yes, it is. I see in a wider spectrum than most beings. My vision ranges deep into the ultraviolet and infrared. Apparently, yours does now as well."

"What other things have changed?"

"I'm not completely sure. I guess we'll find out together."

(07/01/99 1700 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"She's very pretty." Kasumi turned to face him. Shikarou noticed a faint tightness around her eyes. "Is she another one of yours?"

"Not like that." Shikarou watched the woman hiking up from the pier. She was Oriental and was closely followed by some kind of cat pokegirl. "Her name is Junko and she's a member of the Yoshihara family. She's Yushiko's aunt."

"So she not one of your lovers?"

"I'm her family's kami. It wouldn't be proper."

Kasumi gave him an amused look. He was relieved to see she'd relaxed again. "That didn't stop you with me. What's different about her relationship with you?"

"She doesn't believe it would be proper. I don't have any choice in the decision." His ears flicked. "I, however, happen to agree because she's Fumiko's sister and Fumiko is mine."

"Fumiko is one of your pokegirls, right? I've found her name in your records, but why haven't I met her, yet?"

"On this world, the Yoshihara family is arguably the world's premier sword makers, at least in regards to Japanese swords. They asked me to take Fumiko into my harem and I agreed. Later, she was offered the opportunity to study under Masato, the head of the family and Fumiko's grandfather." Shikarou smiled slightly. "Fumiko had wanted to do this for a long time and I decided to allow her to become Masato's current apprentice. When she's done training, she wants to come back to here and set up a smithy."

"She's still your pokegirl?"

"Yes. I go to Edo about once a week to see her and catch up on the local gossip. I sometimes visit my shrine as well." He bowed to Junko. "Good afternoon."

"Lord." She gave him an impish smile with her bow. "Am I too late for Helen's cooking?"

"We eat in an hour. I would be honored if you would join us." He gestured towards his wife. "This is Urufu Kasumi, my wife."

Junko's eyes widened. "Greetings, Lady."

"Stop that." Kasumi gave Shikarou an affectionate glance. "I'm a human. Come on, I need to clean up, too, and you can tell me all the naughty things you know about him."

"I would like that." Junko gave Shikarou a quick look and relaxed when he nodded slightly. She turned to her Cheshire as she shrugged out of her backpack. "Kozue."

The pokegirl bobbed her head. "Hai, mistress."

"Take our things to the tent and ask Branwyn for a place to stay." She smiled. "After dinner, you can have the rest of the evening to yourself."

"Thank you, mistress." Kozue grabbed Junko's pack and went racing up the street.

Junko watched her run off. "She'll spend the evening chatting with the locals and trying to find some gambling." She turned back to Kasumi. "She's got a lot of friends around here."

Kasumi nodded. "What about your other pokegirls?"

"I had a Hound, but I lost her in a battle." She sighed. "That hurt. However, I'm going to spend more time in the wilderness so I can catch some ferals and train them before braving a city again. How about you?"

"I've got a Pegaslut and nothing else."

Junko blinked. "You need more pokegirls to protect her."

"I'm beginning to agree with you." She glanced at Shikarou. "If she's willing, do you think I could travel with Junko for a while?"

Junko smiled. "That would be an excellent idea. I traveled with another Tamer for about a week, but it seemed like he was more interested in taming me than his pokegirls." She grimaced. "I ended up sneaking off in the middle of the night to get away from him."

"I didn't hear anything about this."

Junko blinked at Shikarou's tone and then grinned. "He was a pipsqueak." Her smile grew. "I love that word. I learned it here and it's so appropriate for so many of the men and boys I run across. Pipsqueak."

"Anyway, invoking my kami on him would have been about as fair as using a Dragoness on a Titmouse." She sobered. "But if he shows up again, he's all yours. I know I won't miss him."

"Thanks. Kasumi, would you please show Junko to the tent? I'm sure that Helen is much more important right now than I am." He chuckled. "She eats like Ranma only she's not quite so messy."

Junko shook her head. "Dump one bowl of boiling hot soup in your kami's lap and you hear about it forever." Her eyes twinkled as she gave Kasumi a long-suffering look. "And, if you drop three bowls, it's even worse."

Kasumi laughed. "I can assure you that there was no permanent harm done." She blinked and blushed. "I can't believe I said that. Pokegirls are corrupting me."

Junko grinned. "They'll do that if you aren't careful. I found myself saying a word that my mothers would have been very upset at just the other day. It's a good thing they're several thousand kilometers away. So, where's the tent?"

(07/01/99 2100 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Something's wrong in Indigo."

Shikarou looked over at his wife. "We live on a world where there are four or five females for every male and at least three of them want to hold him down and bite chunks out of his still quivering flesh. I would argue there's something wrong everywhere."

Branwyn sighed. "How about there's something very wrong in Indigo?"

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when, last month, Phallus Town was hit by pirates?"

"Yes. According to the reports, the pirates were driven off without any losses to the town."

The Unicorn nodded. "That's right, and quite true, as far as it goes. No one was reported killed." Her eyes narrowed. "However, Poppet says that she's just discovered that the rest of the report was a complete fiction. She thinks the Indigo League was trying to cover up what actually happened."

"Governments do that. So, what really happened?"

"Limbec Pirates took the town."

Shikarou frowned and hit the pause button on his pokedex. He looked up from the journal entry he'd been dictating. "Limbec Pirates? That hasn't happened in a while, has it?"

"Not in several decades. Pirates hit areas around Phallus, but for some time now they've stayed away from the town itself, at least until May."

"Stroak didn't say anything about it."

"He may be under instructions not to." She shrugged. "Or he may have reasons of his own for being reticent."

"That sounds ominous. Do you suspect something?"

Branwyn grinned. "Always. However, in this case, Poppet is the one who's suspicious."

"Why?"

"The cessation of attacks on Phallus Town took place almost as soon as Professor Stroak moved there, which was right after he resurfaced."

"Poppet thinks he's the reason the Limbec Pirates haven't sacked Phallus before?" Shikarou frowned. "That's pretty circumstantial."

"Poppet thought so too, at least until yesterday, when she received this." Branwyn held up an envelope. "She brought it over earlier today and left me a copy."

Shikarou put his pokedex down. "Poppet went to the trouble of teleporting over here to bring you a piece of paper. Why didn't she send an email instead?"

"She doesn't trust her computers, remember? This is going to remain hardcopy only, and I've promised to destroy our copy after you've seen it." The Unicorn offered it to him.

Shikarou looked the sheet over. "Ok, we've got a series of names and what looks like the beginning of a meeting." He glanced up. "What am I looking at?"

"It's a partial transcript of a meeting of the leaders of Sanctuary." She shrugged. "The meeting took place sometime in January of this year. Poppet's agent only managed to smuggle out that page, but those names are the leaders in attendance."

"Why did it take so long to get to Poppet?"

Branwyn gave him a disgusted look. "You can't transmit this electronically or your enemies will eventually capture your spy. You also want the original as proof, just in case someone compromises your agent, or you have to convince others of your veracity."

She frowned. "This was smuggled out of Sanctuary and hand carried to someone in the Orange League who works for Poppet. They put it on an airship for the Blue League. That piece of paper put several lives in jeopardy and cost hundreds of man-hours of work to get to us."

Shikarou looked at it again. "I suspect I'm supposed to be completely astonished at something on this, but I have no idea what it could be."

"Look at the subject they are discussing."

Shikarou's ears canted sideways. "I have perfect recall, Branwyn. So, why is the name Wendy Gilligan important or is it because she's pissed about some support they've been giving some of their allies?" He glanced down at the paper again. "Nope. Pissed is too weak a word for how angry she is."

Branwyn nodded. "Poppet has known for a while that the Goths of Sanctuary have a way of turning pokegirls and humans into Sanctuary Goths. The procedure is a closely guarded secret and she doesn't know more than a few steps, but we're certain it exists."

"So, I'm presuming that this Wendy hasn't been a Sanctuary Goth her whole life." Shikarou shrugged. "So what? Are you going to tell me there is another one named Petra Pan or maybe one named Tinkerbell?"

"You've focused on the wrong name. It's the Gilligan part that's interesting." She smiled triumphantly.

"If you're waiting for praise, you'll need to give me a little more information." He flashed a tight smile. "So far, I'm not impressed."

"I thought you were studying our history?" She gave him a hurt look.

"I am. There's a lot to cover."

Branwyn gave a grudging nod. "I suppose you are right. When Stroak disappeared, he was on a ship that had several other people on it. One of them was a crewmember named Willy Gilligan."

Shikarou suddenly looked thoughtful. "So Poppet thinks Willy became Wendy."

"That's right. It's an open secret that the Limbec Pirates have been getting support from Sanctuary." She frowned. "Well, it's not that open."

Shikarou's eyes narrowed. "If you're correct, Stroak didn't get turned into anything, so someone out there may like him as he is."

"And they may be protecting him." Branwyn nodded eagerly. "A powerful Sanctuary Goth would be a prime reason for Limbec Pirates to avoid a place if she wanted them to."

Shikarou frowned and then shrugged. "However, it doesn't affect us either way. If Stroak is affiliated with Sanctuary, that doesn't mean he's a problem. One of them tried to kill me, and I enslaved one of them. I'd call that a wash unless they want to cause more trouble."

"What if a pirate ship attacked Caomh Sith?"

"We'd eat them for breakfast." He cocked his head. "Still, Selene has been too busy to work on the defenses I want for the island." He made a dismissive motion. "Between us and Faelan, I think we'd make short work of them. The Guard would just be the final nail in the coffin."

He nodded. "However, I will have Selene bump some defensive systems up higher on the priority list."

Branwyn nodded. "I want to visit Phallus and get a feel for what really happened and try to figure out why."

"You're that worried about pirates coming here?" He nodded. "All right, but we can't go asking Stroak about any possible alliance with Sanctuary. It's rude and none of our business. I will, however, see if I can introduce Aggie to his computer system." He grinned. "It's still rude, but he's unlikely to know, so he won't be insulted."

**I tried once before. He has a stand alone system. **

Branwyn looked suddenly interested. "That's curious."

Shikarou shook his head. "But not incriminating. Besides, knowing Sanctuary Goths isn't against the law."

"It's against Sexmet's law."

"She's not the boss, now, is she?" He frowned. "But I don't think that we should tell Lorelei. Sexmet has been known to be more than a bit precipitous in her actions where Sanctuary is concerned and I really don't want to have to try to save Stroak from her. Gods, but that would be a nightmare."

Branwyn nodded. "Yes, it would." She frowned. "Could you destroy that for me?"

Shikarou grinned, stuffed the sheet into his mouth and began chewing.

Branwyn sighed as she watched him. "You are not going to be teaching our children manners. You know this, don't you?"

"What?"

(07/01/99 2200 Blue Continent, 1500 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Circe was holding Shikarou around the waist when she teleported to Stroak's facility. Her chosen exit point was a hundred meters in the air since she felt that it was always safest. You never knew when someone might be driving a car straight at the place where you planned to exit, which was why they always used the second dock for exiting at Caomh Sith, since it was a designated exit point.

Of course, that made one predictable, so Shikarou's harem didn't use it often, instead preferring to exit somewhere within a handful of kilometers of Peacetown or up in the air, like now.

Circe tightened her arms around him and started her descent. Shikarou frowned. "Hold on, just a minute."

She stopped and hovered, spinning in place. "What is it?" Her body was tense as she searched for any threats.

"Did we misjump again?" He pointed down.

Circe looked. "What the hell? There's never been a building down there." The area looked completely pristine. There weren't even any signs of pre-Sukebe buildings around, much less the Professor's laboratory.

**You did not misjump.**

"So why does it look like we aren't anywhere near Stroak's lab?"

**I provided you with a new picture to study for a reason. This is one of the things that changed when we returned from our time traveling trip. Stroak built his lab on the outskirts of Phallus Town.**

_And just why didn't you mention these changes to us?_

**I don't know which ones are going to be important until right after you need them. If you want to know everything that has changed, get a big mug of hot cocoa and pull up a chair, because it's going to take two years to tell you all of it.** There was a pause. **If you are allowed to ask any questions, I calculate that the time needed for a complete briefing will increase to over four years.**

Shikarou blinked in surprise. "Someone got some spicy electrons for breakfast this morning." Circe chuckled in his ear.

**I am not omniscient and I tire of your assumptions that I am.**

"No, you're not. However, you could have done more than shove a picture at us when you discovered we were coming here. From now on, if we are going to someplace where there have been changes that might affect us, please let us know as soon as you know we are headed there."

**I suppose you could have a point. I should note that it is a very small one. From now on, I will do as you request.**

Circe slowly rotated in a circle. "So, Aggie, where is Phallus Town from here? I don't know if its location has changed, but I've never been there."

**Keep rotating. Stop. I'm injecting a vector into your visual cortex. It's about twenty kilometers from here.**

"Thank you." Circe aligned herself and sped away.

"Slow down a bit. I want to make sure we get the scenic route on this trip." His ears flicked. "That will give us a great deal more flexibility on exit points the next time we come to visit."

An hour later, they circled in from the sea side of Phallus, did a lazy loop around the town itself and landed in the square.

Circe shook her head. "Did you see that the police station is a burned out shell?"

**The Indigo League has been vacillating over whether to repair or rebuild the police station here. Only recently did they allocate the funds to rebuild it from the ground up.**

Shikarou chuckled. "I see that they grind slow and fine here, also." He frowned. "It's four in the afternoon. Does it seem a little quiet to you?"

"FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR!" The order came from behind them.

"Which do you want?" Shikarou called out. "Should we freeze or move?"

Circe sighed. "I think they're a little twitchy after the pirate raid," she commented quietly.

"I'm a guy. Well, I'm male. What would I be doing anywhere near Limbec Pirates?"

"NO TALKING!"

_Do you want me to teleport us out?_

_No. You'd have to grab my hand and darkness only knows what they would do if you moved suddenly._ Shikarou turned slowly.

"I SAID DON'T MOVE!"

It was an OfficerJenny and a Growltit. Both of them had firearms of some kind aimed at him. The Jenny had a bullhorn with a throat mike.

Shikarou gave them a friendly smile. "Good afternoon, officer. There appears to be some confusion about the situation. I'm not a pirate. I'm not even female."

"I DON"T CARE WHO…" the Jenny stopped and turned off the throat mike. "I don't care who you say you are," she snapped. "You are going to be detained until we verify your identity."

There was the sound of running feet and another OfficerJenny and Growltit appeared, moving quickly to flank Shikarou and Circe as they drew their weapons.

A minute later, a third OfficerJenny appeared. Character lines on her attractive face hinted that she was older than the others and it was reinforced by the extra bits of shiny metal that decorated her chest and shoulders.

The other way the other police automatically deferred to her presence was a giveaway that she was someone important.

She looked around attentively. "Good job. Who was first on the scene?"

"We were, Commissioner."

"That was excellent work, Chelsea. You too, Minnie."

Shikarou cocked his head. "It was outstanding, except for the tiny fact that I haven't done anything wrong."

Chelsea bristled. "I saw the way you were casing the town!"

Shikarou's ears flicked. "With all due respect, if I were going to be scouting Phallus for a raid, I would not do it in plain sight of the citizenry." He started to say something else and stopped.

The Commissioner looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I was going to be impertinent and cruel. I've been told I need to keep that under control." He shrugged. "If you scan my pokedex, you'll find I'm not wanted for anything." He suppressed a grin at a whispered thought from Circe. "Illegal."

Circe slowly turned to face them. "I would like to point out that he has a Seraph in his harem and Professor Stroak knows us."

The Commissioner looked unimpressed. "Anyone can say that. Get his pokedex."

The other Growltit jerked it off his belt and handed it to her. She scanned it with a piece of equipment taken from her belt. Her lips pursed as she read the display. "Shikarou Urufu?" She looked up. "Didn't you kill a Widow recently?"

"That was in the Blue League. I'm surprised you heard about it."

She smiled slightly. "Widow sightings are big news and someone who kills one single-handedly is even bigger news."

Shikarou's ears flattened. "I wasn't alone. I had my harem with me and they did most of the work."

The OfficerJenny frowned at his tone. "You need to watch the attitude."

"I'm tired of people acting like my pokegirls are inconsequential. They're my friends and they matter as much as I do."

That earned him a brief smile. "You don't have to tell me that twice." She pulled her com from her belt and dialed a number. "Hello, Maryanne. I need to talk to the Professor. No, it won't wait. There's a stranger in town who says he knows your boss."

She paused. "Shikarou Urufu." One eyebrow went up and she hit the mute button. "Show me your teeth."

Shikarou sighed and bared his fangs.

The Commissioner went back to the phone. "Yes." She hit mute again. "Who's your alpha?"

"Branwyn. She's a Unicorn."

"He says her name is Branwyn." She nodded. "Thank you, Maryanne. No, I guess I don't need to talk to him. Thank you and you have a nice day as well." She ended the call and nodded. "He's been vouched for." She offered him his pokedex as the police began to stand down.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "I'm Samantha."

Circe gave him a look. _We're going to have to change your name to Taken. Taken Offlimits._

_That's not funny._ He nodded to the OfficerJenny. "Pleased to meet you."

Samantha nodded. "You come highly recommended. Maryanne is pickier than the Professor. Sorry about all the trouble."

He shrugged. "I suppose it was a good training exercise for your girls," he replied in a noncommittal tone.

"That it was." She stuck out her hand. "Well, I've got to get back to work."

Shikarou took it. "Have a nice day." His com rang as the Commissioner headed off. "Shikarou."

An amused Titmouse looked out him. "You didn't bother to let us know you were coming."

"I'm sorry. My decision to visit was a little sudden. If you'd been busy, I'd have just said hello and been on my way." He smiled. "Thank you for vouching for me to the Commissioner."

She returned the smile. "The police are still on edge from the attack. When can I expect you?"

"We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"I'll have tea ready and I'll let the Professor know you're here. He'll appreciate the distraction."

"Glad to be of help."

She laughed. "Hurry up, then." The call ended.

Shikarou grinned at Circe. "I owe that woman her weight in chocolate."

"Don't give it to her all at once. It might upset the Professor."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 51

Vampire Elizabeth 49

G-Spliced Pythia 48

Sphinx Lorelei 46

Mini-Top Nanu 45

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**SEXMET, the Legendary Dark Lioness Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Near Human (Feline)  
**Element**: Steel/Magic/Fighting  
**Frequency**: Extremely Rare (Unique)  
**Diet**: human style foods, heavy on meats, and energy drawn from sex  
**Role**: protector/sister of Bastit, soldier  
**Libido**: High  
**Strong Vs**: Ice, Rock, Fighting, Dragon  
**Weak Vs**: None (Water, Fire, Ground)  
**Attacks**: Tail Slap, Tackle, Meteor Punch, Scratch, Pummel, Roundhouse Kick, Roar, Fury Swipes, Agility, Slash, Sabre Claw, Parry, Sword Dance, Deflect, Reflect, Power Bolt, Mana Bolt, Mystic Bolt, Recover, Teleport  
**Enhancements**: Legendary Qualities, Legendary Salient Qualities, Armor  
**Evolves**: N/A  
**Evolves From**: N/A  
Sexmet is one of the very rare Legendary Pokégirls. Made by Sukebe for reasons that didn't necessarily have effect on his war of revenge…  
Like her 'sister', Sexmet is a G-Spliced. However, where Bastit was made from two different Pokégirls, Sexmet was made from three Pokégirls. A Catgirl, a Demon Goddess, and an Armsmistress.  
The reason for Sexmet's existence is because of her 'sister' Bastit. Bastit, while a powerful fighter in her own right, would absolutely REFUSE to fight others unless there was no other way, (she's a pacifist). She'd prefer to make love and make an opponent's hormones do all the work for her… but that didn't always work. So, Sukebe made Sexmet to be Bastit's 'sister' and protector. To accomplish this, he had based Sexmet after the goddess Sehkmet, who was a goddess of war and vengeance. As such, she is also has a lower opinion of humanity than her 'sister' Bastit.  
Because of her heritages, Sexmet can take three forms, all depending on her mood. The first form is of a slightly muscular woman that is 5'9" in height, with dark skin, golden eyes, long black hair tied into a ponytail, black-furred cat ears, and wearing tight hard leather battle-armor, a brown leather weapons belt with a curved sword to the side, sandals, and silver jewelry of different sorts, including necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and a gold tiara with an amethyst gemstone in the center with a relief of a hissing cat, Egyptian hieroglyphs adorn all the pieces of jewelry she wears, and she carries a large silver glaive.  
Sexmet's second form is a near-human Catgirl. She wears the same clothing, but in the second form she is more cat-like, with a layer of short black fur covering her from head to toe, she gains a tail, claws where her fingernails were, her frame becomes more muscular, and her height increases to 6'4".  
Sexmet's third, and final form is of a huge, black-furred lioness, at a height of 4' and a total length of 9'5" from nose to the tip of her tail.  
Also, like her sister Bastit, Sexmet was not meant to be a Legendary. She apparently gained her status as a Legendary through her fighting prowess, and her 'victories' against other sister Legendaries. She was known to have bested the Legendary multi-headed dragon Hy-Bra on more than one occasion to protect her sister Bastit, and she's survived clashes with the likes of the Legendary Stone Titan, Titania. It is speculated that these 'victories' might be due to the fact she is based after a goddess of war…  
To this day, Sexmet is rarely sighted. Some speculate she lives in seclusion, and it seems so. This idea is supported by the fact that the only sightings of Sexmet within the past 100 years have all been within the Dark Continent. Though still, some speculate she is rarely seen because she is a roamer. She was made to protect Bastit… There is no reason as to why she would give up 'protecting' her 'sister'.  
_**LEGENDARY QUALITIES**__: All Legendary Pokégirls have these special attributes, making them above and beyond other Pokégirls:_  
_Truly Unique_: All Legendary Pokégirls cannot be copied. Attempts to clone them always fail, and morphing other beings into copies of them always produces sub-standard versions. Titto, for example, can take Sexmet's shape and even copy her powers to some degree, but not any of her Legendary Qualities or Legendary Salient Qualities (see below).  
_Deathlessness_: Despite having been around since Sukebe's Revenge, all the Legendary Pokégirls are still around and going strong. This superior version of longevity makes them immune to death from natural causes. They will never die unless they are killed. However, poison, disease, or any unnatural cause still has a normal chance to kill them, barring their special immunities and strengths.  
_No Weakness (Level X)_: All of the Legendary Pokégirls can ignore their type's normal weaknesses, to a point. When facing a Pokégirl at or below a certain level, if that Pokégirl is a type the Legendary would normally be weak against, she instead treats it as though it were of a type she had no specific advantage or disadvantage against. For example, Sexmet has No Weakness (Level 65). If she were to face a Water, Fire, or Ground type Pokégirl or anything else that was considered Strong Vs Steel, Magic, or Fighting, at or below level 65, she wouldn't be considered weak against it, nor would it be considered strong against her. Pokégirl at a level above the Legendary's No Weakness level treat things normally.  
_**LEGENDARY SALIENT QUALITIES**__: Some Legendary Pokégirls have special qualities others don't have. Here is Sexmet's lexicon of special attributes:_  
_Warrior's Code_: Being that Sukebe had modeled Sexmet after the ancient Egyptian Goddess of War, (among other things) Sexmet is very well versed in all forms of 'war', be they on the battlefield, political, and even when it comes to Taming…  
_Warrior's Sense_: Also referred to as "Eye of Ra", this acts as a 'sixth sense' for Sexmet, making it hard to sneak up on her. It is also very possibly the reason she is rarely seen today, since she can 'feel' when anyone or anything is getting close to her.  
_Lady of Life_: When Sukebe created Sexmet he ended up emulating many parts of Sehkmet's supposed personality. This includes one aspect where Sehkmet could become a carrier, and curer of plagues. Though she is not a poison type, at times, Sexmet can leave a trail of death in her wake without even trying… And other times, a place benefited from her presence. (However, this Salient quality has no effect on Pokégirls over the level of 70). This quality also allows Sexmet to evolve the Griffon into the very rare Pokégirl Sphinx.

_**GROWLTIT, the Warm And Fuzzy Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Animorph (Canine)

**Element**: Fire

**Frequency**: Uncommon (Crimson League)

**Diet**: near human diet (omnivore, but mostly fish and nuts)

**Role**: originally tracking and frontline, make excellent pets or police Pokégirls

**Libido**: Average (High if other amorous Pokégirls in area)

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Fire, Ice, Plant, Steel

**Weak Vs**: Ground, Rock, Water

**Attacks**: Flamethrower, Rage, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Growl, Slash, Bite, Tackle, Takedown, Quick Attack.

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x7), Enhanced Speed (x3), Elemental-based powers, Endurance

**Evolves**: Denmother (Special, giving birth), Sparkanine (Thunder Stone), Huskie (Ice Crystal)

**Evolves From**: Growlie (Normal, experience needed)

Growltit is the evolution of Growlie, its appearance is still similar with that of Growlie as it retains the canine features with the red fur with black tiger stripes down her back, arms and legs. It is the blonde hair on the top of her head that changes becoming wilder and spikier, the blonde fur on her chest, stomach, groin and inner thighs also changes, becoming longer and more pronounced. The most dramatic change is that of Growltit's tail which changes from being red tiger striped fur to being the same long blonde fur as on her chest and the addition of long blonde fur down her arms and her lower legs.

Muscles on Growltit are much more visible than they were when she was a Growlie, her new form visually showing her increased strength, speed and greatly improved endurance. Other improvements over its Growlie form include greater access and control over its fire elemental powers, it is now far more capable of using powerful fire based moves against its enemies.

Growltit has a much more laid back attitude and lower libido except when an amorous Pokégirl comes onto their master at which point they can get very defensive over their masters unless they are used to the other Pokégirl. The laid back attitude means that Growltit will sleep more often when it has the free time instead of hunting down her master and demanding attention, they can often be found asleep, curling up with cat type Pokégirls in a patch of sunlight, a sight which can melt most hearts.

It still has a preferred diet of nuts and fish although is now more prone to sharing its fish with cat types and not provoking a food fight over who gets the last fish. Its skill as a fisher increases thanks to its speed and faster reflexes; it is also much more patient in waiting for its food ensuring it doesn't lose a fish due to impatience.

Pet owners tend to favor Growltit over Growlie because she becomes much less demanding for their time and affection allowing them to get on with other things. Growltit still likes cat type Pokégirls, able to keep both itself and the cat type amused for endless hours but unfortunately they still don't like domina types and it is _NOT recommended to have them together in any fashion.

Growltit gains increased popularity over Growlie because of her calmer attitude and no longer needing another Pokégirl to keep her distracted, bringing her up to the same level of popularity as Kittens, Hounds, Pidgies, Evas, Bunnies and Titmice when it comes to the pet market. They still make excellent pets for home security, tirelessly patrolling and protecting the family home.

Growltit is a difficult evolution to reach, requiring Growlie to be quite powerful and experienced in fighting before it will evolve into Growltit. This is why the police force train the much easier to acquire Growlie to be police Pokégirls rather than Growltit which seems to be even more suitable for police work. Those planning on breaking the law however should be wary, any Growltit serving in the police force is likely to have long years of experience and much less likely to be thrown off during a pursuit. Her increased speed, endurance and strength can bring most chases to a quick end even those which require tracking the target across large areas of wilderness.

The increase in Growltit's speed means it is hard for their human partners to catch up by foot, so the Growltit is given much more autonomy even in less liberal leagues. Human partners of Growltit tend to have motorbikes to help them keep up with their Pokégirl when she gets moving.

Growltit can also be found in daycare centers and schools in the more liberal leagues as they are considered damned near human and trustworthy enough to be around kids. Children especially the younger ones love them as they are warm and fuzzy, thus great to cuddle with. This is something that the much more active and demanding Growlie couldn't do, for fear it might accidentally harm the children with its more boisterous attitude.

In the wild Growltit's tend to be the pack leaders as long as there are no Denmother present, leading and controlling the pack throughout their daily lives, packs with a Growltit leading them tend to be more close knit and intelligent since Growltit has a slightly more intelligent feral state. The pack will have sentries on watch and will regularly patrol their territory making it more difficult to sneak up on the pack. The Growltit itself will develop slight maternal instincts over those under her causing her to look out for her fellow pack mates far more than normal but this is nothing compared to the instincts she will develop if she evolves into Denmother.

Attempting the capture of an unwilling Growltit is strongly discouraged, not only will you run into the same problems as attempting the capture of an unwilling Growlie but it is one of the few circumstances which can encourage the Growlie pack to leave their territory, in this case to track down their missing leader. This can lead to the unfortunate tamer getting attacked in the middle of the night by an entire pack of angry Growlies, not something that you want to be woken up to. It is recommended to either catch a willing Growltit or get a Growlie and train it up.


	36. Chapter 36

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

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Chapter 36

(07/01/99 2300 Blue Continent, 1700 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Maryanne smiled. "Welcome." She waved a hand towards a Dragoness lounging in a chair. "I hope you remember Anastasia, my sister wife."

Branwyn glanced at Shikarou. _I take it Stroak having other pokegirls besides Maryanne is another of those changes we should just go with?_

The Dragoness nodded. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Shikarou, Branwyn."

_Since she appears to have met us before, yes._ Shikarou grinned. "And it's a pleasure to see both of you."

Anastasia gave him a suspicious look and crossed her arms. "So, what brings you to Phallus?"

"The Professor has been keeping secrets." Branwyn gasped and stared at him. "The last time we talked, he said he hoped we could be friends and then he goes and doesn't bother to tell me when he might need some help?" He wagged a finger at the Titmouse. "The Limbecs did a lot more damage than the League let out and we could have helped with the reconstruction." A smile flickered. "I'd have been happy to, if someone had let me know."

Maryanne shook her head. "Their first volley took out our communication dish as well as the other two in the town. We couldn't call for help."

"And afterwards?"

The Titmouse's ears flicked. "We've been busy. And communications only got restored recently."

"I can help to make sure you don't loose communications again. I'll leave you a special com unit. It only communicates with others like it, but we monitor it around the clock and I don't believe anyone from around here can jam it."

Maryanne blinked. Anastasia frowned. "We aren't exactly neighbors. What kind of range does it have?"

"Two light minutes." He smiled as they both looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Thirty six million kilometers. That's anywhere on the planet." He smiled as the light dawned in their eyes. "It's about the size of a standard phone."

"Thank you. I'll be glad to take it." Maryanne smoothed down her skirt. "You are staying for supper, right?"

"Aye, if we're invited." He cocked his head. "Helen will be happy to cook if you'd like a night off."

Maryanne looked offended. "No, she will not. I will."

He shrugged. "I just thought I'd offer." He clapped his hands together. "I will insist on providing dessert."

"Chocolate?" She looked hopeful. "The raiders took all we had."

"Have you ever heard of devil's food cookies?" Branwyn grinned. "It's a cookie made from a rich chocolate cake and covered with a hard chocolate shell."

The Titmouse's eyes widened. "Ooh, that sounds wonderful."

Anastasia chuckled. "You just made a good friend." She gave her sister an affectionate look. "I saw Circe outside, will she be joining us?"

Branwyn nodded. "She's doing an aerial survey of the town. Shikarou wants a baseline idea of how much the Indigo League lies to people."

The Dragoness gave her a dark look. "A lot." She shook her head. "I'll let Alphonse know you're here." She rose and headed upstairs.

Anastasia stopped at a door and silently opened it before slipping inside. Professor Stroak looked up from his book. "Ana. What is it?"

"How is she?"

"The same." He gestured at the bed and the sleeping figure in it. "She almost died, but I think she's going to be all right."

"We have some visitors. Shikarou and his harem."

Stroak jerked upright. "His arrival is either extremely coincidental or shows rather interesting timing. What does he want?"

Anastasia patted his shoulder. "Relax. He's here because he figured out the League lied about how much damage the town took. He's also ticked off because you didn't call him for help." She nodded towards the bed. "You know, he's got a NurseJoy. I'm sure she could be convinced to help us out without any fanfare."

"No." The voice came from the bed. Stroak and Anastasia turned to look. "No one can know I'm here." Dark eyes searched theirs. "You both know that."

Stroak touched her hand. "Everything is fine. Shikarou won't ever find out you're here."

Anastasia cocked her head. "You'll need to put in an appearance."

Stroak shook his head negatively. "Tell him I'm busy."

"Alphonse." Her tone was chiding. "Your manners."

"I know Shikarou well enough to know that he'll understand what being busy is like. He won't be offended." Stroak picked up his book. "Give him my greeting and my regrets."

The Dragoness sighed. "I will, if you insist."

"I do."

Anastasia checked on the patient before heading back downstairs. Maryanne had Helen peeling potatoes while Elizabeth had guard duty over Shikarou. She frowned and looked around for Branwyn.

Shikarou smiled. "Wondering where Branwyn is? She went back to get that com unit for you."

"Ah. I have some bad news. Alphonse said he won't be able to get away from what he's doing today, so I'm afraid you won't be seeing him."

Shikarou blinked and then shrugged. "That will teach me not to call ahead." He grinned. "Now I'm jealous. I wish I could do that to the people that want to interrupt me but, unfortunately, if you are sleeping with someone, they think that gives them the right to interrupt your work, no matter how important you might think it."

The Dragoness couldn't help laughing. "I'm glad you understand."

Branwyn came inside and handed what looked like a normal com unit to her husband. Shikarou smiled. "Thanks." He turned to Anastasia. "Here. Please let the Professor know that unit is built as one piece and there's nothing to remove. If he tries to open it, there's a self destruct that will destroy the internals."

Anastasia turned it over in her hands. It looked normal except for the fact that the case was a light blue color. "I hope it's tough."

"It is. It's waterproof, shockproof and heat resistant."

"Heat resistant?"

"I wouldn't go throwing it into any volcanoes and expect it to work but you could boil it in a pot of water without any problems. The power supply is good for fifty years. The unit will let you know when it needs to be replaced."

She looked up at him. "Can we use this for local calls?"

"No, it's only programmed with three numbers, mine, Faelan's and a friend of mine named Selene. You can call any of us in an emergency and we'll contact the others." It didn't matter which number they used, all of the calls got routed through Selene since she never slept or got bored.

"Thank you, it's quite a gift."

"I don't have many friends. I try to keep the few I have reasonably healthy." His ears flicked in amusement. "When the professor or one of his friends destroys it trying to open the casing, just let me know so I can replace it. It's relatively inexpensive, so I shouldn't get upset for the first three or four of them."

Maryanne laughed from where she was cooking. "We will."

The Dragoness put the unit on a nearby shelf. "Are you going to be marketing the technology? It is from your homeworld, correct?"

"Yes, it's based on my technology and no, I haven't figured out a way to license the technology yet. It requires a whole new standard of molecular circuitry compared to what I've seen in the marketplace, and the power source is pretty complex. Rest assured as soon as I do figure out how to make it with this world's tech, I'll be contacting the owner of New Avalon Industries, Hanse Davion."

She cocked her head. "Not Jahana?"

"I have to talk to the Blue League manufacturers first or I'll be blacklisted." He shrugged. "There's a wave of nationalism sweeping the Blue League right now. I think it started when the Blue League officials realized just how much tax revenue they were missing out on by having a foreign manufacturer making the everyday items that people use." He grinned. "However, I do live in the Scotland region and like any canny Scot I'm not going to lock myself into getting robbed just because a manufacturer waves a Blue League flag. I'll talk to everyone and see who offers the best contract."

She nodded. "So it's between this New Avalon Industries and Jahana Corp?"

"Actually, there is a very reputable firm in the Extreme Championship Pokegirl League that looks promising and I'll be talking to them too. It's called Steiner Manufacturing and is run by a woman named Katrina Steiner."

"I've never heard of it."

"That's not surprising. The ECPL is extremely insular."

Fangs flashed as Elizabeth grinned. "They're so contrary they don't even like to believe we exist. Their maps end at their borders." It was an exaggeration, but only a slight one.

Heads turned as a Vaporita came into the room, followed by Circe and several floating bundles. "I ran into Circe so I got all of the shopping done," she announced.

Circe glanced in his direction as the packages began collecting on the table. _This is Rita and she knows us. I checked with Stardust and we met all three of his pokegirls when we visited his home the first time, back when I joined the harem. This is very unsettling._

_That is an understatement. _ "Hello, Rita."

She grinned. "Hello, Shikarou. Long time, no see. I know, you've been busy and I've been in my little house, I mean pokeball." She turned to Maryanne. "Samantha has confirmed she'll be here for dinner." She drew herself up and assumed a pompous air. "I do believe that the criminal element in Phallus Town has been subdued enough that I will be able to free up the necessary time to attend your evening repast." She snorted. "Stuck up little…"

"Rita!" Maryanne gave her a glare. "All of them had really bad experiences during the raid, so cut her a little slack."

Rita shrugged. "A little group taming never hurt anyone."

"They were gang-raped!"

The Vaporita gave her a flat look. "Same difference."

"It sounds like the Indigo League suppressed a great deal of information about the raid."

Anastasia shrugged at his words. "Rita's being an ass about it, but essentially she's right. Gang rape and group taming are essentially interchangeable words for pokegirls. They probably didn't feel it worth mentioning in the report."

Shikarou's ears flattened. "I disagree. Rape is rape, no matter how many people are involved. If someone is unwilling, then it's rape."

The Dragoness gave him an innocent look. "Does that include ferals?"

"Yes, it does."

She looked surprised. "So what do you do about the unwilling ferals that are a threat?"

"I'm willing to try to put them in the mood. If that doesn't work, then they'll have to be eliminated."

Maryanne looked over. "That's harsh." Elizabeth looked amused.

"If they are a threat and I can't tame them, then my options become limited." He shrugged. "Most of them are rather difficult to keep imprisoned, even if the facilities existed, which they don't."

"So you'd rather kill someone than rape them?"

"I understand it may sound bad to you, but yes."

Rita was staring at him. "Good."

Maryanne frowned. "So what about conditioning cycles? How do you feel about them?"

He thought quickly. "They are a form of execution if they are done properly and execution has a place in the world. However, I don't like the fact that any Tamer who feels his pokegirl's personality is a little out of sync with what he wants can use it to wipe her completely." He leaned back in his chair. "It comes down to whether or not you believe that pokegirls are property and I don't."

"That's a heretical belief."

His eyes met Anastasia's. "So? It's what I believe."

Rita wasn't quite done. "Which would you be willing to do first for a dangerous feral: kill her or use a level five conditioning cycle?"

"I'd try taming her first but which of the two choices you've offered I would choose depends on the situation." He looked thoughtful. "I'm inclined towards the conditioning cycle."

"Why?"

"Her mind will be rebuilt to a more socially acceptable pattern that will allow her a chance to pass on her genes. If I kill her, the genetic potential she represents is lost forever."

"Why not leave her feral and let her reproduce in that state?"

"You said she's a threat."

Rita scowled. "And if she's not?"

Branwyn raised a hand. "On Caomh Sith, we have several feral pokegirls that live in and around Peacetown. They're not a threat, so they're left alone. However, they have received the occasional taming from the people who live there." She smiled. "So he does practice what he advocates."

Anastasia looked pleased. "Rita, you are going to have to work harder than that if you want to pick a fight with Shikarou. He seems to believe many of the same things we do."

The Vaporita grumbled and stomped upstairs.

A little while later Shikarou recognized a familiar face as a pokegirl headed for the Stroak complex. He groaned quietly. "Now what? Is she coming to try to arrest me again?"

Anastasia turned to look out the window. "That's Samantha. She's coming to dinner." Curiosity filled her eyes as she turned back to Shikarou. "Is that going to be a problem?"

His ears flicked. "No, it won't. She thought she was doing her job and I can respect that."

The Commissioner came in and hung her hat on a hook near the door. She nodded when she saw him. "You're still here?" Her tone was acidic.

He rose and bowed. "I'm Shikarou Urufu, from the Blue Continent. I hope our arrival didn't cause you too much trouble."

She blinked and flushed slightly. "Sorry about that. I'm just tired. I'm Samantha."

Anastasia handed her a bottle of beer. "Same problems?"

"Yes. My girls are stretched thin. Everyone is jumping at shadows and yelling for the police." She gestured at Shikarou with the bottle. "Every stranger is a pirate, come for our blood this time."

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn, who nodded. "I can loan you an experienced OfficerJenny and a rookie Drow Zee."

Samantha stared at him like he'd suddenly started speaking in gibberish. She frowned suddenly. "What?"

"I have discretionary authority over my police force and I can loan you Alice and Daiyu for a month or two. Alice is an OfficerJenny with five years service in Glasgow before she ended up bonded to me and moved to Caomh Sith. Daiyu is a Drow Zee and has been with the Caomh Sith Guard for a few months." He smiled. "I'll continue to pay their salaries, of course."

The OfficerJenny shook her head like a horse shaking off flies. "Who the hell are you?"

"I own the island of Caomh Sith and I suppose I'm the de facto mayor of the town we're setting up. They call me their king." He shrugged. "Do you want the help?"

"What about their commissioner? What's she going to say about it?"

Branwyn chuckled. "She's a Denmother named Molly and Shikarou is her Tamer. If she has a problem with this, trust me she won't be quiet about it." She looked thoughtful. "However, I don't see why she will. Things are quiet there and she has Faelan and us if something comes up." She glanced at Circe. _It's not like they can fight Germanicus._

_I only hope we can. _Circe frowned. "I'll go ask Molly. If she doesn't have an issue, they'll be here first thing in the morning."

Shikarou smiled. "So, is that acceptable?"

Samantha drained her beer. "Damned right it is. The League, in its infinite wisdom, has authorized me to expand the Phallus Town police. They don't want to free up the money until the officers are here and the officers don't want to come here until the money is available." She muttered something inaudible.

Circe nodded. "I shouldn't be gone more than ten minutes or so." She frowned. "If it's ok with you, I'll leave after dinner.

Shikarou shrugged. "That will be fine."

Samantha gave him a grim smile. "I don't suppose you have a demolition team in another one of your pockets? I have to destroy the wreckage of the police building before I can build the new one."

"As a matter of fact, I do. Myself and my harem. We'll be glad to help." He grinned. "We like breaking things."

She shook her head. "How would you like to move to Phallus Town," she asked in whimsical voice.

"Sorry, that I can't do."

"I guess you aren't perfect after all."

Branwyn looked startled. "No, he's not," she said in a definite tone. "He's got lots of flaws." Helen chuckled quietly, earning herself a glare. "You stay out of this, do you hear me?"

"Of course, my alpha."

Shikarou gave Samantha an amused look. "You know, with my two police here, you will technically have additional officers, so you can apply for the funding to pay them. That would mean that once they leave, you'll have some of the funding necessary to entice those additional police you need that are waiting for money to become available."

Samantha stared at him. "That is wrong on so many levels."

"Is it illegal?"

"I don't think so." Awe showed in her expression. "No one could ever plan for something like that. I'll start the paperwork in the morning."

Circe glanced at Branwyn. _How does he do that? It sounds right and convinces them almost every time._

The Unicorn shrugged. _I suppose that after working on Dorothea, an OfficerJenny is easy._

When dinner was almost ready, Maryanne put together a tray of food. Helen watched for a moment. "I can take that up if you want?"

The Titmouse gave her a slightly apprehensive look. "No, everything's fine. I've got it." She relaxed when Helen nodded and turned away.

Pythia's ear flicked and rotated away from them. She glanced at Shikarou. _I wonder what's upstairs that we aren't supposed to see._

_Who cares? It's entirely possible that whatever is going on we don't want to know about it._ He sipped at his tea. _I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate us prying._

_What about Poppet's concern about their having ties with Sanctuary?_

_If he had ties to Eoghan, I'd get excited. Sanctuary hasn't done anything to us, recently. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on those pirates, however. They managed to hit Phallus and not kill anyone. That's very odd and out of character. I don't like odd. It usually bites you when you least expect it._

_And if Sanctuary becomes an issue?_ Pythia wrinkled her muzzle and flicked her ears.

_Then we might have to ask the Professor some awkward questions, especially if his alleged ties with them seem to be the path from which the issue arises._

Dessert was devils food cookies and cold milk.

Maryanne sighed. "I'm in heaven."

Rita gave her an amused look. "With all the cookies you ate, I doubt you could fly that high."

"Oh, shut up."

Anastasia chuckled. "She's not the only one who put away a bunch of those. Where did you get the recipe, Helen?"

The Milktit looked amused. "Shikarou found me a cookbook from 2001 that had it. I played with the recipe for a while and this is the final result."

"Oh, really? Shikarou, where did you find this book?"

He grinned. "2001?" he asked in a laughing tone.

"Fine, keep it a secret. Can we get the recipe, Helen?"

She nodded. "I don't see why not."

Rita grinned. "I do. If we have that recipe, Maryanne is going to have to start exercising or she won't be able to walk. She'll look like a miniature Snorlass with mouse ears."

The Dragoness gave her an annoyed look. "That's enough, Rita."

Samantha sighed and reached for another handful. "They are rather good. Do you know where I could buy some?"

Branwyn shook her head. "I don't think they are made commercially anymore. Eggs were rather rare for a while."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. We've got an excellent baker here; I wonder if his Iron Chef could make these."

Helen gave Shikarou an inquiring look. He touched her mind through their bond. _It's your decision._

_Thank you._ "Samantha, if you want I'll give you the recipe and you can show it to your baker."

She looked surprised. "You won't mind?"

"I don't make these to sell. I make them for my family." She smiled gently. "I didn't develop most of the recipe, so I don't mind giving it away."

"That's very generous of you."

Elizabeth smiled. "That is the way she is." Helen blushed. "And she's modest too." She turned to Shikarou. "Is it my time for dinner yet?"

"Sure. It would probably be best if we went for a walk."

Maryanne blinked. "I thought you said you weren't hungry."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I have very specialized dietary needs."

"I would have been glad to give you whatever food you required!" The Titmouse sounded indignant. When Shikarou and his pokegirls laughed, she suddenly looked puzzled. "What is it?"

Elizabeth smiled. "I thank you, but you don't know what you are offering. I'm a Vampire. Shikarou gives me what I need."

Samantha froze. "You're a WHAT?"

"It's ok," Branwyn said soothingly. "She only feeds on Shikarou."

Slowly the color returned to the OfficerJenny's face. "I've heard stories about Vampires," she began.

"And most of them confuse Vampire pokegirls with the vampires of legend and story that predate Sukotto," Shikarou interrupted. "The pokegirl Vampire is, well, you can think of her as being like a Titto. She requires a specialized food, in her case blood. Elizabeth is firmly in control of her feeding and would never accidentally infect someone." Elizabeth smirked. "In fact, she likes the way I taste so much she refuses to feed off of anyone else."

"That's right. Everyone else tastes bad compared to him." Elizabeth's eyes danced. "And he's right. I would never accidentally infect someone."

Sudden suspicion appeared in Samantha's eyes. "Have you ever intentionally infected anyone?"

"This is not an interrogation. You don't have to answer that." Anastasia gave the OfficerJenny an annoyed look.

"It's ok. I tried to infect Shikarou when we first met. I was feral and a policeman deliberately stuck him in my cell with me."

Branwyn nodded to the suddenly shocked looking police woman. "That's exactly what he did. I got his ass fired."

"Good!"

Shikarou shook his head. "Come on, Elizabeth; let's get you fed."

Maryanne held out a hand. "She can feed here." Everyone looked at her and she smiled. "This is our dinner and this is the dinner table."

Shikarou looked hesitant. "I'm not really sure that's a good idea."

"Nonsense, Shikarou. What kind of host would I be if I made you slink off into the darkness to feed one of your pokegirls? I'll tell you, a bad one."

"Um," Elizabeth frowned. "I usually take it from the tap."

"Excuse me?" Maryanne looked puzzled.

"I drink it from his body."

"Oh." She rallied valiantly. "That will be fine."

"No, it won't." Shikarou shook his head. "Get your cup."

"Do I have to?" Elizabeth suddenly looked young. "I really, really like it the other way."

"So do I, but not tonight."

She gave him a little girl look. "If I do so, do I still get dessert?"

"Not tonight."

"Shit." She got up. "I'll be right back."

Shikarou sighed as she left. Anastasia looked curious. "Why does she have to drink out of the cup tonight?"

"Dinner for Elizabeth is usually drinking with sex and I didn't think you wanted dinner theatre tonight."

Samantha blushed. "No, I think that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Surely you can give her dessert then?" Maryanne nodded. "That won't hurt us."

Branwyn smiled softly. "Dessert for her is giving him oral sex."

Rita grinned. "Oh, you just wait until Stroak offers me dessert instead of a romp. From now on, I'm using her dictionary."

"RITA!"

"Mary, you aren't cute when your eyes bulge like that." Rita looked contentedly amused. "Mind your blood pressure."

Anastasia looked like she was struggling not to smile as Elizabeth returned with a large wooden goblet. She held it out and asked in a plaintive voice. "Feed me, sir, for I am hungry."

Pythia laughed quietly.

Shikarou sighed and looked at Maryanne. "You're sure about this."

"I am."

He nodded and took the cup from Elizabeth, motioning her into her chair. She watched with bright eyes as he bit his wrist and began filling the cup with blood. Maryanne shuddered, but forced herself to watch. He had to bite himself again to finish filling the goblet.

Shikarou handed it to Elizabeth, who grinned and blew him a kiss. "You'll miss dessert," she announced in a singsong. Maryanne blushed.

"Drink your dinner."

The Vampire slowly drank the blood, making happy noises as she did. When she was finished she carefully licked the rim clean. "Good to the last drop." She gave Shikarou a seductive smile. "So, about dessert?"

"Stop that."

"I'll bet part of you wants me to have my dessert." She gave him a coy look.

"That is enough." Branwyn got up and walked over to whisper into Elizabeth's ear.

The Vampire's eyes widened as her alpha spoke. "Ok. Sorry." She turned to Shikarou. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you."

Shikarou was watching Branwyn. He dropped his gaze to Elizabeth. "It's ok. You just need to calm down a little."

"Yessir." She settled back into her chair and cradled the cup under her breasts.

Branwyn settled down in her chair. "I apologize for that. It won't happen again."

Shikarou glanced at her. "No, it won't." She blinked and cocked her head. _I heard what you told her. Don't you ever threaten anyone inside the harem like that again._

_I did what had to be done to get her attention._

_Threatening to do to her what you did to Maeve is just a bit over the top. Never again._

She sighed. "Very well."

Helen looked at them both and then at Samantha. "What can you tell us about the raid? If it's still too sensitive a subject, then don't try."

Samantha winced. "There's not a whole lot to tell." She gritted her teeth. "They took us by surprise in the night. It was a galleon full of pokegirls, mostly Catfish. They were led by someone else, a Tigress named Tigre Caliente." She paused, obviously waiting for a response.

"Sorry, I've never heard of her." Shikarou shrugged.

Samantha nodded. "She's known down here as another cutthroat captain. Her first mate is a Panthress, Sabrina Montage." The OfficerJenny grimaced. "She's usually called Saditty. It's short for Sadistic Kitty. It's a name she works hard to live up to, sometimes in spectacular fashion."

"Another bloody Panthress." Pythia grimaced.

"Pardon?"

Shikarou smiled. "We had to deal with a pair of Panthresses that were working together. For a creature that's supposed to be untamable, non-feral Panthresses are starting to become relatively common."

Samantha gave him a sympathetic smile. "I sincerely hope no one was seriously hurt."

"Just the Panthresses." The OfficerJenny suddenly looked speculatively at him. "You were saying?"

"Their first salvo took out all three of our communication dishes, cutting us off from outside help. The police station was close to the docks and they hit us first with a wave of pokegirls from the ship after a brief cannonade. We fought, but the outcome wasn't ever really in doubt." Her face set. "Then they took us prisoner."

Shikarou nodded. "I know you were raped for information. You don't need to go over that again."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "No, I was threatened with rape for information. Once I gave the information, then I was raped anyway by Caliente herself. Once she was done with me, any member of her crew who was of a mind to was allowed to force themselves on my people and myself." Her voice shook with rage. "Then, they came up here to the Professor's house."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know what happened up here, but down in the town, they looted and raped. They broke whatever they could and burned what they couldn't break." Tears slid down her cheeks and her voice broke. "And I couldn't stop them."

Branwyn hugged Samantha. "If you could have, they would have just started killing people to distract you."

"That's the strange thing. Nobody was killed." Samantha shook her head. "No one, not pokegirl or man. The men they could find were beaten pretty badly, but they were careful not to kill anyone. They also didn't carry anyone off with them, and slavery is one of Caliente's specialties."

Shikarou's voice was gentle. "Can you tell me what the League is planning on doing about her?"

"I don't know. They treat us like we were working with the pirates and they won't tell us squat about the investigation."

Pythia nodded. "That makes sense. No one was killed and the pirates knew where to hit to cut their link with the outside world. Someone gave them that information."

Elizabeth stirred. "Could they have scouted the town themselves?"

Maryanne shook her head. "No. They were after something quite specific and casual scouting wouldn't have given them the information they had."

Samantha frowned and peered at Maryanne. "You never said that before. How do you know that?"

The Titmouse went white and she shook her head frantically. "I can't talk about it."

Samantha's mouth firmed. "Yes, you can. I need to know why this town was targeted."

Anastasia put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "No. She is forbidden to. If you try to push her, then you're going to have to leave."

The OfficerJenny stood angrily. "Then I have to leave." Abruptly, she staggered and slumped bonelessly. Branwyn caught her before she hit the floor and settled her unconscious form back into her chair.

Shikarou nodded and slipped his wand back into its holster. "Circe."

She winked. "I'm on it." Her eyes closed and her antenna twitched. A minute later, she opened them again. "I've made her forget Maryanne's little slip and the ensuing conversation. She'll believe she fell asleep at the table."

He nodded. "Good. Branwyn?"

The Unicorn gently shook the slumbering Jenny. "Samantha? Wake up. It's late and apparently you were more tired than you thought."

Samantha stirred. "Ok," she said wearily. "I'm sorry."

"That's fine," Shikarou smiled. "Branwyn, Circe, why don't you see Samantha home." The two pokegirls carefully escorted the OfficerJenny out.

Shikarou turned to the Maryanne and the others. They watched him with fearful eyes. "Circe will reinforce the adjustment when they get her home. Everything should be fine."

"What about you?" Maryanne's eyes were still wide.

"I'm not a threat. I don't know what you were talking about, and unless you want to tell me, I don't care." He smiled reassuringly. "We all have things that we're not quite ready to discuss."

Anastasia's eyes firmed and she nodded. "Thank you. We are in your debt."

"I absolve you of any debt that you may have incurred this night." Shikarou winked. "Friends help each other out. When and if you are ready to tell Samantha or me what happened, you will." His smile broadened. "However, we should leave as soon as Branwyn and Circe get back so you can tend to your guest." Anastasia blinked. "I noticed that everyone was downstairs except for your Professor, but Maryanne took two place settings upstairs. It was just simple observation."

The Dragoness relaxed slowly. "Yes, we have a guest. You don't need to know anything else."

"You are absolutely right." He stood. "Elizabeth, Helen, would you help me clean the table?"

Maryanne blinked. "Hey! It's our house. We'll do that."

Rita eyed her. "If they want to, let them," she muttered.

(07/02/99 1300 Blue Continent, 0700 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Samantha came around the corner and stopped once the old police station hove into view. The building was now covered with black lines that divided it into two meter squares. She frowned and trotted around to the front of the building. A small crowd had gathered and was watching something.

Shikarou was there with some of his harem. They were huddled together talking. Circe looked up at her and said something to her Tamer. He spoke to the group and broke away to head over to her. "Good morning. Er, should I call you Commissioner or is Samantha ok?"

She smiled. "I'm on duty in two hours, so Samantha is still perfectly acceptable." She eyed the meter long gray rod he was holding with curiosity. "Care to tell me what's going on?"

"We volunteered to take down the building last night, remember?" Shikarou grinned. "So, we were finishing up our planning. By the bye, where do you want the material to go?"

She shrugged. "We'll clean up later." She was a little uneasy about pokegirls destroying the police station. She hadn't thought he was serious and pokegirl attacks could go astray and cause a lot of damage. "You don't have to do this."

"It's no problem. In fact, it's an excellent team training exercise and I hadn't introduced them to the cutting bars before." He hadn't had any before. Selene had run these up last night and Elizabeth had picked them up this morning. He turned to the group. "We're going to stack the blocks over there." He pointed to an open area. "Excuse me." He darted off.

Samantha sighed and wondered if it was too early for a drink. She froze when she saw Shikarou talk briefly to a long eared Bunnygirl wearing cami short shorts and a matching tank top along with a pistol and what looked like a brace of grenades. "Shit, that's a Mini-Top." She grabbed her radio and quickly called for a protective detail. She wasn't sure who was going to be protected, but she suspected that before the day was over, someone would need it.

She watched as he headed over where the destroyed section of wall was and pushed the tip of the rod against the rock, along one of the black lines. Suddenly, there was a screaming noise and a puff of powder as the rod sank into the rock. He drew it up the line and over, a rooster tail of dust spraying from it the whole trip. Finally, he was done and pulled it from the wall.

He gestured to Pythia who concentrated and pulled the cut section free with telekinesis. It flew over to the designated spot and lay down flat.

Shikarou wiped dust from his face and went to pull several pairs of goggles from his pack. He passed them out to his harem and motioned them towards the walls. Soon Branwyn, Nanu and Yushiko were cutting blocks from the wall while Pythia and Circe were stacking them neatly. Elizabeth was hovering over the ruin and cutting chunks from the roof while the rest of the cutting team worked on the interior walls and cells.

Samantha joined Shikarou. He smiled. "We should have the building down before dark and if you need the walls for building material later," he shrugged, "the way we're removing the material will make it easier to handle."

She motioned towards the rod. "What is that?"

He offered it to her. "It's a cutting bar."

The cutting bar was a meter long and about three centimeters high. Its edge was only a few millimeters thick, giving it an oddly sword-like appearance. Along the edge she could see two thin lines. Closer inspection revealed them to be toothed belts. "How does it work?"

"Sort of like a chainsaw. The cutting tracks spin in opposite directions from each other, reducing startup torque and helping to eliminate binding. There's a battery in the handle, and there's a solar charger built into the sides. It's only for when you've got no other way to charge it; the solar charger takes hours to fully charge a completely flat battery. You're better off using a charger like that one." He pointed to a small box next to his backpack. A cable ran to an outlet in a nearby building.

"Interesting tool." She handed it back. "Is it dangerous?"

"It'll cut flesh and bone as quickly as anything else. It's a good ad-hoc close combat weapon. Messy though, since it tends to spray the operator with whatever it is cutting."

"Yuck."

"That can be the truth. I prefer a sword." He went back to watching his harem work. "However, it's perfect for this kind of job."

He glanced at her. "I noticed you have some stocks. Do you want them saved?"

She shivered. _He knows._ "No. No, I definitely don't think we'll be using them again."

He nodded and cocked his head. Pythia looked in his direction and then began using her telekinesis to rip the stocks from their concrete bases. They crumpled into balls in midair and arced out into the bay.

Samantha frowned as she watched how far they flew before splashing into the water. "The pirates wouldn't have gotten very far if you'd been here, would they?"

He shrugged, still watching the demolition work. "You never know until you're there." His ears flicked. "Having said that, I have a pretty good combat harem and I like to think we would have given a good account of ourselves." An eye glanced at her. "You were taken by surprise."

"We were complacent," she said bitterly. "We haven't had any serious trouble in several years, other than the occasional stupid Tamer."

"This must be a town of optimists."

Samantha frowned. "I don't understand."

"If a place hasn't been attacked for a while, optimists say to themselves that it's wonderful that things have been quiet for so long. Pessimists say that it's about time for things to go dreadfully wrong."

She gave a grim chuckle and turned to look at him. "Which type of person are you?"

"Neither. I make sure that during the good times we are prepared for the bad." He smiled. "I don't say anything. I do something."

Another Alaka-Wham appeared in front of them. She grinned. "Hey. I brought your request. Molly wants to add more cops if you are going to be lending them out a lot."

Shikarou took the pokeballs she was offering. "Molly has Mary and Gwen now and each of them is an army unto themselves."

"Molly said you'd say that. She wants to know if they're going to be around all the time."

"Stardust, tell her that she can recruit whoever she wants, as long as she stays within Lynn's budget."

Stardust winked. "I think Molly was hoping to go around Lynn and straight to the top. You are her top, right?"

"Goodbye, Stardust." The Alaka-Wham blew him a kiss and vanished.

Shikarou activated the pokeballs, releasing an OfficerJenny and a Drow Zee. Both were in urban combat fatigues and wore assault rifles slung muzzle down. They came to attention and saluted. "Your Majesty, sir."

Shikarou sighed. "Do you do that because it bugs me?"

The Drow Zee grinned, her teeth startlingly white in her dark face. "Yessir."

"Samantha, this is Alice and Daiyu. Ladies, this is Commissioner Samantha, your new boss."

Alice saluted again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Commissioner. I have investigative experience from Glasgow, but I enjoy walking a beat. Sadly, I don't get that much in Caomh Sith." She nodded towards the Drow Zee. "Daiyu is my rookie. She's got a lot of enthusiasm without being overzealous. She's shaping up well and is almost ready to work by herself."

Daiyu blinked. "I didn't know that."

"No, and if the circumstances were normal, you wouldn't know it now." Alice gave her a stern look. "Don't blow my estimation of you, either."

"Nosir." Daiyu tried to fight her grin and failed.

Samantha smothered a smile. "Excellent. The police station is currently housed in the town bar. I think you can find it. They're expecting you. Now move."

The two pokegirls moved.

"I want to thank you for their aid. Having new police will help the townsfolk believe that things are getting better."

Shikarou nodded. "You're welcome, but it helps me as well. Alice was getting bored and Daiyu needs experience working with other police departments. If she gets sent on missions, she'll need to know how to deal with people when she's the outsider."

Samantha looked at her watch when it beeped. "I have to go." She gave him a smile. "I'll check on you later."

"We do lunch at noon."

She looked surprised but recovered quickly. "I'll keep that in mind."

(07/02/99 2100 Blue Continent, 1500 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Samantha whistled quietly as she approached the jobsite and Branwyn grinned. "Like it?"

Shikarou's harem was in the final process of removing the foundation that the old police station had rested on, as well as digging up the piping and electrical lines. The OfficerJenny shook her head. "It's like it was never here."

The Unicorn nodded. "We do good work." She glanced at Shikarou. "Remember what we decided on."

"I will." Samantha raised an eyebrow. Shikarou shrugged as Branwyn headed off. "I was threatened."

Immediately the OfficerJenny bristled. "By whom?"

"My harem. They've decided that this is the first and last building we demolish without explosives and pokegirl attacks."

She frowned. "It's against the law for pokegirls to threaten humans, unless they are police or other official members of government."

"I won't be pressing charges. It wasn't nearly as much fun as I'd hoped."

Samantha nodded. "If it's money, I can arrange for some kind of payment."

"We're ok. It's just that they considered the work demeaning. Buildings don't fight back." He grimaced. "They've never been in one that was collapsing or they'd rethink that statement."

"Care to share?"

"There's not much to share. I was in the bottom levels of a castle and the rest of it fell on me. It sucked."

Samantha frowned. "How did it manage to fall on you?"

He shrugged. "Someone thought it would keep me from tracking them down and exacting justice for something they'd done."

"Did it work?"

"I'm here, he's not."

"You don't talk about yourself much, do you?"

A tiny smile appeared on his face. "Most of my life can be summed up fairly succinctly. There were a large number of people who were better off dead and I was sent to improve their lives. I did, and now they are dead."

She raised an eyebrow. "More than ten?"

"Why is it important?"

"Humor me."

Shikarou looked into her eyes. "More than the population of this town."

Samantha blinked. "What about here?"

"I've killed here. Not as many as elsewhere, but I haven't been here long." He glanced at her. "I think they all deserved it."

"I don't believe that murder is justified. You're going to have to convince me that you had no choice."

He gave her an amused look. "Why would I want to do that?"

Her voice was firm. "I could take you into custody."

"For what? You have no bodies, no names, no locations, just me saying that I killed some people." He smirked. "You don't even know if I'm telling the truth."

"Maryanne told me you can't lie."

His eyes hardened. "Maryanne shouldn't go telling tales." He shrugged and began to look amused. "She told you I can't lie?"

"That's right."

"Not too long after I came here, I ended up in Lairg, in the Blue Continent. The Sheriff there was a corrupt little bastard named Godwin who wanted Branwyn for his own. He had a gang of bandits that did his bidding and he set them on me. I ended up killing some of them in the battle. That would be self defense, I believe."

She watched him intently. "Yes, that would be self defense. Did you kill the Sheriff later?"

"Can I tell this?"

She blinked. "Very well."

"Thank you." He flicked an ear. "Later, I challenged Godwin to a battle to the death. Winner takes all. He accepted and I killed him."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you have proof that he willingly accepted this fight?"

"I do."

When he was quiet for a while she frowned. "Any others?"

"I've killed several pokegirls."

Samantha looked surprised. "While not necessarily right, that's not wrong according to the law."

"We were talking about the people I've killed. To me, they're people." He gestured at his harem. "They are not animals. Each of them is as unique as I am and I care for each of them as individuals."

"All Tamers do, to some extent." Samantha sounded slightly bitter.

He sighed. "You may want to get your cuffs out. I did break a law that I know exists here in Indigo, although the crime took place in the Blue League. As far as I am aware, it's a crime in any League."

Samantha stiffened. "What?" She was already reaching for her restraints.

"I married Branwyn."

She halted in surprise. "You did what?"

"I proposed to her, took her to a chapel and we got married." His voice was calm. "She is my wife and I openly and proudly declare her as such."

Samantha shook her head. "We don't arrest people for that one. They get a fine and we confiscate the pokegirl."

"I'll gladly pay your fine, but if anyone touches Branwyn, I'm going to be a little upset."

A voice sounded from behind the OfficerJenny. "If anyone tries to take me away from my husband, they'll never find her body." She stalked around Samantha to stand next to Shikarou. "The crime took place in the Blue League and we've already paid the fine there. They don't confiscate pokegirls, if they did they'd have a rebellion in Scotland." She smiled. "And this time we'd win."

"We paid a fine?"

"I took care of it." _I also paid the one for Poppet. What are you doing?_

_She asked me about people I'd killed. I told her about a couple and was changing the subject._

_Why even tell her anything? Never mind, I know why._ "Can you even help it?" she asked him sourly.

Samantha frowned. "Help what?"

"The only reason Shikarou would even consider answering questions like that is because he's interested in you. He's trying to sound you out and see if you are interested in him."

Samantha blinked and turned to look at Shikarou, who was watching her curiously. "Is she right?"

"I'm not sure I'd have put things quite so baldly but, yes, she is."

"I see." The OfficerJenny frowned. "I'll have to think about this. You see, I think Professor Stroak might be courting me for his harem."

Shikarou nodded. "I see. I can see where that might interest you."

"I don't." Branwyn shook head. "Stroak is around the same age as Shikarou, but that's where any resemblance ends. Stroak is an observer."

"And Shikarou?"

"In less than a year we've bought some land, settled on it and are building a place that anyone would be proud to call home." She smiled slightly. "And we intend to be very selective about who will be allowed that honor. It's going to be a place where humans and pokegirls work together to face whatever tomorrow brings. Our revolution won't break any laws and it won't be as loud or as flashy as the legends of the Chosen One, but we intend to get more done, so that by the time groups like Seele figure out what's happening, it will be too late."

Samantha gave Shikarou an odd look. "Why would you care about pokegirl rights? What can you tell me that will make me believe that you won't give this up the moment things begin to get difficult?"

Shikarou tugged on one of his ears. "See this? Some of my children will be pokegirls. Others will be like me and will be easily mistaken for pokegirls. That gives me a vested interest in making sure that the lives of all pokegirls are as trouble free as possible." His smile became suddenly predatory. "I have two daughters and because of them I already know that if someone abuses my children for any reason, even one that is currently condoned by the law, I will hunt them down and do terrible things to them."

"So, it's much easier for everyone involved if I work to make sure that my children can protect themselves without the law blaming them, no matter who is at fault. That is the way things are right now for pokegirls."

"In fact, as the landlord of Caomh Sith, I have a great deal of latitude in the laws that are in force there and I've already made significant changes, at least on a local level."

The OfficerJenny looked thoughtful and slowly a slight flush suffused her features. "I have, well, I have a problem." She looked at them almost defiantly.

Branwyn looked puzzled. "What is it?"

Shikarou cocked his head. "Branwyn, could you give us some privacy?"

The Unicorn gave him a curious look. "Ok," she said slowly. "Just call me when I can come back."

"Thank you." He watched her head towards the rest of the harem. "Come with me." Shikarou led Samantha down to the nearest pier.

Samantha frowned. "Don't you want to know what this problem is?"

He nodded. "I do, but I think I may know part of it already."

"Oh? Let's hear your theory."

He was silent for a moment. "It's about the rape, isn't it?"

The OfficerJenny stared at him, speechless. "How, how did you know?" she managed to stammer out.

"When I realized that I might be interested in you, I went ahead and accessed everything I could about you, to see if you might be someone I wanted a relationship with." He nodded his head in the general direction of town. "If you were already married to your job, then trying to interest you in someone like me would be a waste of both of our time, as well as a disservice to you." He glanced at her. "One of the things I got to read was your report of Caliente's attack on you. It was quite clinical and very detailed."

He sighed. "I wonder if the League people who interviewed you three days after the raid even gave a thought to how much shock you were still in. It was a brutal rape and the fact that you enjoyed parts of it made it even worse." He looked out over the water, his eyes distant. "You didn't really. Your body reacted as it was supposed to, as it was designed to, but the whole time your mind was screaming in impotent rage."

His voice hardened. "The fact that they made your body react like nature and League science wanted it to while you watched them and heard them violating, not only your body, but the trust the people of Phallus had placed in you, seared your soul."

He turned back to her. "They couldn't have found a way to torture you more effectively if they'd tried." His voice was soft, but his eyes blazed with fury.

"How can you understand? Not even the rest of the Jennys do." Tears glittered in her eyes.

Shikarou looked down and then back into her eyes. "Men can be raped. They can be raped by other men as well as by women." He shook his head slowly. "I was still little more than a child when I was ordered to hunt down and destroy a band of monsters that had been terrorizing an area. I tracked them to a village that they had just destroyed and attacked them without delay. I had slain most of them when the rest of their band returned and joined the fight. I was defeated and captured."

"Most of the surviving band was the females of the group and they drugged me and took me with them to their next feeding ground. Once they set up their new base of operations, they pinned me down by the simple expedient of driving stakes through my wrists and ankles. Whenever they felt like it, they would take their pleasure of me. This went on for a little over a month before I managed to get free."

"Needless to say, my body reacted like nature intended it to. I hated myself for it."

"The band scattered after that and I spent the next year hunting them down and killing them. Only three of them escaped me, one of these being the smartest and strongest spellcaster of the group. I didn't run across her again for another twenty years."

"She'd assembled a new band and when I saw her, I went berserk. I slaughtered everyone there. Only one of them put up a decent fight, a young demon male that proved very resilient and wily. If he'd been properly trained, he would have been magnificent."

His ears went still. "When I was sifting through the stuff in the camp, I came across her spellbooks and her journal. It turned out that the male had been her son." His voice caught. "Our son."

Samantha stared at him as he continued in a dispassionate voice. "I have no idea if the other two got pregnant by me, I never saw them again."

He blinked several times rapidly. "Sorry. I kind of got lost in the past. Anyway, after that happened, I wanted nothing to do with women or sex for quite some time." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I can't imagine what it's like for someone who has to have sex or she'll go insane."

The OfficerJenny grasped his hand gently. "I don't like having things inside me."

"That makes sense. You probably also don't like bondage."

She shivered. "No, I definitely don't like that. That makes it hard to be with someone who's not a pokegirl."

"I don't see why. Men have much more to offer than just a dick. They have lips and tongues and whipped cream. At least the ones with more than an ounce of brains do."

She smiled slightly. "It eventually comes down to them wanting to put something inside. It doesn't help that I'm stronger then they are."

He raised an eyebrow. "Branwyn has healing magic available. Crush my hand."

She blinked. "No!"

"If you are interested in me, and I think you are, you are going to have to give me some trust. Please?"

Samantha stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, she squeezed his hand with all of her strength. She grunted from the effort and her arm quivered under the strain.

"You've got a good grip." Her mouth dropped at his amused tone.

She released him suddenly. "Why aren't you hurt?"

He smiled at her look of concern. "I'm as strong as my Armsmistress, which makes me far stronger than you."

She cocked her head. "What about the other thing?"

"I was raised to stop when my partner says no. If it happens before I can get my dick wet, then so be it." He snorted. "But don't expect me to stay around with aching balls. There are other willing women and after you've been satisfied, I'll go find one of them."

"You're serious."

"I am deadly serious. My mother would hunt me down and geld me if I raped anyone. She could keep it from growing back, too."

"I have a job here."

He chuckled. "So, we're to the roadblocks point? Good. You have a job here. I have a pokegirl who's apprenticed to a swordsmith in Edo, but she's still mine and I visit her at least once a week. We go to dinner and then we have sex. I want dancing, but she only wants me for my body." His ears canted sideways. "I will give you the same attention, as much as you want it."

"Roadblocks?"

"You throw up reasons this won't work, and I shoot them down."

She gave him a glare. "I want children."

"So do I." He looked her up and down. "We'll have to work on your problem, but I think you'd give me strong, healthy, beautiful sons, daughters and police girls."

Samantha turned bright red. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before."

"Their loss." He gave her a serious look. "If you decide you want to give me a try, I'm willing to work with whatever issues you have. I even have a pokegirl with dreamtime, as well as one who is a practicing therapist. We can give you the long term support you need and I'm willing to wait for certain things."

She nodded. "How long do I have to make up my mind?"

He gave her a wink. "I'm in pretty high demand right now." He sobered. "More importantly, Branwyn is going to realize fairly quickly that I manipulated her into talking to you on my behalf with my statement about how I could understand why you might want Stroak over me. It might be best if you had made a decision before then."

She blinked. "You did, didn't you?"

"I can't lie. It doesn't mean I can't select my words very carefully." He cocked his head. "We've been invited back to dinner with the Stroak family again tonight. You might want to try to have some kind of preliminary decision by then."

He touched her arm. "If you don't choose me, I'm still more than willing to help you with the therapy. You'll need it if you want children."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure." He sighed briefly.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm trying to prepare for the fact that at least two women and possibly more are going to yell at me later."

Samantha frowned. "Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because I haven't told Branwyn or Poppet about my son. They are likely to see my telling you first as some kind of betrayal. Love is funny that way." He got a thoughtful expression. "I don't know if Kasumi will lecture me or not, but I'm pretty sure they will. Maybe I'll let Helen be around so she can head them off before they work up a full head of steam." He frowned and rubbed his cheek. "But she may want to yell at me too. Damn."

"You manipulate the members of your harem?" Samantha sounded incredulous.

"They do it to me, so why not?"

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 51

Vampire Elizabeth 49

G-Spliced Pythia 48

Sphinx Lorelei 46

Mini-Top Nanu 45

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village


	37. Chapter 37

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Author's note: The rape of the OfficerJenny Samantha and the sack of Phallus Town take place in Final Frontiers, by Red Priest of the 17th Order. The events involving Thai Silvati take place in Ruby Journeys by Macross_Green. I recommend both series to anyone. They are quite good and well worth a read. Both can be found on the Pokegirl World 3 Yahoo group and I expect them to appear on before too long, if they aren't already there.

Kerrik

Chapter 37

(07/03/99 0100 Blue Continent, 07/02/99 1900 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Helen had made a huge platter of crab cakes, fried fish and hushpuppies along with an excellent fish stew. Rita had eaten so much she could barely move. She'd sworn she was stuffed and wouldn't need to eat for weeks. At least that's what she said until dessert appeared.

At that point she suddenly discovered room again.

Helen had produced a piping hot treacle tart and a tub of vanilla ice cream. Samantha shook her head after the first bite. "This is wonderful. Do you eat like this every day?"

Branwyn smiled. "Now you understand why we train every morning and afternoon when we're not on the road." Her smile widened. "Even with cutting down the building, coming here was a nice break."

Helen put together a tray with two heaping servings of dessert and offered them to Maryanne, who smiled appreciatively. "Thanks." She bustled upstairs with it.

A few minutes later she came back down with an amused look on her face and the dinner plates on the tray. "Helen, Al would like seconds, if we have enough." She hesitated. "So does, um, can I have two of them?"

Helen nodded. "We've got plenty."

Anastasia swiveled around to stare at her harem sister. "Al? Our Alphonse? He wants seconds?"

Helen looked from where she was preparing two more plates. "He isn't diabetic or something, is he?" She looked worried.

Circe frowned and her antenna twitched.

"No, he's fine. It's just he usually doesn't notice what we feed him." Anastasia shook her head. "Once, Rita had the cooking duty and she made a raw vegetable salad. He didn't notice it as being anything different from normal."

Rita shrugged. "It's my specialty. I don't cook."

Maryanne's ears flicked. "I took it to him and he complimented my cooking." She sighed. "I was furious with him for a week."

Helen smiled. "After something like that, he's lucky you fed him at all."

The Titmouse grinned back. "Rita did. I figured if he liked her cooking so much, he could eat it for a while. He didn't notice."

The Dragoness frowned. "I did. That was horrible. Even Rita stopped eating it."

Rita snorted. "I stopped fixing it, too. The last day's meal was the leftovers from the previous two days mixed together with some oil and vinegar." She gasped. "I didn't say that out loud, did I?" She looked up to see Anastasia glowering at her. She smiled hesitantly. "Uh, hi."

The Dragoness lunged and Rita fled outside, Anastasia in hot pursuit.

Shikarou shook his head. "Such love."

A little while later, Samantha sat back and sipped at her wine. "Maryanne, I need to ask you a question."

The Titmouse gave her a curious look. "Ask away."

"You've been inviting me to dinner for a while now. Is Professor Stroak interested in me joining his harem?"

Maryanne blinked and looked away as she flushed darkly. Her mouth worked, but nothing came out.

Anastasia turned as Rita suddenly looked uncomfortable. "No, Samantha, he's not."

Circe glanced at Shikarou. _They wanted her before the attack. Now Stroak feels she's damaged goods and it would take too much work to rehabilitate her._

Samantha's eyes dimmed but nothing showed on her face. "Ok, I just wanted to know."

She glanced at Shikarou with a questioning look. Pain showed for an instant in her eyes and she looked away again.

He reached out with his mediocre mental powers. _My wanting you has nothing to do with what Stroak may or may not be planning. I want you for other reasons. Reasons that have not changed since we last spoke._

She looked surprised and shot him another glance. What she saw in his expression seemed to give her heart.

Rita raised an eyebrow. "Why did you want to know?"

Samantha gave her a bland look. "I was asked to join a harem and I wanted to make sure that nobody else wanted me."

Maryanne dropped her spoon. "Who? Who asked you to join?"

The OfficerJenny looked smug. "Oh, it's really not that important if the Professor isn't interested. I just wanted to find out if there were any competing offers. Now I know that there aren't."

"Oh, come on, telling us won't hurt anything. We'll be discrete, promise." Rita gave her a winning smile. "Oh, wait. You can tell us after Shikarou leaves."

Branwyn put her fork down carefully and turned to look at the Vaporita. "Did you just say that we aren't trustworthy?" She spoke calmly, but her voice was taut. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

"We've met you a couple of times, but what do we really know about you?" Rita sounded amused.

Branwyn opened her mouth but Shikarou spoke first as he slid to his feet. "Maryanne, thank you for dinner, but I'm afraid we need to be leaving." His wife blinked and nodded.

"Really, this is uncalled for," Rita announced.

Shikarou shook his head. "Rita, I realize that you are normally quite caustic, but if this conversation continues much further it will end up being held through seconds. We have never done anything to give you the impression that we cannot be trusted and for you to insinuate otherwise is a grave insult." He turned to Maryanne. "I'm not insulted yet, so it's probably best if we leave before that point is reached. Good evening."

Samantha popped to her feet. "I need to be going too. I really don't want to be quizzed about things I don't want to talk about." She frowned at Rita, but her words were for Shikarou. "With you gone, they'll be relentless and I'm not up to facing them right now."

Anastasia blinked. "I'll see you out." Once outside she turned to him. "I'm sorry about Rita's behavior."

Shikarou kept his ears still. "Anastasia, I appreciate the sentiment, but you can't apologize for her. If she's going to be the way she is, then sometimes she's going to rub someone's fur the wrong way. This time it was mine."

"Are you angry?"

"I'm more disappointed than anything else. I expected more from a member of Stroak's harem and apparently I shouldn't have."

The Dragoness flushed. "I'll talk to her." She lowered her voice and glanced at the waiting OfficerJenny. "Do you know what Samantha is talking about?"

"I do." Shikarou didn't drop his voice to match hers.

"Do you know who wants her for their harem?"

"I do," he repeated.

She waited for a moment. Frustration suddenly showed on her face. "Well, who is it?"

"Me."

Anastasia looked stunned. "Has she given you an answer?"

"Samantha was concerned that you and Professor Stroak wanted her and she wanted to see if that was true or not before deciding on my offer." He spoke normally and watched out of the corner of his eye as Samantha nodded unconsciously. "She was partially right, wasn't she? Stroak was interested in her, at least up until the raid and her being raped."

The Dragoness looked away. "Yes."

Shikarou nodded. "He was just being pragmatic. A pokegirl who's afraid of being tamed is a liability to someone like him. Hell, most people would see her as a liability."

"But not you?"

"Not me." He chuckled. "My harem is composed of nothing but oddballs and misfits. She'll feel right at home with us, if she chooses to join." He turned to Samantha. "Would you allow us to walk you home?"

She smiled and looped her arm through his. "I'd like that."

When they arrived at her home he gave her a smile. "I know they were unintentionally cruel, but still it hurts. Would you like someone to stay with you tonight?"

She gave him a hesitant look and he grinned, raising his hands protectively. "No, not me. I've got a dick." She blinked and a slow smile spread. "I was thinking perhaps Bellona. She's a great listener and if she armors up, she wipes dry from tears with just a paper towel."

Samantha blinked and laughed briefly. "Ok." A sudden frown appeared. "I haven't said yes."

"We know. You're our friend." Branwyn interrupted quietly. "We help our friends."

Samantha nodded gratefully. "Thanks. Are you still friends with the professor?"

Branwyn shrugged. "Yes, we are. But I'm bringing a ball gag for Rita the next time we see each other."

Circe chuckled. "Careful, she might want more of that."

"Not from me she won't. I can assure you of that."

(07/03/99 1200 Blue Continent, 0600 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

"Good morning, Bell."

Bellona gave him a quick kiss and pulled the door shut behind her as she stepped outside. "She's taking a quick shower. It shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes."

"How is Samantha?"

The DragonQueen shrugged. "Before dinner last night she was hurt and angry. Now? She's more hurt and angrier. It hurts a lot to ask if someone wants you and to have them say no." She cocked her head. "Kind of like me and Devon. Did you do that on purpose?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't even think about that when I asked you to stay with her. You've been a good sounding board for me and I was hoping you could do the same for her."

She raised an eyebrow. "So I'm DragonQueen, the sounding board pokegirl now?"

"No, you are Bellona, the darling pokegirl of Shikarou Urufu."

She blinked and gave him a warm smile. "Sometimes you say just the right thing to make a girl feel wanted. Is it your psychic abilities?"

Shikarou ran his fingers through her hair and down the side of her face. "I say what I feel. Sometimes it's the right thing for the right time."

She pressed her cheek against his palm. "Sometimes it is." She moved to stand next to him and leaned against his side. He felt the tip of her tail wrap around his ankle.

"That's going to make it difficult to walk," he observed quietly.

"You're resourceful. I have confidence you'll overcome this without hurting my feelings."

"Bloody hell," he sighed. She snickered at his tone.

His ears came forward at the sound of the lock. Samantha opened the door and smiled. "There you are, Bellona." She nodded to him. "Shikarou."

"Morning."

Samantha smiled. "Good morning." She brushed her fingers through damp hair and pulled her hat on. "Bellona and I were up the whole night talking. She almost made me late for work."

She glanced at the DragonQueen. "She thinks very highly of you."

"I feel the same way about her. I'm very fortunate she agreed to join me."

"Yes, you are." Samantha and Bellona said simultaneously. Shikarou chuckled as the two women looked at each other and grinned.

"Here." Samantha thrust a pokeball at him.

"Are you sure about this?"

The OfficerJenny gave him an exasperated look. "Of course I'm not. Frankly, I'm scared; of you, of sex with you, of everything having to do with you." She sighed. "Yesterday, you reminded me that eventually I'm going to have to trust somebody and last night Bellona told me a lot about you. Nothing she said made me think I couldn't trust you." She motioned with the pokeball. "I think you're insane for wanting me, but since I'm probably not the most stable individual either right now, we should get along well."

A frown crossed her face. "I do ask for something, however. Bellona's stories have told me that you are big into proactive revenge and that you're willing to kill anyone who hurts your pokegirls, sometimes even before they became yours."

Shikarou looked at Bellona, who gave him an innocent look. He turned to Samantha and looked blandly at her. "I suppose she might have told you something like that."

She smiled. "You'd be fun in interrogation. I don't want you to avenge what happened to me by killing Tigre and the others. It's not the right way to do things according to the law." She gave him a slightly cross look. "The fact that you are a so-called kami does not make you the person who decides which laws will or won't be applied, even to you."

Shikarou cocked his head. "Eventually we're going to have to talk about that, I suspect at some length. I will not hunt down and kill Tigre Caliente or the rest of her crew for what she did to you."

"I don't want you to kill them even if they fall into your clutches." Samantha gave him a firm look.

"Clutches? Do I even have clutches? I have claws." His ears flattened. "I will not kill Tigre Caliente or any member of her crew for what happened during the raid on Phallus Town. I will not torture or in any other way cause physical harm to them for those actions. I will not allow anyone under my command to do so either, unless required by law." He bared his clenched teeth in a silent snarl. "Satisfied?"

The OfficerJenny peered curiously into his eyes. "Why are you so unhappy about this?"

He took a deep breath. "They hurt a lot of people here during that raid. The emotional damage will take years to heal, if it ever does. Death is a perfect way to ensure that the captain and crew of the Jet Diamond never do anything like that again and at one time my job was to bring that death to the deserving. I got a lot of job satisfaction out of that career." He smiled grimly. "I'd be willing to come out of retirement just for them, but you just took that option away from me."

He carefully took the pokeball. "I thank you for the honor you've bestowed upon me by agreeing to this."

Her eyes lightened. "You are insane." She shook her head. "I have to get to work. I'd like to let this sink in for a couple of days before we try anything. Is that all right?"

Shikarou nodded. "I'll contact you tomorrow and we can discuss it."

"Thanks." Settling her hat more firmly on her head, Samantha headed off to work.

Shikarou watched her go. "Aggie, I want you to pay particular attention to any news or police reports that involve the Jet Diamond or her crew. Eventually, they'll do something to get a bounty put on their heads and then I can legally do whatever is necessary to bring the survivors to justice without violating my promise to Samantha."

Bellona gave him a curious look. "There aren't likely to be many survivors, are there?"

He shrugged. "You never know." His smile was sweet and evil at the same time. "You never know."

(07/03/99 1400 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

**You have a new mail message. I'm only disturbing you about it because it was sent on 06/19/99 from Polass in the Ruby League and was lost in the Amethyst League's computers for a while. They sent an apologetic form letter along with the message. The message is from Thai Silvati.**

"Well, that letter makes everything better now, doesn't it?" Shikarou glanced out at the arena where Pythia was overseeing a battle between Lorelei and Helen. The fact that Helen was thirteen levels higher than the Sphinx was compensating for Lorelei's flight and other advantages nicely and it was an open question as to how the points would be awarded for this battle.

"Thai, huh? I was wondering how he's been doing. Remind me again after lunch and I'll review it."

After lunch he settled down and pulled up the message. Branwyn looked over. "What is that?"

"I've got a message from Thai."

"So, he's still alive? I was starting to wonder." She settled down near him. "Let's see."

Suddenly she woofed as her lap filled with Mini-Top. "Yeah! Show me!" Nanu jumped. "HEY! That's my," she froze. "Um, Branwyn, could you please take my pistol out of my side." Her voice was calm and careful. "We don't want an accident now, do we?"

The Unicorn smiled sweetly. "If you don't get out of my lap, what happens next is not going to be an accident."

Nanu carefully crawled out of Branwyn's lap. "Can I have my pistol?"

Branwyn settled it into her lap and smiled cheerfully. "Later."

"Bloody hell."

Shikarou sighed. "Nanu, call everyone and let them know about the message. We'll be viewing it in the war room in ten minutes." He held out his hand. "Gun."

Branwyn handed it over. He offered it to Nanu, who eagerly took it. "Thanks!"

"Nanu?" She paused on her way out the door. "You and Branwyn meet on the field of battle tomorrow morning. Only one of you leaves the arena conscious."

The Mini-Top blinked and glanced over at Branwyn, who suddenly looked like she'd won the lottery. "My alpha, can I forego the beating if I abjectly apologize for a while?"

"Why don't you give it your best shot and we'll see."

Nanu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I am so fucked." She raced out of the room.

Branwyn sighed and leaned against him. "Are you really going to let me beat her to a pulp?"

"I am."

"And I didn't get you anything." She kissed his cheek.

Ten minutes later, everyone was in the euphemistically named War Room. Shikarou had been calling it the conference room when Nanu and Pythia unilaterally changed its name.

Shikarou settled down in the chair nearest the screen and watched idly as Helen laid out cookies and donuts. Elizabeth nudged him with her goblet. "Do I get a treat?" Shikarou chuckled and opened a vein to fill it. "Thank you."

"Aggie, play message."

The screen covered the wall and therefore the hand that was drawing back was tremendous. There were some squeals from the back of the room.

Thai scooted back between two pokegirls. Janne was visible in front of them. The screen froze and Aggie's holographic form appeared. Each pokegirl was outlined in turn. "Medra, a rare evolution of Draco. Harpy. Battle Angel, Electri-Cuter variant." She frowned as Thai's form flashed. "That's odd. I'm not getting him as completely human. I don't know if the camera is doing something odd or I am."

"He's got a lot of pokegirl in him!"

There was laughter. "He's gotten into a lot of pokegirl?" That was Elizabeth. The laughter grew louder.

Shikarou shrugged. "It doesn't matter right now. Play message."

The display started moving again. Thai opened his mouth, and it was promptly filled by the Medra's tail. More laughter. "Now we know, he's got pokegirl in him instead of the other way around!"

The Medra had an amused smile as she spoke. Thai could be seen in the background struggling with her tail. She'd looped it around his head and it looked like the tail was winning. "Well, hello there. Thai here named me Nasya and he seems a little preoccupied at the moment." Her smile broadened. "I have to admit I rather like your Nanu. She's cute…and it's nice to see that there's at least one Mini-Top that actually seems calm."

The Harpy gave Nasya a sharp look. "Calm? You think Nanu's trying to turn him on counts as calm?"

"Considering she didn't just jump him, like I'd like to do with Thai right now, yes, I'd say she was calm." The Medra leaned forward and crushed her lips against the Harpy's. There was a whoop from the back of the War Room.

Bellona touched his shoulder. "Do you want me to start cracking some heads together?"

"No, they're mostly harmless."

Janne leaned forward. "Hello, Shikarou. I hope you and your harem are doing well. Thank you again for your assistance back at Hidden Bra. I'm sorry to hear Hanmei isn't working out, but before you send her off could you at least say hello to her for me?" Her armor plates folded away, leaving just a layer shaped like a bikini and revealing acres of lightly tanned skin. She took a deep breath and lifted her chest enticingly.

Wolf whistles erupted from the assembled pokegirls. "Take it off!"

The others cheered, with the exception of Branwyn and Bellona. The Unicorn almost snarled at the screen. "Bitch."

Bellona's hand tightened painfully on his shoulder and she growled quietly. Shikarou pried at her claws and she started and relaxed. "Sorry."

Apparently Nasya's kiss of the Harpy had distracted her as Thai managed to free himself enough to talk. "Gah! Dammit, Nasya, don't do that." The Medra gave him an amused look as she came up for air.

Thai shrugged helplessly at the video pickup. "Anyway... You already know Janne and you've met Nasya. The Harpy beside me is Hirahira, though I've lately just been calling her Hirah. And the quiet one..." He gently tugged a Grandelf into his lap. "And this one is Lei. Other than a few ferals and a pair of somewhat uncommon pokegirls that I sold to the Kujaku-branch Ranch earlier, she's my newest acquisition."

The Grandelf gave a shy wave and blushed slightly.

Thai continued. "My journey's going fine, finally. I haven't left Polass Town here yet, though, because I've got a Gym Battle coming up. This one's a little strange. All the gym battles are recorded and then shown on TV. I've managed to get them to waive that though, but in exchange I have to have an audience. So, that means the stadium here's gonna be used for the battle."

"I was wondering if you'd like to come. I know it's pretty short notice, since my battle is tomorrow, so I understand if you're not available to come. But if you are, send me a message and I'll see if I can get you and your harem some free seats. I'm pretty sure the gym leader will be able to accommodate that."

"Oh, and the Milktit and Milk Maid that you saw last time are a part of my harem now, but they're a little busy in the kitchens here at the pokecenter. I named the Milktit, Milena, and my Milk Maid, Orya. Hope to see ya in person sometime, if you can make it here." Behind him the Medra's tail slowly crept up level with his head. "Oh, and if you're at all interested, the ranch here has some decent pokegirls. Two of the ones I sold were a Dark Maiden and a Ponytaur, so I'm sure they'll still be around tomorrow if you want to give 'em a look over. They have a fair amount of experience, and they're just a bit stronger than my girls here. Anyway... ack!" The tail got him again.

This time it had help as its owner grabbed Thai from behind, wrapping her arms over his abdomen and jerking him backwards. She grinned. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Shikarou. But my Tamer has a pressing appointment now that I won't let him escape. Hirah, could you get that thing?"

The Harpy got up as the Grandelf toppled from her Tamer's lap onto the bed with a yelp. Hirah swept up a wing to block the view as she approached the camera. "We'll see you later." There was a loud moan and the display died.

"Hey! I want my money back! Where's the show!" Nanu grumbled loudly.

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn. "The battle he was talking about took place over a week ago. What do you think?"

"I think it would be good practice. It would also get us out of Caomh Sith for a while, even if we come back to the same instant we left."

Pythia settled into his lap. "We can't go straight there. None of us have been to Polass Town before." She lazed her tongue in a grin. "Can I fly there?"

Branwyn shrugged. "That would be easiest. How far away is it?"

Aggie appeared. "Over 6500 kilometers. At Pythia's new maximum speed, she can make the trip in three hours if she can sustain it."

The G-Spliced's eyes narrowed. "If? We'll just see about that." She looked at Shikarou. "With your permission, I'll be back in less than four hours."

He nodded. "You know the rules. Four hours and you return, no matter what. You get attacked, you return."

She nodded. "I remember." She licked his face and laughed. "See you."

Branwyn watched her go. "Her top speed increased a lot after that whole servant business. What else changed?"

"I don't know yet."

"Lovely." She looked around. "Do you want to compose a message to Thai?"

"I think this would be a good time."

Branwyn nodded. "Do you want company? You two seem to be showing off your pokegirls."

Shikarou looked amused. "Lorelei and Yushiko."

"Lorelei? She's kind of rare to be showing off, isn't she?"

"Not any more so than a Medra."

Branwyn nodded. "I'll get them. Bellona, clear the room. Be firm with them. Very firm."

The DragonQueen grinned and cracked her knuckles. "It would be my profound pleasure." She glanced at Shikarou. "Janne wants you."

He chuckled. "You think so? She was so subtle, I wasn't sure." He frowned and shook his head. "It's too soon after Kebi and Marzia."

Branwyn grinned evilly. "Excellent. She lays a hand on you, I get to break it off and shove it up her arse."

"I think just telling her no will be fine." Shikarou's ears flicked.

"Fine. Take my fun." She cocked her head. "I still get Nanu, right?"

"Just as soon as time permits."

"Ok! Bellona, clear the room."

A short time later, Shikarou was seated with Lorelei next to him and Yushiko standing guard behind him. Neither had their wings out.

"Aggie, begin recording."

"Message recording."

"Good whenever you get this, Thai. I got your message and we'll be there for your gym battle. It sounds interesting and I think we finally need to meet." He slipped an arm around Lorelei. "This is Lorelei and the pretty girl behind me is Yushiko. Lorelei is a Sphinx and Yushiko is an Armsmistress, even if she looks Edo."

Lorelei waved. "Greetings, Thai." Yushiko merely bowed.

Shikarou grinned. "That was quite a message you sent and my harem enjoyed watching it." He grinned. "Nasya looks like quite a handful and I'm sure the rest of your harem is pretty affectionate as well. You look like you're shaping up to be a good Tamer and I look forward to meeting you."

"I'm going to try to arrive the morning of the battle, if not a little earlier. If I miss you at the pokecenter, I'll track you down at the stadium. I'll need seven tickets if you can get them and if I need tickets at all. If you can't get that many, that's fine. In any case, please leave my tickets with the duty person at the pokegirl center." He smiled. "That's assuming they don't close it down to watch your fight."

"In that case, I'll try at the gate. If I don't meet you before the fight, I wish you well. In any case, I will find you."

"Sayonara, Thai."

"Shikarou clear." He nodded once.

"Recording ended."

"Aggie, save and send when we arrive."

(06/19/99 0500 Blue League, 1200 Polass Town, Ruby League)

Pythia and Shikarou appeared, hovering a handful of meters off the ground. They had come out a handful of kilometers from Polass Town. **Message sent to Thai Silvati. It'll be held until he sends his, if he hasn't already done so.**

"Thank you, Aggie." He twisted around in Pythia's arms. "Let's head into the woods. We'll set up camp and train until tomorrow."

"We are going to need to have some real pokegirl battles." She gave him a wry look as they headed upwards, turning away from the town. "We can't just fight each other forever."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "There's a gym here. Maybe we'll try our luck there after Thai's fight."

Pythia licked his face. "That would be fun. Will you use me? I haven't battled in a pokegirl battle in some time."

"We'll see. Some of the weaker girls need the exercise too."

"Excuse me, but in absolute levels, I am one of your weaker pokegirls."

"Ok. I'll consider you, too."

She licked his face again. "I can't wait."

**I'll start gathering information on what you need to do to compete here in the Ruby League.**

"Thank you."

(06/20/99 0000 Blue League, 0700 Polass Town, Ruby League)

Branwyn trotted into town and slowed to a stop. "You have reached the destination of Polass Town. We want to thank you for using Unicorn transport. Please remember us whenever you have need of good dependable pokegirls." She gave him a lecherous grin. "Off."

Shikarou dropped to the ground as she changed to her human form and smoothed down her dress. "I still can't believe you don't think it's cold. It bloody snowed last night. If it weren't for that warmth spell, I'd need a bloody parka."

He shrugged. "I don't feel it."

"So we need to superglue a thermometer to your head, don't we?"

"I've already asked Aggie to warn me if the temperature goes outside what's considered the comfort band. Satisfied?"

"I won't be until our next rainstorm, when I find out if you can still detect wet."

He grinned and blew her a kiss. "That, I can still recognize."

She gave him a stern look. "Not that kind of wet. Sky wet as opposed to pokegirl wet."

Shikarou stretched as he looked around. "We need to get to the stadium. I'm glad Aggie found out we don't need tickets, we just drop Thai's name and we should get admission."

"It's the wreckball arena, not a stadium."

"Whatever." He grabbed her arm and headed off.

The wreckball arena was a massive complex rather than a single building, but the line snaking around the sidewalk showed them where they were supposed to go. Off to the side, there was a smaller gate and some pokegirls were busy setting up a booth for the local gym leader, one Rory Alistier. Apparently, he was going to be signing autographs in a little while.

Branwyn snorted and pointed. "Take a look at that." It was a garish poster showing a cowering Thai Silvati facing an older, muscular man who seemed to ooze confidence. Bold print announced the upcoming battle of one Thai Silvati and the Polass Gym leader, Rory Alistier.

Shikarou chuckled. "That must be the gym leader. From the poster, I guess he's the local favorite." He nodded to the OfficerJenny who was stationed at the smaller gate. "I was wondering if this is the guest's entrance."

She gave them a look and nodded. "Yes, it is. We start admitting people at 9."

"Thank you. We're supposed to be the guests of the challenger, Thai Silvati. My name is,"

The Jenny interrupted him. "Sir, it doesn't really matter what your name is; Mr. Silvati hasn't left any guest information with me."

"I see. Has he arrived yet?"

"No, sir, he hasn't."

"Thank you, we'll come back and try again later."

Branwyn sighed. "What now?"

"We wait. Thai won't forget us. In the meantime, how about we get some donuts and tea?"

So, a little while later, Shikarou brushed the snow off of a bench where he could see the gates and settled down. Branwyn perched daintily in his lap. "Should I ask?"

"The bench is wet," she informed him primly. "I'm not going to get this dress soaked when I have someplace perfectly dry to sit." She graciously accepted the donuts. "Thank you."

A while later the donuts and tea had been consumed and Branwyn was sprawled in his lap, idly trying to catch the tuft of his right ear in her mouth while he tried to flick it free in time.

Rory had put in an appearance along with some pokegirls from the local wreckball team. A line composed primarily of children streamed away from his booth, impatiently waiting for his autograph. The pokegirls seemed to be there mostly for eye candy.

Shikarou sat up suddenly and Branwyn yelped and grabbed his neck. "There he is."

The Unicorn almost fell out of his lap as she twisted around to look. "Wonderful. Shall we go say hi?"

"This is probably not a good time. I'm sure he's got other things on his mind." Shikarou held her tightly in his lap. "We don't want to blow his concentration. We'll meet him after the bout or at the pokegirl center."

They watched Thai exchange friendly words with Alistier and then speak briefly to the OfficerJenny before going inside.

"Now we talk to the guard again." Shikarou stood and lightly stood Branwyn on her feet.

The OfficerJenny watched them as he slipped around the line of autograph seekers. "Shikarou Urufu."

She blinked. "Mr. Silvati has vouched for you, sir. May I see your pokedex?" She scanned it and checked her computer. A frown appeared. "Mr. Alistier? Could you come here?"

The man giving the autographs spoke to a Phoenix and headed over as she settled into his seat and started chatting up the next kid in line. "What is it?"

"Look at this, sir."

Rory glanced at the screen and his eyebrows rose. He looked up at Shikarou. "You took out a Widow solo? With no losses?" He didn't sound approving.

Shikarou winced mentally. "We got lucky. I would never recommend it for anyone else to try."

"I should hope not. People like you get a lot of Tamers killed." Shikarou's ears twitched but stayed upright. Rory grinned. "So, are you going to challenge my gym?"

"I was thinking about it, tomorrow perhaps. Today, I really just want to watch Thai fight."

Rory nodded slowly. "Who's going to be with you in the stands?"

"Branwyn, Bellona, Elizabeth, Nanu, Yushiko and Lorelei."

"Let me see them."

Shikarou shrugged and released his pokegirls. The OfficerJenny froze. "You have a Mini-Top." Her eyes widened. "She's armed."

Rory grabbed her hand as she went for her radio. "Hold on, Jenny." He turned to face Shikarou. "You may not be aware of this, but we don't allow pokegirls except for police to carry firearms."

Nanu sighed and popped the magazine from her pistol. She stripped the round from the chamber and slipped it into the magazine before sliding the magazine back into the pistol and flipping it around to offer it, butt first, to her Tamer.

Shikarou glanced at the gym leader as he took the weapon. "Is it all right for me to keep it or do I have to turn it in?" Nanu growled softly until Lorelei stepped on her foot.

Rory's eyes went wide. "You've got a Sphinx," he breathed.

"And a DragonQueen," Bellona muttered.

Rory glanced at her and around the group. "You have a very nice collection of rare pokegirls. You'd best be careful showing them in public; people will be challenging for them."

Shikarou kept his tone falsely light as he quietly put the pistol into his pocket. "I did keep them hidden inside their pokeballs before you decided on a public viewing. Will I get to see the gym assistant's pokegirls tomorrow before I challenge?"

Rory blinked. "You are quite right. My apologies. Inside." He gestured to one of the wreckball players. Lori will show you to the guest box."

Lori turned out to be a Vampire. She grinned and Elizabeth grinned back. "This way, sir."

She led them to the sparsely populated guest box. "Sir, if there is anything you need, just call me." She slipped him a card before heading back downstairs.

Shikarou slipped the card into his pocket as Branwyn and Elizabeth made abortive movements toward it. He looked up at the bright sky and said in a firm voice, "I may be able to use Lori later to get information or if we need a guide, but I already have a Vampire for my needs and I'm not looking for another pokegirl for my harem." He glanced at Elizabeth and Branwyn. Neither looked apologetic.

Nanu nudged Elizabeth and pointed to an electronic display. "Look, betting!"

Branwyn shook her head. "We don't know enough to make informed bets."

Nanu grinned. "That just shows you, alpha. I got the results for this match from Aggie before we came back to here. I think that will allow me to make an informed bet. Care to join us?"

Branwyn blinked and looked at Shikarou, who sighed. "Go ahead, just don't clean them out."

His wife grinned and headed to the next row back. "This has promise. We need to do this more often."

Shikarou glanced at Lorelei as she settled against him. "You don't want to bet?"

She shrugged. "I still have plenty of money from the Widow."

Yushiko settled down in Branwyn's seat. "I hope this is a good match." She glanced behind her as Bellona joined the betting. "I don't want to know, but I hope Thai does well."

"I do too." He glanced over as a Catgirl came by selling programs and purchased one. He opened it and leafed through it. Most of it was devoted to Rory and his harem. Only a single page gave out Thai's information.

Yushiko leaned over. "His harem looks fairly good. I doubt his Milktit is like Helen, most of them evolve to Minotaura in short order. It doesn't have the depth that yours does, but then you play fast and loose with the rules." She frowned. "That means he'll probably use Hirah, Janne, Nasya and Lei." She looked up. "A strong fire type is going to be a problem for him."

"It would be for us, too."

She nodded. "We need to start learning water spells."

Branwyn leaned over and rested her chin on his shoulder. "It turns out we're the victims of a bait and switch. Thai doesn't fight until two. We get teaser bouts first. We should have gone ahead and challenged."

"Today is Thai's day." He smirked. "Even if it's Monday." Branwyn bit his shoulder gently and he grinned. "I was trying to say that we came here to watch him fight, not to compete ourselves."

The teaser bouts went fairly quickly, apparently the gym assistants were under instructions to keep the bouts lively and if a Tamer proved reluctant, they finished him quickly.

Finally, the main event was called. Rory opened the match with a Slowboob while Thai countered with Lei, his Grandelf. Lei knocked the psychic type out with a sleep spell and then used mystic bolts until the Slowboob was called out.

Bellona frowned on Shikarou's other shoulder. "That was a gimmie. Rory was giving Thai a point to excite the crowd. He's flashy. That could be used against him."

Rory then released a Sexycute. Bellona hissed. "He's still playing. Either that or he hasn't realized that sleep spell works on everything." She frowned and her eyes widened. "He's got to have an equalizer."

"A what?"

Branwyn was nodding. "His cleanup pokegirl must be pretty powerful. That's why he brought a sex pokegirl to a combat battle. He's showing off because he figures he's safe."

The Sexycute held the advantage for a short time before Lei put her to sleep with another spell.

Yushiko sucked air between her teeth. "He's got a fire type." She nodded to herself. "He knows most of Thai's pokegirls are weak to fire."

Bellona nodded. "He's got a powerful fire type and she's tough. Dark Kitsune or Whorizard tough. Something fast and dangerous."

Shikarou frowned. "I'd say a Whorizard. Yes, I definitely think he'll have a Whorizard." Lorelei snickered.

Branwyn frowned. "Definitely? What makes you so certain?"

"First, Rory likes flashy." He motioned down to the arena where Rory had released an Armsmistress armed with a poleax. "Look at the way her armor flashes in the sunlight. Her freaking armor is gilded."

A grin flickered around the corners of his mouth. "And the other reason would be that she's in the program." He flicked the book in his lap.

Bellona jerked it from him. "Fucking cutesy Tamers." Lorelei started laughing as the DragonQueen flipped through it quickly. "Here we are."

Shikarou watched as Lei managed to put a burn condition on the Armsmistress before she was knocked out. "Janne," he muttered and nodded as Thai released his Battle Angel.

There were a couple of passes, some electrical discharges, and the Armsmistress was down. Yushiko sniffed. "I'd have taken Janne."

"More than likely." Shikarou grinned. "Here comes the Whorizard."

She immediately opened the ball with fire blast. Janne barely evaded the attack, which was badly aimed. Part of it washed over the Tamer's box.

Someone gasped as Thai changed. Deep green armor appeared as he vaulted over the fire. He landed and the armor disappeared. The crowd froze.

Actually, just about everyone except Janne was stunned. Instead of staring, she attacked her opponent, using the pole-ax she'd taken from the Armsmistress as the focus for her electric blade MkII. The Whorizard blinked at the attack and instinctively attacked with fire blast as Janne reached her.

When the dust cleared, Janne was down but she'd obviously taken a piece of the Whorizard with her.

Bellona nodded. "Not bad. Kebi was better, but not bad at all."

Shikarou sighed quietly.

Branwyn checked the program. "He'll use his Harpy. Hirah will wear down the Whorizard to ensure Nasya can take her."

Sure enough, Thai sent out Hirah. Things weren't too bad for the flying type until the Whorizard used ignite and managed to contact the Harpy. It didn't seem to do much damage but apparently it rattled Thai enough to order mach breaker. The Harpy hit the bigger Whorizard squarely, and promptly caught fire from the ignite effect that the fire pokegirl had kept going the whole time.

Thai rallied and wisely pulled the burned Hirah from the battle. Branwyn shook her head. "I think she did enough damage to Infera."

"Who?"

"The Whorizard."

"Oh. It's up to Nasya now."

Thai released Nasya.

The Whorizard used fire blast while Nasya used Dragon Dance to avoid. "Rory likes big, flashy pokegirls and big, flashy attacks." Shikarou nodded to himself. "Elizabeth."

"What?" The Vampire glanced at him.

"Planning. You'll get her."

Bellona frowned. "Helen."

"No, I'll be using Pythia, Lorelei, Nanu and Elizabeth. Elizabeth has lightning and phase. Nanu gets the Armsmistress, anyone can clean the clock of the Slowboob and the Sexycute."

Bellona frowned. "He won't use the same pokegirls."

Branwyn disagreed. "He will use the Whorizard. She's his cleanup."

Shikarou shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll be fighting for experience. I don't care about the badge, so a loss won't devastate me." He grinned. "I'll take the badge though, if I can."

They watched as Nasya got a wicked dragon claw on her opponent, crippling the Whorizard's wing. She hit the ground hard and didn't move for a moment. The OfficerJenny officiating was raising her flag when the Whorizard moved and slowly clambered to her feet.

"She's got heart." Yushiko noted.

Bellona snorted. "That's all she's running on. Rory should pull her, even if it pisses her off."

Branwyn shook her head. "Spoken like the person who doesn't have to tame her later. He knows she's done, but she has to be knocked out completely or she'll be angry for weeks."

Nasya took her out with a tail slap that the exhausted Whorizard never even saw.

They waited for the crowd to thin a little before heading out of the arena. Shikarou put everyone up except for Branwyn before making the fortunately unremarkable trip to the pokegirl center. He'd been concerned that Rory's actions might have made some Tamers eager to challenge him for his harem.

Under Ruby League law, he had to have a damned good reason to refuse or they might get his pokegirl without a fight. That would happen right after the sun expanded enough to swallow the earth, which wasn't scheduled for anytime soon.

The Ingénue at the front desk pointed out where Thai had gone and grinned as she hinted that he might not be alone.

Shikarou sighed. "Do we?"

Branwyn nodded. "If he's busy we can always come back later."

The door slid open as they approached, revealing the young man he'd come to see holding hands with a NurseJoy. Her head swiveled as she looked from Thai to the newcomer. "Um, Thai? Do you know this guy?"

Shikarou bowed slightly. "That is a very complicated question. You see, Thai and I do know each other, but up to this point we have never met in person. I am Shikarou and this is my alpha, Branwyn."

The Unicorn dropped a curtsey. "Hello."

Thai looked surprised but quickly bowed back. "Shikarou, Branwyn, it's good to finally meet you both in person. Allow me to introduce Sierra, one of my best friends back in Coastal City."

The NurseJoy flushed as she curtseyed back. "Sorry," she muttered.

Thai shook his head and patted her on the back. "For what?" Sierra glared at him for a second, then grinned.

Thai turned back to Shikarou and grinned sheepishly. "Now, it's my turn to apologize. I'm not too familiar with the rules of being a host, but I believe it's rude to keep guests waiting. I don't have much of a room, so I hope using the cafeteria or the field would be fine so we can talk?"

Shikarou nodded. "That would be fine. Um, should we arrange to meet later? That is, if you and Sierra need some time alone."

Branwyn smiled. "If not, how about a picnic?"

Thai just about fell over at the suggestion, but instead he and Sierra shared a look and they both laughed before he would shake his head.  
"Nah, that's okay. I was tamed the other day, so I don't need it yet." Sierra commented.  
Thai shrugged. "I like the idea of a picnic. I need to get my girls through a Healing Cycle though, so I have to get them to the counter real quick. Be right back."  
But before he could get far, Sierra's eyes narrowed and he found himself yelping as her forefinger and thumb pinched at his ear. "You haven't got them in a healing cycle yet?" she asked slowly, although it sounded more like an outraged statement said in a near whisper than anything else.  
"I just barely got here! It's not like I can teleport... ow ow ow..." he winced as the Nurse Joy proceeded to very nearly drag his carcass over to the counter. Soon enough, three pokeballs were handed over to the Ingenue on duty, and promptly afterwards he was dragged back over to Shikarou and Branwyn. _And since you were the one that pounced me as soon as I got here, it's partly your fault, Sierra._ He knew better than to say that out loud.  
"Alright, shall we go have a picnic?" Sierra asked, releasing Thai from her grasp. He reached up to rub at the now red and tender part of his ear as the pokegirl just smiled up at the other two.  
Shikarou exchanged a look with Branwyn. She shook her head. "If you ever did that around Candace, she'd slug you."

He muttered quietly. "If I ever do that, I deserve it; whether she's around or not." He raised his voice. "Let's do the picnic." Shikarou led the group outside and looked around for a moment. "That looks good." He led them around to the side of the building, where they were unlikely to be disturbed. "Care to do the honors?"

For Thai's part, he hung his head in shame a bit. "Well, I did deserve it." he muttered shortly after Shikarou did, although he didn't know if any of the others heard it. Sierra didn't, and she was still glaring as if she hadn't forgiven him yet.

Shikarou glanced at him and spoke in a low voice. "I don't believe you were deliberately neglecting your pokegirls. What I already know about you tells me that is highly unlikely." He glanced in Sierra's direction. "You were probably interrupted while you were on your way. There's nothing to be embarrassed about in that."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Thai's easily embarrassed." Sierra was quick to respond, speaking quietly although she didn't seem to care that she was intruding. Thai just blushed.  
Branwyn chuckled. "All right." She pulled out her wand. Her spell removed the snow and dried the ground. Then she created a blanket and a basket. "I feel traditional today," she announced. "We've got fried chicken and some other sundries. I think we'll do pie for dessert, it's a bit early in the year for ice cream."

"Um, I should have already asked this, but I hope you don't have a problem with magic." Shikarou looked apologetic. "We haven't been here long enough to know where to get food."

Thai shook his head at Shikarou's question and smiled. "I don't mind at all. I'm just... not really used to it, to tell the truth. Until I got Lei, I haven't had much exposure to it, other than healing magic." He said, and made a mental note to apologize to his pokegirls.  
"If you'd like, let your harem out. I was hoping to do so with mine, to tell the truth. And to apologize to them for not putting them through a healing cycle quickly enough."  
Sierra nodded and smirked at her friend. "Got that right. Some tamer you are..." she said, though the smile she gave cut away some of the sharpness of her comment.

Shikarou nodded. "We'll keep the magic use down from here on." He pulled his pokeballs from his belt and held one up. "How about we let them get their greetings out of the way in a group."

He released Bellona. "Bellona, this is Thai and Sierra." The DragonQueen smiled. "Hi." Her tail flicked sideways and the tip curled around Shikarou's ankle. "I'm his beta."

Next, he released Nanu. The Mini-Top grinned. "Thai!" She grabbed him by the head and gave him a wet smooch. "Good to see you! So, did you like my message?"

Branwyn took her ears and tugged. "Down, girl. You've got a Tamer, but if you want, we can change that."

Nanu glared but moved back. "I was just saying hi."

"You were trying to make Shikarou jealous. You must not want your pistol back."

Shikarou shook his head. "Sorry about that, sometimes she's a little more exuberant than we'd like."

He released Yushiko. "Yushiko, this is Thai and Sierra." She bowed. "Yushiko is my Armsmistress."

Yushiko smiled. "You were lucky in your bout, but still, you fought well. You should be proud of your victory." Her smile grew. "I would have taken Janne."

"That's enough color commentary." She nodded at Shikarou's statement and bowed again before moving behind him. She became alert and started scanning the area.

Thai grinned at Yushiko's comment and nodded to the Edo-looking Armsmistress. "Thank you, but I wasn't the one who was doing the fighting. Lei, Janne, Hirahira, and Nasya deserve the compliment more than I do." he dared to correct the Armsmistress, and then shrugged. "Perhaps so. Janne can be rather tough at times, but I think that we can find out sometime. if you'd really like to." he replied, trying to be somewhat diplomatic about it. Then he watched as Shikarou released another member of his harem.

"I believe you probably remember Elizabeth." The Vampire appeared and smiled. "You're taller in person. Not much, but a couple of centimeters." She grinned and teeth flashed. "It's a pleasure."

"And it's nice to meet you too, Elizabeth," he replied, and smiled back even as Sierra noticed her fangs and slipped behind her friend. Thai glanced back to her in surprise. "Sierra, you know better."  
"So? I can't help it..."  
"Yes, you can, now grow up. She's a sweetie... well, as long as you don't piss her off, I bet." Thai blinked, and Sierra nodded, slowly moving back beside him before giving the vampire a small smile.

Elizabeth smiled back at the NurseJoy. "He's right; I am a sweetie outside of the battlefield. I also have a Tamer and I don't drink from anyone else."

"And finally Lorelei." The Sphinx appeared and looked at Shikarou. "Lorelei, this is Thai and Sierra."

She bowed. "Greetings to you both."

Thai blinked again at the sight of the Sphinx, in person, and he bowed to her in return. Sierra just stood in awe as she looked at the various pokegirls that were assembled by this one tamer. "Nice to meet you too, Lorelai... er, Lorelei. Sorry." he replied, blushing deeply at the mis-pronunciation of her name.

Lorelei smiled and gave him a friendly wink.

Finally, he glanced to his belt, which only had three of his pokegirls still in it. "Well, I think I'll start with Orya." he stated, and released the Milk Maid. She smiled softly upon sight of her tamer, but her eyes widened as she noticed the other pokegirls that were around... "Orya, this is Shikarou, his Alpha, Branwyn, and his Beta, Bellona." and he introduced her to each of the other pokegirls that had been released. When he finally got to Elizabeth, she just fainted.

He just shook his head as Sierra caught the Milk Maid and tried to revive her. "I had a feeling that would happen. Sorry, Elizabeth." he said to the Vampire, before he would reach to the next one.

The Vampire sighed. "I didn't do anything." She frowned. "A Milk Maid that faints at the thought of blood. Would it help if I wore my cloak?"

"This is Milena." he told them, even as the Milktit appeared from the flash of red that emerged from the pokeball. The Milktit, younger than Helen, smiled and curtseyed to the others as he introduced her to them. After a moment, and finding her friend being attended to by a Nurse Joy, she knelt to try and assist as well.  
"And finally..." Thai began, releasing the Medra that had won the match at the arena for him. "I believe that you might remember Nasya. Nasya, this is..."  
"Shikarou, I presume?" she asked, and the seven foot pokegirl looked to the wolf-eared man as she sized him up for a moment. Thai nodded in acknowledgment, and  
she nodded slightly before smiling.

"Nice to meet you." she said, and as Thai introduced Shikarou's other pokegirls, she would nod politely and say hello to each of them as well... nothing more than that, though.

Shikarou smiled. "That was well done in the bout. That Whorizard probably still doesn't know you knocked her silly."  
"The others are a tad preoccupied at the moment, of course. I'll introduce them as soon as they're out of their healing cycle."

"No problem." Shikarou motioned to the picnic. "Is anyone hungry?"

Bellona caught Nanu's eye and motioned with her head. The Mini-Top frowned but followed her around the building to the back. "All right, what is it?"

Nanu's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you suddenly acting like you've reverted all the way back to Bunnygirl?"

Nanu glared. "I don't see where it's any of your business."

"I'm the beta. Talk."

Nanu leaned against the wall and jerked up. "Fuck, that's cold."

"The warmth spell will only do so much. You're not talking."

The Mini-Top sighed. "You know, I'm a Mini-Top. I don't care about anything or anyone."  
The DragonQueen looked unimpressed. "I've read the press releases. I also know that's not entirely true for you, so there must be a method to your madness."

"I'm afraid." She grimaced. "I'm concerned. Yeah, that sounds better. Shikarou's still pretty torn up about Kebi and Marzia." She snorted. "Well, about Kebi. Marzia was still a bitch, but she was getting better. I was hoping that if I acted more like Kebi, it might make him smile."

"All it's gotten me is embarrassed and I'm going to get my butt whipped by Branwyn."

Bellona shook her head. "Shikarou misses Kebi. We all miss her, including you, you uncaring brute." She smiled slightly. "But that doesn't mean we want you to try to be her. Nobody can."

"You're our psychotic killer. We love you for that and for who you are. He loves you for that."

Nanu's head jerked up. "Does he?"

"If he didn't feel something for you, you'd have been gone a long time ago. Even if he'd felt only compassion about the way you've been treated by others, if he didn't care for you, and I mean really care for you, Branwyn and I would have booted you from the harem."

"He didn't give me my gun back."

Bellona smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "The authorities know you're here now and your species has a reputation for random violence. They'll be watching for the gun and if they see you with it, you are going to jail along with him. Of course, you'll be in your pokeball." She cocked her head. "He didn't take your other gun, did he?"

Nanu blinked. "You know about that?"

"Yes. Branwyn and I both do. You've got a .40 caliber derringer somewhere in your top." She shook her head. "I'm not sure how you can hide it in that skintight thing; I'd be willing to swear there was nothing in there but tit. However, Shikarou knows you have it and he never said a word. He also didn't give your gun up, either. You'll get it back."

The Mini-Top nodded slowly. "So I should just be me?"

"For the most part. You kissed Thai. Don't go slapping him for it."

Nanu grinned. "Would I do that?"

Bellona shook her head. "Let's get back to the picnic. We don't want to be gone too long. The Tamers around here look hungry."

"I'd kill them."

The DragonQueen nodded. "As would I. That would, of course, mean that Shikarou would never be able to return to the Ruby League. He's got ties here."

"You mean Thais?"

Bellona groaned. "That was awful. I'll see if I can convince Branwyn to let you off the hook; but if I were you, I wouldn't get into her lap again unless I wanted sex."

"I guess you're right." Her ears flicked. "Bellona, I know you're the beta and all, but if you ever call me a Bunnygirl again I'm going to kick your ass. I am not one of those insipid, idiotic receptacles for sperm."

"Then don't act like one."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 51

Vampire Elizabeth 49

G-Spliced Pythia 48

Sphinx Lorelei 46

Mini-Top Nanu 45

NurseJoy Candace 53

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**MILK MAID, the "Got Milk" Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Normal

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare

**Diet**: human style foods

**Role**: domestic servant

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Ghost

**Weak Vs**: Fighting

**Attacks**: Slap, Cheer, Cuddle

**Enhancements**: Fast Healing

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Maid Yvette (Milktit milk and orgasm)

Milk Maid is the unexpected evolution of Maid Yvette. Like the Milkmouse, it comes from drinking Milktit milk. Unlike the Milkmouse, the Maid Yvette must be undergoing orgasm to evolve while she is drinking the milk. This very unlikely series of events occurred when a Milktit farmer and his Maid Yvette were both Taming a Milktit, and so far the Milk Maid he has is the only one known. Milk Maids look just like their previous form, save for their breasts are much larger.

A Milk Maid has a more developed personality than her previous form, able to take her own name if she wishes. She is also smart enough to be able to handle various tasks on her own, making her a decent domestic keeper. She still faints at the sight of blood though, limiting her combat usefulness to virtually nil. Milk Maids have a minor healing enhancement, letting them recover faster from wounds.

Milk Maids' breasts lactate just like a Milktit's do. A Milkmaid cannot alter the composition of her own milk, so it has no special effects beyond being sweet and tasty. Pokégirls who drink milk from a Milk Maid do lactate themselves for about a week, although they too cannot make their milk anything except delicious. Milk Maids only lactate about five gallons a day, but still need to be milked daily to prevent painful swelling. When fully milked, their breasts are a large C-cup.

Milk Maids are only happy when there are other Pokégirls around for them to milk. Whether its Milktits, SnowMelons, Cunnydews, Cherries, or even others of her own kind, a Milk Maid's sense of self-worth is at its highest when she is milking others. Her proficiency at this is so great that she is somehow, in a manner not fully understood, able to get lactating Pokégirls of any sort to give half-again as much milk as they usually would when she milks them. She explains this ability as simply having a knack for milking. Furthermore, if any Pokégirl who naturally lactates (as opposed to just lactating from drinking another's milk) drinks milk from a Milk Maid, the Milk Maid can internally alter the chemical composition of the other's milk, making the other Pokégirl's milk have special effects, such as to act as a healing agent (or even more of a healing agent), act as a sedative, induce lust, or several other effects. The Milk Maid chooses how the other Pokégirl's milk is altered, and once her milk is ingested, the other Pokégirl's milk remains altered for two days.

Feral Milk Maids enter a state of distraction like an Ingenue, where they cannot concentrate on anything and their ability to perform tasks plummet. Threshold girls virtually never become a Milk Maid, but it is possible.

_**MEDRA, the Silent Dragon Pokégirl**_

**Type:** Anthromorphic

**Element:** Dragon/Steel

**Frequency:** Very Rare

**Diet**: Omnivore

**Role**: Assault, personal trainers

**Libido**: High

**Strong Vs**: Water, Flying, Rock, Psychic, Dark, Bug, Steel, Dragon, Plant, Poison, Ghost

**Weak Vs**: Ground, Fighting

**Attacks**: Sabre Claw, Tail Slap, Dragon Claw, Dragonbreath, Dragon Dance, Iron Defense. High levels only: Hyper Beam

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed (x8), Enhanced Endurance (x5), Enhanced Strength (x6), Enhanced Agility (x8), Enhanced Senses (x5), Armored, Wings, Prehensile Tail

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Draco (must be going feral + wearing a Steel Jacket when traded)

**Bounty**: 8 million SLC for confirmed capture. 5 million SLC for confirmed death. 50,000 SLC for report of sighting.  
**Story this Pokégirl appears in**: Ruby Journey

A Draco can often be very disruptive and cantankerous towards her Tamer. But once this challenging nature has been satisfied, the Draco will trust her Tamer. But for some Tamers who did their best, and were unable to satisfy the Draco's requirements, the only thing to do would either be to release the Pokégirl into the wild or try and get their worth out of the Pokégirl. And this would usually entail trading her to the nearest convenient sucker, all while the Draco continues to go feral. One such Tamer put a Steel Jacket on his Draco before trading her, citing that adding the Steel Jacket would increase her worth. By the time he found a sucker wanting to trade for her that he could cut his losses with, a week and a half had already passed and the Draco was well on the way to going feral. The tamer that traded for her was surprised to find that the Pokégirl had evolved once with her new master. Of course, the fact that she was nearly feral didn't escape her new tamer's notice, and the three hour marathon that ensued nearly erupted into an orgy within the entire Pokécenter (instead, only 3/4 of the Pokécenter were embroiled within  
an orgy).

Now at least 7ft tall and with a wingspan of 18ft in total length, wingtip to wingtip, this Pokégirl's massive body makes her a sight to behold. Her body changes with the evolution to show a seemingly mechanical tail that she has full control over, using her tail as if it was her own arm. The tail itself has retractable metallic spikes, and is covered with some sort of advanced polymer that can even sense heat and pressure. This polymer is also used to armor the Pokégirl completely, although it is retractable like a Battle Angel's armor is. The armor itself is extremely durable and tough, and the Pokégirl usually wears it like she would actual clothing.

Her wings are fully usable as well, unlike a Draco or Dracona's, and can fly with ease using her own strength. However, due to the weight of her armored form, she cannot fly when armored but can glide. The Pokégirl's pointed ears lengthen to around 5 inches and her body loses any excess body weight. Their breast sizes are often a C-cup, though DD-cups have been documented in one case. One odd thing is the very small amount of speech that a Medra shows. In fact, it is rare that they ever say more than is absolutely required. Tamers say that the Pokégirl becomes much more talkative in a private setting, although no researcher has been able to confirm or deny this.

Because the Pokégirl was feral upon becoming a Medra, the Medra requires a fair amount of taming to come out of her feral state. Although still possessing a challenging nature, the Medra is less likely to allow herself to go feral in an attempt to get a Tamer to satisfy her challenges. Indeed, a Medra lowers her standards somewhat in comparison to a Draco, though she easily recognizes any chance that her tamer simply cannot better him or herself to meet the Medra's requirements. A Medra will only leave if that is the case. Medra will assist in a Tamer's bettering themselves or bettering their Harem, often leading to the Medra becoming the Tamer's Alpha. Medra dislike working with most of the League-created Pokégirls, with the exception of Maid Yvettes. Unlike the NurseJoys or OfficerJennys, the Yvettes actually strive to better themselves despite their genetic limitations. As such, Medra have a soft spot for the Maid Yvettes and will assist them if possible. The other two Pokégirl types she will only grudgingly accept as necessary. They enjoy working with Fighting type Pokégirls for two reasons- one, fighting types have an advantage against Medra, and two, they love to train. Medra also encourage their Tamer to join them during their training, although most often the two wind up in a taming session after only an hour or two (if the  
Tamer lasts that long, that is).

One thing that a Medra cannot stand is the thought of going feral. A feral Medra has a very unfortunate problem- they're almost impossible to capture, as they go completely berserk. In order to stave off the possibility of going feral, all Medra demand a rather exacting schedule from their Tamers- a good taming every three days or so, to be safe. If a Taming is withheld for more than four days, however, a Medra has been known to leave her Tamer to seek out a Taming from someone willing to Tame her. Fortunately, during taming, a Medra's body seems to limit its own strength while the Tamer does their job, so restraints aren't necessary as long as they are trained how to handle their strength. It is assumed that a Medra's body automatically lowers her strength to a near human state while being tamed.

These Pokégirls were first discovered near the end of the war, and in very limited numbers. Some say that a few were mistaken as Dracass in the ill-fated push to try and defeat the human forces, only to be slaughtered by a well-coordinated trap. Despite this, however, there are known to be more Feral Medra than there are Tamed ones. Why there are so many feral Medra is unknown, but it is thought that they had to leave their tamers after being completely disappointed by their performances either in Taming or in training. Feral Medra have been known to attack any Tamer that crosses their path in an effort to strengthen themselves. No researchers that have been without league assistance (in any league) have been known to survive such an attack, although their notes were recovered afterwards. They fight any other Feral Pokégirl they come across that seems to be a threat- in a wild world such as today, that means any carnivorous Pokégirl that looks hungry.

If a Medra faces another Medra in battle, those battles have been known to destroy anything nearby. Several Tamers have even died as a result of the battle that took place. Anyone allowing a battle with a Medra involved within the limits of any inhabited space, unless in an extreme emergency, are issued a citation and are required to pay for any and all damages that are a direct (and indirect) result of the Pokégirl battle. As a result, any Pokégirl battle that results in two Medra facing off is automatically declared a draw before any damage can be wrought upon anything in their immediate surroundings. A bounty has been placed on any feral Medra found, captured, or killed, although it is just as important to escape as it is to capture or kill her.


	38. Chapter 38

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Author's note: The events involving Thai Silvati take place in Ruby Journeys by Macross_Green. I recommend this series to anyone. It is quite good and well worth a read. It can be found on the Pokegirl World 3 Yahoo group and I expect it to appear on before too long, if it isn't already there.

Kerrik

Chapter 38

(06/20/99 0230 Blue League, 0930 Polass Town, Ruby League)

Back at the picnic Branwyn was serving from the seemingly inexhaustible basket. Hot chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, pretty much any picnic food that could be served hot.

"Our Milktit is named Helen and she prepared all of this earlier." Branwyn frowned. "She'd be our noncombatant, but she likes battling, so we really don't have one right now." She glanced at Shikarou. "How about Candace? She's our NurseJoy." A smile. "If you can have one, then I don't see why we couldn't."

That caused Sierra to stop eating and she glanced back at the Unicorn with a slightly greasy face. "Um... I'm not his non-combatant, actually." she said quietly, and then Thai looked to her as she looked to him. He had introduced Sierra during the meal to his pokegirls as well- none of them had ever met the Nurse Joy before. Nasya was at least being nice to her, for Thai's sake. "I have duties back in Coastal, and they haven't got a replacement for me available."  
Thai nodded slightly. "Well, actually... I've been thinking about that, Sierra. I might need you around a bit more often. Something odd happened at the match today." Sierra looked at him as if he'd sprouted a third hand from his nose, and Thai smirked as he pulled out the pokedex. "Here's the league recording." he said, and he flipped through the menus to the recorded match.  
As Sierra watched, Bellona and Nanu quietly re-joined them. The DragonQueen smiled and gave a brief nod at Shikarou's inquiring look.  
The Mini-Top stopped in front of Thai. "I'm sorry about the whole kissing thing. It's not my normal behavior." She shrugged. "We lost someone special recently and I've been acting out. Please forgive me." Without waiting for his response she went and sat next to Shikarou, plucking a piece of chicken from his plate and sinking her teeth into it.  
Thai smiled softly and nodded to her about her words, and then looked to Shikarou. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I doubt there's much more I can, or should, say about it that wouldn't hurt." he said quietly, looking downcast. Images of his three lost pokegirls flashed through his mind, and he shook his head a bit before smiling a little, trying to lighten the mood.  
Shikarou looked at him evenly for a moment before giving a small nod of thanks.

Branwyn looked stunned and then slowly nodded to herself. She touched Bellona's mind. _Kebi?_

_We all miss her, including Nanu. She's been acting sort of like Kebi to try to cheer Shikarou up. _ The DragonQueen met her alpha's gaze. _I would recommend not fighting her over what happened._

_I'll think about it, but I'm inclined to agree._ She handed Bellona a plate. "Tea?"

"This spread is wonderful. Your Helen is quite good at this." Milena spoke up, after finally reviving Orya with a dousing of milk. The Milk Maid sputtered, and Thai looked over to see her wiping herself off before he would shake his head. Then he heard Sierra tap on the pokedex, pausing the recording, and he could almost feel her glaring at him.  
"What the hell is this? I thought all your blood tests showed that you're a pure human?" she demanded, and Thai looked back to her and shrugged.  
"That's what I would like your help with. I have no clue how that happened, and I don't know how I did it. If I didn't know better, I'm beginning to think Dad might've had something to do with it."

Shikarou pulled out his pokedex and activated it, using it to scan Thai and Sierra. "Well, Sierra, you scan as a NurseJoy and Thai, you," he broke off. "Now that's interesting." He looked up. "When a pokedex runs across something that's not in its database it uplinks and requests assistance from the master server that's closest. My pokedex said that there was something odd about you and when it uplinked, a viral program tried to reset your reading to pure human." He gave a grim smile. "I'm a bit paranoid so I have extra software in mine, otherwise it would have worked I would never have known anything was out of the ordinary." He gave Thai a curious look. "Is this something your father could have done? It would take someone with a lot of pull or a very specialized set of programming skills."

"Or both." Bellona smiled. "It could be possible."

Thai considered it for a moment, even as Sierra took her time as she closed her eyes and placed a hand over his head, slowly reaching down as her hand glowed a gentle pink color. Like a computer scanner, almost, as her hand descended along his side. "My dad works for the Ruby League in the DNA Results lab. I don't think he knows a whole lot about computers, certainly not enough programming to do what you're talking about. I think. I'll admit that his work never really interested me, and he never really offered any  
information very often."  
The Nurse Joy frowned slightly and she shook her head. "You're different. I'm not sure how, though. But your DNA is stable. I've never had to scan you myself though." she commented, before opening her eyes. "The pokecenter back at Coastal has records on your DNA testing from a year ago and from when you started your Tamer's Journey. From what I can remember, you've changed since both of them."  
Her patient just sighed. "Well, that's just great." he muttered, even as Nasya came over to sit behind her tamer and give him a careful, strength-regulated hug.  
"I dunno what you guys are talking about... anything to do with when I found you bare-ass naked the other day after our walk on the glacier?" she asked.  
Thai blinked, and glanced up at the dark-skinned dragon type. "That's a good question. I was wounded right about here..." and he pointed to the spot where he had been bleeding. Sierra immediately put her hand over that spot and started an in-depth scan. "And when you found me, I was healed."

Shikarou frowned and looked around his group of pokegirls. "Who's finished?"

They looked at each other for a moment. Nanu sighed. "Since I've managed to do nothing except be an ass, I'll bite the bullet." She grinned. "Later, however, I want some of Elizabeth's dessert."

Shikarou grinned. "Very well, I'll make the sacrifice." He tossed the Mini-Top her pistol and she snatched it out of the air, chambered a round and put it into its holster. She vanished into her containment beam.

Thai couldn't help but to laugh as he shook his head. "You two are quite the act." he commented, grinning as the Mini-Top disappeared. When Shikarou got around to releasing another pokegirl, he just watched and waited. Sierra continued to scan, but after a moment or so shook her head. Nasya's tail slid up around his waist and the tamer was drawn back into her lap. "Nasya..." he warned, but she just smiled... innocently. Thai shook his head again.  
Shikarou dug into his backpack and exchanged pokeballs. He released Circe and the Alaka-Wham looked around expectantly. "Thai! I've met Janne but not you. I'm Circe." She turned back to Shikarou, zipping up her jacket. "What do you need?"

"The NurseJoy with Thai is Sierra and she may want you to act as a conduit into Thai's memories of when he was injured recently. If she doesn't, then have some chicken."

Circe smiled. "I can do both." She turned back to Thai and Sierra. "So, does anyone want a quick trip down memory lane?"

Thai blinked as Circe came out- the Alaka-Wham that he hadn't seen since the day that Shikarou had met Janne and Hanmei. Sierra's hand stopped glowing and she glanced up to Circe with a small smile. "I would, but try to leave the good details out. I need to be objective." she stated. Thai laughed and Nasya grinned at that. "And from what I can tell, there is some pokegirl DNA there. I just can't tell what kind, I've never worked with this one before."

Circe nodded, her smile fading. "Unless the injury took place while taming, there aren't going to be any good parts. I'm also going to strip the emotional loading from the memories, so while you'll see what happened from his viewpoint, you won't feel his pain or anything else. That will allow you to look professionally." She frowned and touched Sierra's mind_. I know that you are fonder of him than he knows, which means you will probably not enjoy watching him get hurt. I'll replay the memories as many times as you need to recover and take a professional look at his experience._  
"I take it that Sierra is a good friend of yours, hm?" Nasya whispered, stressing the 'good' in that sentence as she rubbed the side of her tail along his stomach idly. Thai rolled his eyes and just nodded again before looking back to her and whispering.  
"Yes, you could say that." he remarked, and then looked back to Circe. "And it's nice to finally meet you, Circe. Thanks again." he said to her, meaning thanks twice-over: first for the potion a few months ago, and now for assisting Sierra with this. _I'm starting to need a tally sheet for how much I think I'm in debt to these people._

Her antenna twitched. _Don't worry about it. Shikarou likes to help people when he can. We just hope this will be of assistance to you, Thai._  
Then he looked over to Orya and Milena, who were finishing up their meals. Thai, on the other hand, only had a pair of chicken legs and hadn't touched anything since. Strangely enough, he felt full already. "Can you two behave yourselves for a minute or two?"  
The Milktit and Milk Maid grinned to him in response, even as the Milk Maid poured some more milk into her cup, and he shivered. "Oh boy. That better had been a yes."

Circe settled down next to Sierra. "What we're going to do is go into Thai's memories of when he got injured. I would also recommend a review of what happened in the battle when the Whorizard got a little free with her attacks. You will see and feel everything from his point of view, and don't worry if it's a bit disorientating at first. I'll be there to help if anything odd happens."

"The only thing I am concerned about is that if Thai is manifesting some kind of psychic abilities, then we may be attacked by his mind. It's doubtful he can hurt us, I'll be on guard and I'm stronger than he could be unless he's been practicing for his whole life. If that happens stay behind me, but don't touch." She gave Shikarou a glance. "If you merge your construct with me we could get bonded. I am delta bonded to Shikarou and if we bonded you would become his pokegirl." She smiled. "It's only a concern during combat, and I don't anticipate any, I just wanted to let you know the risks."

"Are you still willing to do this? If so, we can get started right away."

Thai wasn't the only one to be surprised by that statement. All of his pokegirls, and even Sierra, were shocked at that possibility. He swallowed and he heard Sierra gasp before she reached out to tug on his shirt. "Don't, Thai." Milena and Orya watched, their eyes glued on the Alaka-Wham as they stopped playing around to see how this would pan out.  
_Go ahead, Circe. I need to know. Just... try to keep away from what you call my construct, if you can. No offense, I like pokegirls more than the possibility of being one._

Nasya shook her head and looked to the pink-haired pokegirl. "He'll probably do this. I've learned that he's pretty stubborn sometimes, and I've seen that look on his face before."  
The Nurse Joy's face went sullen and she nodded. "So have I. He just talked to Circe, I bet. Still, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a psychic type that did anything to him. There wasn't any trace of that element in the DNA that I detected, so he should be okay." I'm still worried, though..."  
"Well, it's true. I did just speak with Circe, and it's guaranteed that I don't have any mental defenses. If I did, I'd have gotten away with a lot more than I would've back at the pokemart when Carrie was around." he commented, and that got a weak smile from Sierra as she nodded. That worried look in her eyes didn't waver though. He felt a squeeze around his waist, and then Nasya looked up to Circe. "Circe, Shikarou, I really appreciate this. Shikarou, are you sure you'd like her to try this though?" he asked Circe's Tamer, not sure if he'd want to chance that off-chance that Circe had mentioned.  
"Can I do anything to help?" Sierra asked, though she seemed to expect the obvious answer that she couldn't. I'm not a psychic type and I'm not delta-bonded with him. Yet.  
"Well... if he's so adamant about it, then I guess I'll have to go along." she said, and then she glared at Thai. "If you screw this up, don't come to me looking for a Tamer. I wouldn't be able to help you without going through all sorts of crazy hoops." She stated firmly, and Thai just shook his head.  
"Gee, supportive, ain'tcha?"

Circe blinked and burst out in a quick laugh. "You misunderstand me, Thai. We're not going to be interacting with your construct. If we are attacked, Sierra could end up bonded to me, not you."

She glanced at Shikarou. _How about I find out before this becomes an issue? If I go alone I can protect myself much better than if I'm dragging Sierra along with me._

Her Tamer's eyes hooded. _We sort of have his permission. Be careful, I don't want to explain to your sister that you died. She's likely to be upset about having to take your place in the harem, a role she could only fill badly. I'd miss you._

The Alaka-Wham nodded and slipped into Thai's mind. A few seconds elapsed and she blinked and relaxed. "It's ok. He's not psychic, or if he is he isn't enough to catch me." She smiled. "Since I was in there, I took the liberty of retrieving the memories you needed of the injury and the battle. Now you can review them in my mind in complete safety."

"Glad to know I'm not gonna be able to read anyone's mind anytime soon, then." he quipped. "Takes some of the fun out of things." and he got an appreciative squeeze from behind as Nasya hugged him.  
"Well, let's do this then. I have to be back in Coastal by 9pm tonight, or they're going to...nevermind." Sierra replied, grinning a little bit. Thai could only imagine what her co-workers would do to her if she was late.  
When Sierra's and Circe's minds touched, they were viewing his memories.  
_ It had been a nice enough fall, even as he screamed and feared for his life, before he landed on some ice that had caused his wound. The pointed device left a bloody trail and he had hung there for several minutes before another rumbling shook him off the icy point, and it was at that point that he blacked out. It was a while later, he had no sense of time with the pain that he felt, before he would awaken again. _  
Sierra winced at the sight of the memory, but forced herself to keep watching._ Something here has to be important... that's one part._  
_ It was cold when he came to, but the world wasn't quite as dark. He could hear a groan being vocalized, and after a few seconds realized it was himself. He had landed in a cave of sorts, pure white somehow despite... no, not pure white, he could see. Thai wasn't lying on snow or ice, but on the ground itself. But he was trapped. He couldn't see any way to get away from where he was, and there was a constant pressure on his chest and sides. Although there was some light, and he found himself able to spin in place somewhat. After a few moments, he groaned again and breathed carefully as he felt pain stab through his right side. Reaching to it in the little cavern that he'd carved from the snow around him, he pulled his hand back up and shivered as he saw the blood that he had thought he could feel on his fingertips. Great. And I don't have enough room in here to get any of my pokegirls out without getting stuck in here. And despite my getting a bit more fit while traveling, I haven't had a need to learn how to really dig when I'm underground. Alright, which way is up? Oh, right...the ground is underneath me._  
_ Damn, I'm cold. Okay, options: dig out. Problem is, I only know up is a good way to go. I'm likely underneath the glacier, and I'm miles from either side as far as I know. Nasya's out there, too. She might be trying to dig to me. And... wait, what's that?_  
_ Thai blinked and then closed his eyes as he listened. There was some strange sound that he couldn't place-it didn't sound like a pokegirl at all, at least. And it didn't actually sound like any sort of vehicle or person. There was no breathing other than his own, either. "Is someone there?" he whispered, not wanting to chance anything yet. But when there was no reply, just that strange almost rushing-liquid sound continuing, Thai moved up a bit and started to dig a way out upwards with his hands. Forming a small tunnel, he worked on widening it as quickly as he could-the pain was continuing in his right side, and every time he moved his right arm, it just escalated a notch or two. Within minutes, he was gasping for breath, and he couldn't help but to start to panic. "Nasya!" he called out, even as he tried to pull himself into the tunnel that he'd made. He was standing upright now, but the pain in his side just got worse as he shuddered and nearly collapsed into the snow wall._  
_ Then he felt something wet around his feet. The tunnel he had created was too narrow for him to be able to look down, but he could feel a warmth gliding up his legs as the tunnel filled. When he felt it flow up past his waist and to his side, he gasped in pain as his knees buckled and he fell down a bit against the tunnel wall before him. The... whatever it was seemed to react when it reached his wound, and he just passed out as the pain became too great. However, just before he did black out, he looked down and he could see this puddle of... some sort of black liquid ooze that seemed to dissolve his clothes, and almost anything else other than the pokedex. It entered his body, dissipating into the wound and through his skin, though he was only awake for a few seconds before his mind shut down._  
_ An hour or two later, perhaps, his mind snapped back into awareness. It took stock of the immediate options and immediately found him near death from hypothermia. His mind accessed a new command, and his body was covered with the dark green armor. Another command became apparent and several Uni-Blasts later, which melted enough of the ice and snow to create a tunnel that he nearly flew through, he stumbled out from the ice-cave that he had formed, on the other side of the glacier now. There was a heat in his head and his mind seemed to shut down as soon as the armor disappeared, and he was out once more._  
_ There was a presence beside him that registered as a heat source as he slowly began to open his eyes. Thai shivered, his left hand moving carefully to his right side, where there was no longer any pain. He looked to his left, and saw a pokegirl sleeping beside him. At least, he saw a silhouette, although he wasn't sure he knew it was a pokegirl until his eyes opened completely and he got a good look at her. "Nasya?" he asked in a whisper, and she just seemed to jump. He wasn't even lying down, nor was she exactly 'next' to him as he had guessed. He was actually in her lap and her wings were stretched over him, wrapping him up in a dark gray cocoon-like entrapment as the Medra opened her eyes and she gave him a hug._  
_ "Thank the gods... Master, I was so worried." She said, and she smiled carefully. "When you fell and I couldn't catch you, I thought you were dead... What_  
_were you doing on the other side of the path without clothes on though?" she asked him. He blinked and his face went red as he looked down- they were both naked, but he was surprised to find that his clothes were gone._

As Sierra and Circe emerged from the memory the Alaka-Wham frowned. "There's something familiar about what happened." She glanced at Shikarou. _Help me._ Her mind merged with his for several seconds. _Maeve. We saw something like this while rebuilding Maeve's mind._ There was a flurry of images as they reviewed what they'd pulled from the Mini-Top's mind. A sudden feeling of surprise. _Lamya._ There was another pause. _Do we tell him/this is supposed to be impossible/we've learned that impossible just means it's never been seen before here/wait, let's see what they know and do/we should tell them/we will/WAIT._

Circe shook her head as if puzzled. "Does what we saw mean anything to you, Sierra?"

Sierra nodded a little, and she concentrated. "That attack looked like a Uni Blast. I know that's some pokegirl's signature attack. But I can't remember which one. It has to be a fairly rare one though, I'm sure I haven't dealt with a pokegirl that has it at the 'center. I just remember hearing something about a pokegirl that has some sort of energy beam attack." she spoke slowly, the NurseJoy's mind racing as she tried to think of one. Thai blinked, and then took out his pokedex to plug in that attack name and he ran a search. It took only a few seconds, and his eyes widened.  
"Sierra. Zeromer is the pokegirl with that attack." And his eyes narrowed at the entry. Dying Zeromer are the catalyst for a side-evolution, too. Sierra blinked at his words and then gasped.  
"You... you don't think? That shouldn't be biologically possible, from what I've been told. How could she have... you know?" the pink haired pokegirl asked, and Thai just looked at her like she was the one who had grown a hand from each of her breasts.  
"Well, I dunno. I was kinda blacked out, I think. Besides, you're the one that's trained in this sorta thing." he replied, visibly shaken. His face was slightly more pale, and then he nodded slowly. "I did have a dream last night, actually. It was strange. I heard a female voice saying something about a Uni Blast, actually." and he looked over to Circe. "Did you get that memory as well, by any chance?"

Circe nodded. "I did." The memory flowed into Sierra and Thai.

_ There was something red and flying in the air as he ran from it, flames licking at his feet and all around him. It was his own voice he heard when he screamed, fire blasted at his back and he could feel the pain and scalding heat as he ducked to the side, through the burning brush while covering his face with his hands and arms. Quickly, he was back on his feet, and he could hear the commands in his head. _ Charging Uni Blast attack.Target: Whorizard, feral. Wait until short range. _That voice wasn't his, but a female's in his head, and his vision turned to where the Whorizard was winging in for a landing, licks of flame escaping the panting girl's mouth. _

Discharge Uni Blast. _The female voice in his head commanded, and his left arm extended with the soft pale glow just within his grasp- and then it fired, hitting the Whorizard square in the chest even as he felt himself spring into the air._ Engage thrusters. Escape Velocity in three... two... _And he could hear a female voice as he felt the intense heat slam into his back. It was a scream of pain, and he understood it all too well as he fell forward and slammed into the ground. _Thrusters disengaged. 82% damage sustained to thrusters... _and as the inner monologue continued, he heard the roar of the pissed off Whorizard that was stomping towards him. Getting to his feet, Thai turned and launched another Uni Blast before taking off on foot, ignoring the annoying tone he heard in his head that seemed to be telling him not to move quickly._ Death is imminent if movement is not achieved. _The female voice reasoned, even as he launched the next Uni Blast at the raging pokegirl that was running after him. Then he fell, and darkness over came him as he felt a sudden blast of warmth from behind._

Circe nodded slowly. "That could very well be the associated memories from a dying Zeromer. You have become a Battle Thai." She grinned.

Shikarou shook his head. "That's supposed to be impossible. Humans and males aren't supposed to be affected by pokegirl mutability, except for the contagious ones like the bite of a Vampire." He frowned. "But a love ball works by stripping the humanity away from whatever pokegirl genes are already present. Why couldn't a Zeromer bond to those same genes in a non-pureblood?"

Er... I... wait." and he groaned as something finally clicked. "I get it. Weird, I didn't realize what you said 'til now. I was never a pure human. My dad must've done something about that with the tests. I dunno about that programming thing, but I know he  
could change the blood test results. And that explains why they..."  
"Why they'd never let you in the same room with your sister." Sierra finished, and he nodded to her.  
"Exactly. So now I know that Mom's not really my mother, genetically anyway. Which means I most likely have a pokewoman for a mom, and I have no idea who or what she might've been. Could a blood sample help?"  
Sierra considered it, and shook her head. "No, not for me anyway. Your DNA has changed from what it was before; it may not reflect what you used to be." And then she smiled. "But, the pokecenter in Coastal still has access to the original blood sample. I  
always take doubles, just in case one was lost in processing. I took three from you... after you passed out." she teased, and then she grinned. "One of them is still in storage in the medical freezer. I know exactly where it is." and then she blinked. "Well, you know, it might be a good idea to get a blood sampled from you anyway, actually. You might have some 'gifts or curses that you should really know about that could just be in remission or something.  
Thai couldn't help but to climb out of Nasya's lap, even as she sat there with a look of barely understanding what was going on. She did, however, watch as Thai gave the pink-haired pokegirl a big hug. "You know, sometimes I can be glad for your need to make me deal with needles like that. I still think it's a form of torture, but you may have just helped  
me a lot."  
He leaned in and whispered to her. "Thanks, Carys." he said to her, and she blushed before slugging him gently on the arm.  
"Not around others!" she whispered harshly, blushing as Thai released her and slipped back with a grin.

Branwyn snickered. Shikarou gave her a curious look. _Cary's is Welsh. It means to love. I wonder if he knows what it means._

Circe glanced at Thai and Sierra. _They both know what it means, and it does mean something to them._

Shikarou blinked and nodded slightly.  
"Okay... so I'm some sort of... what, a literal poke-boy? Or just what Circe said?" he asked, and then he groaned slightly. "Shit. I wonder how many pokedexes went off at the arena because of what I did?"  
Shikarou shrugged. "Probably not many. I've got a complete recording of the match because I tend to stick with Blue League protocols. However I did notice a sign stating that recording of the match was forbidden due to rebroadcast right infringement."

Elizabeth snickered. "Oh, you mean the very subtle one with three meter tall letters?"

Circe flashed a grin. "They use Imperial measurements here. The letters were ten feet tall."

"Oh, sorry."

Lorelei snorted. "Ok, how do we get his blood sample? It's someplace we've never been. The last time I checked, NurseJoys don't teleport and if she goes by pokeball transporter then she's at their mercy as to when or if she can return."

Bellona frowned. "We send one of our teleport capable pokegirls through after her so Sierra can let her out. That will solve that problem neatly." She turned to Sierra. "Thai may have a point about you becoming his non-combatant pokegirl. He's unique and should be monitored constantly." She grinned. "You owe it to your profession. After all, you never know when he might suddenly throw a clot."

Thai groaned and Sierra seemed to perk up. But the response to both was both tamer and pokegirl blushing as she grinned. "That does sound good. The only problem is..."  
Orya spoke up, a little hesitant to get involved with the heated discussion. "Well, that would be me, wouldn't it?" the Milk Maid asked, and Thai's head swiveled around to see her, his eyes wide as she blushed softly. "I'm master's non-combatant. And since master doesn't have a storage license yet, I don't think that I could be switched..."  
When the Milk Maid turned away, she ran off and Thai was quick to go after her. The Milk Maid disappeared around the corner and Thai soon followed. Once out of sight of the others, he found Orya leaning against the cold wall of the pokecenter building, trying her hardest it seemed not to cry. As he approached, Orya looked to him and blushed deeply before she would look away. "I... I can't help it, master. I thought I was doing the right thing by being with you and Milena."  
"It's okay, Orya. It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. If I hadn't gone to that glacier route, I wouldn't have had that little mishap. Granted, I'd be a little extra... anyway." he changed the subject quick- No need to have her fainting on me.  
"Long story short, Orya, I'd like to keep you and Sierra. You and Milena are a good team together, even outside of battles. And you're a good teacher for Hirah, too. I... I'm not so good at this, you know? I'm sure I'm rambling, but I'm not sure how to say it."  
"Master, you evolved me from a Maid Yvette. You gave me my sense of self, it's something that no Yvette has. I owe you my individuality and my thanks. If repaying that debt means I need to leave the harem or be held in storage, then I'd be happy to. For you,  
and Milena." she said to him, and Thai smiled as he hugged the heavy breasted pokegirl.  
"Thank you. Stick with us a little longer, okay? I'm sure we'll figure something out." When Orya nodded, he would return the motion and slip his arm around the Milk Maid's waist before leading her back around the building and to the group.  
"I'm... I'm sorry. I was out of place." Orya said quickly upon returning, and Thai shook his head even while Sierra walked over and gave her a hug. Startled, Orya stiffened for a moment before she would relax and hug the NurseJoy in return.  
"No you weren't. You were worried and you had a right to speak up, since you are my current non-combatant pokegirl." Thai admonished her, and he just considered his alternatives. "I think that there are only a few things that I can come up with... even  
if getting a Storage license is easy, it'd be cruel to keep you in there, Orya. And besides, I wouldn't want to take you from Milena."  
The Milktit, who had been quiet up 'til now, nodded gently at those words. Thai looked to her as she sat on the dry ground and so did Orya.  
"The other thing I can think of would be to send you to Hidden Bra. But... then there'd be no way for you to get back to me, if you needed to for tamings or some emergency..." and then he blinked, checking the pokedex once more before he just laughed softly and shook his head. "Of course..." and he looked to Milena. "I have a Moon Stone that I got as part of the trade I made to get Hirah. With that, you could evolve to a Mooncalf, and you'd be able to teleport."  
For her part, Milena seemed to take it well. It took a moment for her to realize it, but then she smiled softly. "Let me think about it." she told him. Orya walked over and sat beside her harem sister, and Thai glanced around slowly.  
"But first... I think that if you want to go and do this, I should get you both collars and ident-tags so I won't worry so much." he commented, almost nonchalantly.

Shikarou frowned. "Actually, there's another solution. You only have five combat pokegirls so you could make Sierra your sixth. No one would fault you for not putting her into fights." His ears flicked. "It really doesn't matter where you put her, it's not like your noncombatant pokegirl couldn't be taken as salvage."  
Thai nodded slightly. It was true, he did have an open slot in his combat harem, and it wasn't like Sierra was completely inept in battle. At least, they had sparred with one another back at school. I wonder if she kept up with practices? "Good point."  
He smiled thinly. "And, my Milktit is a normal type and she's become pretty tough. A NurseJoy already knows how to cast basic spells so your Grandelf could start her magical training. Later, if interested, we could probably cross train her a bit. Hypnotize and yell are very useful, especially in team combats."  
He pursed his lips. "And if there's a problem with a storage license, I suspect I could expedite things and get you that license within a day or so."  
Thai shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd like to just do what I have to myself to do it. Besides, it won't take more than a few days to get all of that fixed up. Rory's assistants can probably provide the testing necessary or whatever's needed. It's probably just paperwork anyway, after a tamer here gets a badge." then he smiled. "Cross-training, huh? I'll have to remember that... and I think I'll have to ask Lei to start working with water spells. I need something that can help against Whorizards, now that I suppose I've faced two different ones lately."  
Bellona smiled. "You could also just lie and say she belongs to someone else and that you are escorting her. Maybe you're escorting her on some grand search for her lost Tamer. That would give you a reason to wander about as Tamers tend to do."  
Sierra chuckled softly and shook her head. "But if he did that, he'd have to avoid taming me to make it realistic. I don't mind being in a combat harem for a while. Besides, I've done some studying and I think I'd be good support for the team. It's a little surprising what a NurseJoy can get her hands on in the way of limited-access documents when she's bored on the 'net."  
Branwyn sighed. "Orya, I didn't mean to make it sound like you aren't important or that you don't count, all I saw was a seventh pokegirl while Thai had an open slot in his harem. Please accept my apologies."  
The Milk Maid looked to Branwyn and she smiled softly. "No, it's alright. I've been used to a six pokegirl harem for a long time. Even here, there aren't many tamers that take advantage of the non-combatant pokegirl, from what I've seen during my stay as a Maid Yvette here at this pokecenter. Master Thai even forgot, I guess. It's really alright, as long as I can stay with the harem one way or the other."  
Milena nodded and trailed a hand along her back even as the Milk Maid gulped and looked over to Elizabeth. "And... I owe you an apology. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like I did." she said to her, and bowed her head to the Vampire politely.

Elizabeth carefully didn't show any teeth when she smiled. "Orya, you have nothing to apologize for. I feed on blood and you faint at blood. I'll do my best not to accidentally show any blood around you, ok?"  
Thai glanced all around and nodded slightly before smiling thinly. "Well, now that that's taken care of, what's the next step to take? Cleaning up the dishes?"  
Sierra just smacked him lightly upside the head as Nasya smirked. From the side of the pokecenter came the Ingénue that had been on duty, and she smiled as she walked over with three pokeballs in hand.  
"Jeez, quite the circus back here. I'll keep the tamers busy up front." she offered, giving everyone a polite smile before she handed Thai the freshly healed pokegirls in the pokeballs. "Anyway, they're all ready to go. Sorry it took so long, but there was a bit of a queue today."  
"Thank you very much." Thai replied, taking his pokeballs before she would head back to the pokecenter. Then, he checked on which was which, and he smiled slightly. "Well, time for 'nother round of introductions. First, Lei."  
He released the Grandelf, who he found had a bit of a hole in her dress from the Fire Punch that had connected with her stomach. Thai took off his jacket, and she put it on gratefully, zipping up despite the Warmth spell of Shikarou's that was still in effect.  
"Lei, this is Shikarou, Branwyn..." and he continued on to introduce her to the rest of Shikarou's harem before he would introduce Sierra to her as well.  
"Can I get the book?" she asked after the introductions were made. Thai nodded, and she got into the pokepack and after a moment she came out with a re-digitized spellbook.  
"Could you try looking up some water spells, if that book has any, Lei?" he asked, and the Grandelf nodded before smiling and walking off a bit to sit and start reading. He sighed softly. "Well, this is better than before, at least. She used to try and hike half a mile away to read. Anyway..."  
Next up was Hirah, and introductions were made. The Harpy smiled and nodded to each of the pokegirls, though she did seem to be intrigued by Bellona more than the others in Shikarou's harem. Not surprisingly, she declined any of the fried chicken that remained, but would start to talk with Sierra after she learned that the NurseJoy was Thai's oldest friend.  
Finally, he was down to Janne, and Thai released her. The Battle Angel appeared in full battle armor, as she had been in the match, but she quickly reduced her armor's breadth. "And you know Janne, of course," he said, even as the armor surrounding Janne's arms and lower legs disappeared and left her to evaporate her helm as well.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you again." she said with a flush, bowing politely to the visiting Tamer and to Branwyn and Bellona. Thai blinked, wondering why she was flushed... She was just healed, she couldn't have a cold or something could she? Nah...  
"Janne, would you like something to eat?" he asked, but when she didn't seem to move or hear him, he waved a hand in front of the Battle Angel's face. That snapped her back, and he shook his head.  
"Sorry, what was that?" she replied finally, and Thai rolled his eyes. "What?" she demanded, and he shook his head again.  
"Are you hungry?"

Shikarou smiled. "You have a harem that any Tamer would be proud of, Thai, and my compliments to them all." He cocked his head. "So what are your plans from here?"

Bellona smiled. "We were considering trying our luck with Rory. You gave him a good fight today and I figure that his pokegirls will still be feeling the effects tomorrow. That should give us an edge, if they're up to fighting at all. If we get some gym assistant, then so be it. After all, not everyone is as famous as you seem to be." Her smile became a grin. "We haven't had a real pokegirl battle in quite some time."

Thai smiled, having to blush at the DragonQueen's words. "Well, thanks, but I dunno about famous. I'd certainly rather not be. I think he only agreed to it because I've been here a month with the girls here while I recuperated a bit more and started training them. And I hope you have a good battle with Rory. I'm pretty sure he was just toying with me through half my match with him." he mentioned, though he lowered his voice so his Grandelf wouldn't hear that. "As for my plans, I think I'll be heading to Stalixes within a month or so. Might even take the train, for once. I think most of my harem wants to go to the Sadie Pokens Day that's gonna take place there."  
Janne shook her head and walked over to the leftovers and helped herself to some chicken as the others talked, although she did continue to glance over to Shikarou every so often.  
Yushiko raised an eyebrow. "You and I fought two days ago."

The DragonQueen gave her an amused look. "I haven't for gotten. Yet, I still stand by my words."

Branwyn sighed as Yushiko bristled. "She means we haven't fought anyone outside the harem recently. We've been busy."

The Unicorn glanced at Janne and then turned to Nasya. "The program we got for the bout today listed you as the alpha, so a word of advice. If what we think happened to Thai did happen to him, then I recommend that he start training with his harem. He'll need to learn to be able to consciously access his abilities. Shikarou has some similar issues right now, so he's doing the same thing. With Sierra around you can be rough enough to force him to use them, if only in self defense, kind of like helping a pokegirl access one of her base attacks if she's having problems with it. Eventually he should begin to access them at will." She looked thoughtful. "You're best bet will be to treat him as a Steel/Normal type. When he starts complaining just remind him that he's got nano-regenerate as well as Sierra and pummel him some more. You also might want to see if he can learn normal attacks, unless you're worried about the whole pokeboy thing he mentioned earlier."

Nasya nodded, the startled look that she began with changing to a somewhat predatory grin as she glanced over at Thai. "The program had me listed as Thai's Alpha? I didn't know that." Although he didn't look over to her as she looked at him, he couldn't help but to have overheard and he was dreading the training that he now knew that was going to be put into place. "And I'll keep your words in mind. He's got some stamina already, but I think you're right. By the way, what exactly do you mean by a Battle Thai?" Thai smirked and restarted the recording of the match for Nasya to watch it.  
"Might I remind you that it's unclear just what I am, and what I have?" he asked, and he got a stern look from Nasya.  
"And how are we going to find out until we have drawn that out of you, either by bloodwork or a little hard work?" she asked sweetly, but that glint in her eyes remained. Thai shuddered and he began to try and plan an escape route.  
Circe put down her ear of corn. "There is something else that needs to be kept in mind. Thai had that experience a couple of days ago. It doesn't explain what he did when the Mantis attack took place. It is very likely that other issues are at work here as well."

"You know... I've been giving it some thought." Sierra said, even as she moved to sit again. "The only choices that make sense that might be possible for Thai's mother would be another Steel-type or a Magic-type. It's not like there's ever been any record of a Zeromer bonding to a human... But then, that could be a cover-up, or no tamer that's gone through it has ever been able to or needed to access the Zeromer's ability. Perhaps their bloodgifts or 'curses canceled each other out or something." The NurseJoy looked at the others and shrugged before she looked to Thai. "And that reminds me. Carrie and I caught that Leon guy a few weeks back."  
That caught his and Janne's attention, and both of them turned to face Sierra. She giggled. "Turns out he has Cold Tolerance. So, Carrie and I took his pokeballs, his clothes, and everything else and we tied him up and left him just outside of town overnight. Sometime early the next morning, an OfficerJenny found him and he was arrested." Sierra grinned and nodded. "We got into some trouble, but it was worth it. Turns out the guy was in trouble with the league for a lot more than just leaving you to the Manti that time."  
Thai smiled and Janne grinned. "Thanks, Sierra. Wish I'd been there, we would've helped." Sierra shrugged off the comment and then smiled.  
"Oh, don't worry. The league is trying to figure out whether or not you should get one of his pokegirls once the courts are all finished with him. It seems most of the people weighing in on the matter think that you should at least get one from him."  
He just shrugged. "I'll deal with that if it ever happens, then. Thanks again."  
Sierra smiled and she patted the ground beside her. Thai finally sat down once more and she looped her arm with his. Janne glanced to that and she smirked slightly. "I guess she's going to be filling out the harem then, huh?" and the Battle Angel gave her a quick look over. Thai nodded, and his previous Alpha shrugged before returning to her meal.  
"Thai." Nasya said, and he looked back to her to see that Hirah was watching the pokedex screen with her to see the rest of the battle that she hadn't been on. "I thought you were going to put going to put our going to Stalixes up to a vote between us pokegirls, right?" she asked, and he nodded slightly. "So, as acting Alpha for Thai's harem, which of you gals want to go there in a month or so? Just raise your hands."  
Lei, Milena, Orya, and Janne's hands were raised. Sierra and Hirah didn't of course, and Nasya nodded to herself. "Well, alright. Now that obligation's dealt with. Hm..." and she looked around at Shikarou's pokegirls for a moment before she'd look to Shikarou himself. "I was wondering, would you care to have a practice between our harems?" she asked, and Thai blinked.

Shikarou cocked his head. "I think you've had a hard battle already today. Are you sure you're up for another?" He pulled his pokedex off his belt and keyed up his Tamer entry. "Here, see if this is something that you'll want." He tossed it to Thai. The pokedex zigzagged in midair to avoid Nasya's grab and dropped into Thai's lap. "If you're up for it, technically I can't refuse, even if your alpha issued the challenge." He gave the Medra an amused look as she tried to decide if she wanted to glare at him. "And before you try to convince me that this is a friendly match, we all know that once the pokegirls enter the arena, that idea usually goes out the window." He smiled. "I will of course only use as many pokegirls as you do."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 51

Vampire Elizabeth 49

G-Spliced Pythia 48

Sphinx Lorelei 46

Mini-Top Nanu 45

NurseJoy Candace 53

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth

Wales: Magicunt Village

After reading the pokedex's tamer entry, Thai nodded a little bit and then offered the device back to its owner. "I withdraw my pokegirl's request for a practice match, if only for the fact that you know what you can expect at this time. And for other reasons, such as each one of your pokegirls are higher in level than any of my others. He left unsaid, though it would be easy enough for Circe or any psychic to pick up on that thought.  
Nasya looked a bit annoyed at having her request denied by her tamer, but kept quiet. Thai could feel the resentment in her gaze on him, however, and he looked over to her. "And I humored you with that battle yesterday with that tamer with the Corala and the Rosebreasts. We were lucky then, too. His pokegirls, and Rory's, were much higher in level. By all rights, I could very well have lost you. I won't be making that mistake again, just because you want to battle, Nasya." he told her sternly, and she nodded to him after a few seconds.  
Thai smiled to her, and then looked back to Shikarou. "Sorry about that. Perhaps next time, when we've got some new tricks."

Shikarou gave him a respectful nod. "There is no need to apologize, Thai. I respect your decision and it shows wisdom not often found in one of your years." He pushed to his feet. "When you think you are ready and if you still want a battle with me, just let me know. However, I'll choose the stakes right now. We'll battle for a single credit and the loser has to autograph it, him and the part of his harem that battled that day." He flashed a grin. "And the winner gets the bragging rights, of course. I suspect that the ability to say that I beat Thai Silvati in a pokegirl battle just might be worth something in and of itself someday."

"Well, although I dunno about that, though I appreciate the sentiment." Thai responded, and grinned  
"And now we've taken up enough of your time. I realize that it's not that cold for you, but your pokegirls might want to get back indoors. You and they've got a victory to celebrate and you've got the trip to Stalixes to plan." He glanced at Branwyn. "And we've got to prepare to challenge the Polass gym in the morning." She nodded and went into a quick huddle with Bellona and Circe before starting the cleanup.

"I'd like you to keep in touch, I'm curious about the changes that are occurring in you and I'd like to be updated, if it's not too much trouble."

"May the gods grant you their favor, Thai, and good hunting."

"And to you as well, Shikarou. I'll keep in touch with you. And good luck at the Polass Gym tomorrow. I'm sure you'll give a good showing against Rory." He replied. Especially if that Whorizard is the most powerful he's got. Rory's doomed if Shikarou goes at him with his strongest team.  
"Thank you, Shikarou, and you too Circe." Sierra said, and both she and Thai stood up and bowed to them politely. His other pokegirls did the same after a moment, although Nasya strode right up behind Thai and slid her tail around his waist, drawing him back into her.

"And thanks for the tip, Branwyn." the Medra said, smiling as she glanced to the others. "Alright girls, let's go." she told the rest of her harem.

Branwyn nodded gracefully. "Good luck."  
Thai looked to Sierra and smiled a bit. "Well, let's get your pretty ass back to Coastal. You do have a job to do, after all." he said, and Sierra glanced up to Nasya. The Medra hesitated, but lifted her tail a bit after a few seconds. The NurseJoy looked sweetly to Thai... and then slugged him gently in the stomach in response.  
"Yes I do, but this is my last day on it before I become your pokegirl." she said happily, and he grinned before she would produce her pokeball. "I'll have Carrie bring me back after I have the blood sample. I think she's been here before, but if she hasn't, I'll get in touch.

Thai nodded, and Sierra smiled. "Sure, that's fine," she replied. "Thai?"

He smiled and took the pokeball, and recalled the Nurse Joy. "Once they see who's in it, they'll let her out immediately. I doubt Unico wants to pull a double-shift tonight."

Setting Sierra's pokeball in the open spot on his belt, he recalled the others save for Nasya, who released him. "Shall we finish up then? Shouldn't take more than a few minutes at most."

Shikarou paused. "Hold that thought for a moment. Actually, I'd like Circe to go to Coastal so I have access to it. We can make the arrangements to bring Sierra back if this friend of yours hasn't been here before. We should be just a minute." He quickly returned everyone except Circe and Yushiko to their pokeballs and headed into the center after giving Thai and his friends a wave farewell.

The Ingénue gave him a smile. "Welcome, how can I help you?"

"I need to have this pokegirl transported to Coastal and her pokeball opened immediately." He indicated Circe, who stood patiently.

"Setting up a teleport point?" She nodded. "That's a non-trade and non-emergency transport and will cost 500 credits."

Shikarou handed her his pokedex. "That will be fine. Do you know when she can leave?"

"Right away." Shikarou returned Circe and handed the pokeball to the attendant. "It'll be just a minute." She disappeared into the back.

Shikarou moved away from the counter and leaned against the wall, waiting quietly until the Ingénue returned. She looked around and noticed him. "It's all done, sir. She should be released in a couple of minutes."

A couple of minutes later Circe came in the door. "Hi." She handed him her pokeball. "I went outside and found a quiet area before I teleported, so we should be good to go."

Shikarou nodded. "Let's get back to Thai and let him know he's got transpo available with no waiting."

Thai had recalled everyone except for Hirah, who was smiling as she followed him back towards the pokecenter. They'd meet Shikarou, Circe, and Yushiko partway and he pulled out Sierra's pokeball. He could already miss the slight weight of where it had been set before. "All set on your end, then?" he asked, unaware that they'd gone ahead with the transport already. "You know, I really appreciate this. Again, if there's anything I can do sometime to repay or assist you, within reason, just let me know."

Shikarou smiled. "I will and I expect the same from you. By the bye, Circe has already been to Coastal, so if you'd like her to take Sierra there, we'd be glad to do that."

The Alaka-Wham gave Thai a cheerful grin and held up a small bag. "I have to go there anyway.

"Sure, that sounds great. Thank you both, again." Thai responded, offering Sierra's pokeball to the Alaka-Wham.

Circe accepted the pokeball carefully. "I'll take care of her like she was one of my own harem sisters," she said. "Better even." She vanished.

The Alaka-Wham appeared outside the Coastal pokegirl center and looked around carefully before releasing Sierra.

The pink haired pokegirl appeared and she looked around, a little shocked to be outside the pokecenter... at least, until she looked over her shoulder and then turned around to face Circe, that is.

"I offered to bring you here and Thai accepted." She held out the NurseJoy's pokeball. "I can come back in the morning and bring you back to him if you'll have everything taken care of."

"Well, thank you, Circe." the NurseJoy responded, a bit surprised and embarrassed that she got that kind of first-class treatment.

She smiled so broadly dimples appeared. "If you have problems getting away, I can bring Thai back or kidnap you if you'd prefer. Thai can probably purchase your freedom, but the kidnapping would be more fun."

Sierra smiled slowly and nodded. "They shouldn't have trouble at all, but if they do, I think being voluntarily kidnapped sounds wonderful." she replied, and then winked back to the Alaka-Wham. _Too bad Thai might be one of the first suspects if I was kidnapped, especially if he was seen back in town._

Circe nodded. "Well, hopefully it won't come to that, but if it does, we may be able to point suspicion at some group of criminals." A quick smile. "I'll be back in the morning, local time." She lifted off and hovered. "See you." She darted away to the south.

After traveling for a couple of kilometers outside of town she scanned the area carefully and landed. She made one more check. _Wouldn't want some sleazy Tamer to think he hit the biggest event of his life._ A savage grin. _It would be his last._

She released Branwyn, Pythia, Elizabeth, Lorelei, and Dorothea.

"Ok, ladies, here's your teleport point for the city of Coastal in the Ruby League." She smiled and held up the pokeballs. "Return." Afterwards she chuckled. "This kind of control is fun." She raised a pokeball up to her eyes. "You're much less of a bitch like this Branwyn. We should do this more often." She laughed quietly as she used teleport and vanished.

(06/20/99 2300 Blue League, 06/21/99 0600 Polass Town, 0400 Coastal, Ruby League)

"Here." A heavy coat was thrust at him.

"I don't need it." Shikarou took it anyway and slipped into it.

Yushiko smiled. "Branwyn warned me about you trying that argument. You'll need it because it's below zero outside and everyone else will be wearing them."

He sighed. "It's twenty degrees Fahrenheit."

"And in the Blue League that would be below zero Celsius."

"I'm wearing the damned thing already." Once outside, Shikarou dismissed the tent and they headed into Polass.

It was Friday, but the gym was quiet. "I think we arrived too early."

"There's a light on." Yushiko pointed to the main entrance. "And I think someone is at the desk."

Shikarou shrugged. "We might as well go in. If nothing else we can get on the waiting list." He headed up the steps and inside. A rabbit type was peering at her monitor and muttering quietly.

**Moon Bunny. They are smarter than a Bunnygirl but not as smart as the brighter pokegirls.**

She jumped when he spoke. "Good morning."

The Moon Bunny stared at him. "Uh, hi. Can I help you?" She glanced to the side at a piece of paper taped to her desk. "Oh, yeah, you're probably here for a gym battle, right?"

Shikarou offered her his pokedex. "That's right. I would like to challenge the Polass Town Gym."

"Well, you came to the right place!" She drew herself up proudly.

Shikarou squelched a grimace. "That's good. Can I register for a battle?"

She blinked. "Right. That would be a good idea." She looked down at his pokedex. "Where did you get this?"

"The Blue League."

"Wow. You are a long ways from home." She turned the pokedex over. "Oh, you might want to let your manufacturer know they put the input jack on the wrong side."

He nodded. "It was moved on this model to put the wireless transmitter in the old spot."

"Oh wow!" She turned it over again. "Where is it?"

Yushiko snickered. "You're giving her too much information, lord."

He sighed. "Just use the input jack."

"That sounds good. We don't have one of those wireless thingies."

**This Moon Bunny seems dimmer than most. It must be a cloudy night.**

He winced.

"Ok, you're," she paused. "I don't know how to say your name."

"Shikarou."

"Right. I'll call you S." She entered the request. "Ok, all done. Oops. Just give me a minute and I'll do that again." Shikarou had to admit that she was as good as her word because no more than a minute later. "Oops."

Yushiko leaned close to him. "I think that someone must take over for her in the daylight."

She looked up. "That's right, when the gym opens at eight." She wriggled her ears. "These work just fine." A look back down at the monitor. "Oops. Give me a minute and I'll fix that."

Shikarou looked at Yushiko and placed a finger on her lips. She blinked and nodded. They stood silently while the Moon Bunny sent a challenge request.

Finally she looked up. "All done. Sorry about the wait. Most people who come in early just email a challenge and check in with me." A bright smile. "That only takes three clicks of the mouse and we're done."

Shikarou sighed. "I'll keep that in mind. So we wait until eight?"

She shook her head violently. "Oh, no. Rory left specific instructions to buzz him anytime a Tamer shows up." She smiled. "He also left specific instructions not to disturb him after hours unless it's an emergency. That's why I buzzed him and told him there was an emergency up front."

"That's an interesting bit of logic."

The Moon Bunny nodded. "I do as I'm told," she announced proudly. "I'm a good pokegirl."

"Yes and very creative, I might add."

Yushiko sighed. "He's probably going to be unhappy."

Shikarou gave her a glance. "I'm the comedian. You're the straight girl. I do the bland understatements and you react to them."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm branching out."

A few minutes later there was the pounding of feet and a florid faced man burst into the room, a pokeball clutched in his hand. The Tamer was wearing a pair of shorts and his Tamer's belt. Shikarou recognized him as Rory. He took in room with a glance. "Where's the emergency?"

Shikarou blinked as his nose twitched. The guy was heavy with the smell of sex and pokegirls.

The Moon Bunny pointed at Shikarou. "This is S. He's here to challenge the gym."

"After that whole thing with Thai, I told you not to disturb me after hours." She flinched at his tone.

"My name is Shikarou. She won't try to pronounce it."

He shot Shikarou a glare. "I remember you; you're the idiot Widow killer. So how is your being here an emergency?"

Shikarou took a deep breath and kept his ears very still. "Your Moon Bunny was resolving two mutually contradictory commands that you gave her."

Rory shook his head. "What commands?"

"Not to disturb you after hours unless it was an emergency and to let you know whenever a Tamer shows up." Shikarou nodded. "She was remarkably creative in solving the dilemma those orders created."

"Oh good gods. Bunnie, I'm going to make some new rules and I'll post them this afternoon, ok?"

"Yes, sir."

Shikarou gave a slight bow. "I'm not an emergency, so I'll come back at eight."

Rory shook his head. "You do that. I'll be waiting."

Once outside Shikarou turned and headed into an alley. He released Pythia and Circe. "We've got an hour and a bit so I want you two to go to Coastal and see if Sierra is ready to return here. It's early there, however I'm concerned that if we wait until later, she may have to wait for a while longer than may be wise."

Circe nodded. "If it becomes known she's a free agent then she's up for grabs."

Shikarou frowned. "We started this crap, I guess we get to pay for it. Aggie, add Sierra to my harem for the time being. Once she's safe, change her status back and erase the records that she ever belonged to me." His teeth flashed. "Now if someone grabs her then I get to do something about it."

**Sierra's release from the Coastal pokegirl center has been held pending a review. It appears to be an automatic process.**

"Override it and have her released."

**Done. She'll get confirmation in ten minutes. I've updated the system to show that her review was completed without any flags being raised. I can assign her to Thai now if you would like.**

"Please do. Ladies, have a nice trip."

The two pokegirls appeared outside Coastal and flew straight up. Once they'd hit a hundred meters they raced into the town.

_I have overwatch._ Pythia went into a hover as Circe dove for the door.

The Alaka-Wham landed easily and walked through the automatic door, her mind questing for her target. She smiled to herself when the she spotted the tired looking NurseJoy. _It looks like she needs toothpicks to prop her eyes open. I thought she might want something like this._ Circe pulled a small vial out of her pocket. "Here, this is a refresher potion. You really look like you could use it."

Sierra looked to her with a slow blink, uncomprehending for a moment before she shook her head, waking up again. "Circe? Oh, thank you very much. I hope it has more caffeine than the coffee around here has. I swear, we get the worst brands.  
And TV isn't much help... the only thing that was even close to entertaining was some damned curling event." she commented, getting up from the console. She hadn't seen any confirmation, flags, or holds on her request to leave the pokecenter yet, actually, though that didn't mean something may or may not have come up. The NurseJoy took the offered vial and then popped the top carefully before taking a sip. That was about enough, it seemed, as she straightened up immediately and shivered as the potion took effect. "Wow! That is potent stuff." she commented, and grinned.

Circe returned the smile. "Those are for removing status effects and fatigue is a status effect. My sister used it a lot when she was working as a therapist."  
Almost immediately after shutting the 'lid' on the vial, she glanced to Circe with a sheepish smile. "Thanks again. Let me get the cooler and I'll be ready." About half a minute later, Sierra returned with a small medical cooler that had Thai's blood sample in it. "I dunno if the request has made it through the League's checks yet, but I'm ready to go regardless. The sooner I stop with the graveyard shifts, the better." she muttered to herself, although she was reasonably certain that Circe'd be able to hear her. "So, shall we go?" she asked, pulling her pokeball from her apron and offering it to Circe once more.

"Shikarou said your request has been accepted. It just may be that the response got delayed." She shrugged and accepted the pokeball. "I'm sure your former coworkers will forward it to you or Thai." She grinned. "Next stop, your own private Tamer." Activating the pokeball she watched the containment beam suck the NurseJoy into it.

"Aggie, when the release message comes in, please forward it to Thai and Sierra, would you?"

**I will.**

"Thanks." Circe teleported to Polass, coming out near the pokegirl center. She smiled and released Sierra. "I'm sorry to report that due to a strong headwind, your arrival here in Polass was delayed by a whole two seconds. However, while behind schedule, we have arrived."

Sierra blinked, and she nodded a bit, almost embarrassed. "Thanks, Circe." she said to the Alaka-wham, moving to embrace her real quick before releasing the powerful psychic type with a slight blush. "Well, I better get to Thai. Knowing him, he's probably still asleep." Sierra commented, and then grinned a little. Just like old times. Except, this time, we can tame regularly. The NurseJoy blinked as she stepped back and bowed to her respectfully, and then just about ran into the  
pokecenter with excitement quite easy to see on her face- but she stopped and turned back to the Alaka-Wham, blushing now as she lifted a hand up. "Um... sorry. Could I have my pokeball, please?" she asked sheepishly.  
Inside the pokecenter, a young tamer reached up with one hand and sneezed. A second later, he rolled over onto his side. In his dream, he could swear that  
someone had just been talking about him. In a moment, he was asleep again. The pair of wings that wrapped around him from either side would be a clear indication to anyone that showed up as to who was in the large bed with him- one was leathery, while the other was feathered.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 55

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 51

Vampire Elizabeth 49

G-Spliced Pythia 48

Sphinx Lorelei 46

Mini-Top Nanu 45

NurseJoy Candace 53

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

_**MILK MAID, the "Got Milk" Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Normal

**Frequency**: Extremely Rare

**Diet**: human style foods

**Role**: domestic servant

**Libido**: Average

**Strong Vs**: Ghost

**Weak Vs**: Fighting

**Attacks**: Slap, Cheer, Cuddle

**Enhancements**: Fast Healing

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Maid Yvette (Milktit milk and orgasm)

Milk Maid is the unexpected evolution of Maid Yvette. Like the Milkmouse, it comes from drinking Milktit milk. Unlike the Milkmouse, the Maid Yvette must be undergoing orgasm to evolve while she is drinking the milk. This very unlikely series of events occurred when a Milktit farmer and his Maid Yvette were both Taming a Milktit, and so far the Milk Maid he has is the only one known. Milk Maids look just like their previous form, save for their breasts are much larger.

A Milk Maid has a more developed personality than her previous form, able to take her own name if she wishes. She is also smart enough to be able to handle various tasks on her own, making her a decent domestic keeper. She still faints at the sight of blood though, limiting her combat usefulness to virtually nil. Milk Maids have a minor healing enhancement, letting them recover faster from wounds.

Milk Maids' breasts lactate just like a Milktit's do. A Milkmaid cannot alter the composition of her own milk, so it has no special effects beyond being sweet and tasty. Pokégirls who drink milk from a Milk Maid do lactate themselves for about a week, although they too cannot make their milk anything except delicious. Milk Maids only lactate about five gallons a day, but still need to be milked daily to prevent painful swelling. When fully milked, their breasts are a large C-cup.

Milk Maids are only happy when there are other Pokégirls around for them to milk. Whether its Milktits, SnowMelons, Cunnydews, Cherries, or even others of her own kind, a Milk Maid's sense of self-worth is at its highest when she is milking others. Her proficiency at this is so great that she is somehow, in a manner not fully understood, able to get lactating Pokégirls of any sort to give half-again as much milk as they usually would when she milks them. She explains this ability as simply having a knack for milking. Furthermore, if any Pokégirl who naturally lactates (as opposed to just lactating from drinking another's milk) drinks milk from a Milk Maid, the Milk Maid can internally alter the chemical composition of the other's milk, making the other Pokégirl's milk have special effects, such as to act as a healing agent (or even more of a healing agent), act as a sedative, induce lust, or several other effects. The Milk Maid chooses how the other Pokégirl's milk is altered, and once her milk is ingested, the other Pokégirl's milk remains altered for two days.

Feral Milk Maids enter a state of distraction like an Ingénue, where they cannot concentrate on anything and their ability to perform tasks plummet. Threshold girls virtually never become a Milk Maid, but it is possible.

_**MOON BUNNY, the Star Gazing Bunny Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Magic

**Frequency**: Rare

**Diet**: Human Diet, though prefers veggies and sweets

**Role**: Caretaker, Writer, Other (Varies with affinity)

**Libido**: High (Peaks at Full Moon)

**Strong Vs**: Ghost, Demonic Pokégirls

**Weak Vs**: Dog Pokégirls, Bird Pokégirls, Fighting

**Attacks**: Smile, Reflect, Phoenix Down, Cry, Kick, Takedown, Leap

**Sex Attacks**: Go Down, Phantom Touch, Lunar Caress

**Enhancements**: Increased Intelligence, Affinity (Varies), Knowledge of Stars and planets, Enhanced Hearing (x5), Aura Of Grace

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Bunnygirl (Moon Stone)

Without a doubt, the Moon Bunny is the smartest of all the Bunnygirl evolutions, though it's still considered slow and dimwitted when compared to other smart Pokégirls such as Supe-Bra Genius and Alaka-wham. Though none of her fighting skills improve with her evolution, the Moon Bunny can now actually focus to where she can be taught some complex moves. A few unusual aspects about the Moon Bunny is that after evolving, a Moon Bunny will become as proficient as she can in a subject of her choosing. This can be anywhere from fighting to sexual pleasure to accounting! They also have a rather lengthy knowledge of the night sky.

The most dramatic aspect would have to be their Aura of Grace. While a Moon Bunny is less clumsy then her cousins, she will still trip over her feet now and again. But when she doesn't, her Aura of Grace gives her ladylike poise and a beauty that even a Psidyke could see. A Moon Bunny has milky-white skin and a matching fluffy tail just above their ass. Their hair color is either a near-platinum color or dark black, though these colors are simply average for this Pokégirl. A Moon Bunny's breasts only reach to an average D-cup in size, and they grow only a few inches taller, if at all. Their breasts also increase in sensitivity to movement, somewhat like a Beach Bunny, but not quite to the same extent. Moon Bunnies enjoy tight clothing, though not necessarily revealing.

A Moon Bunny is often found near or with Dark Maidens in the wild. With their Libidos a near-even match, and both of these Pokégirl's libidos peaking at a full moon and at night in general, these Pokégirls become a rather useful force both in Taming and in Sex Battles. However, unlike Dark Maidens, a Moon Bunny's body becomes about 20% more sensitive to touch during a Full Moon. With training, however, this can be nullified and even completely reversed, which would make the Moon Bunny much more useful during Sex Battles than they normally ever would be. They also obtain a few Sex Attacks with the evolution, including the exclusive Lunar Caress sex attack.

**Aura of Grace**: Every movement that the Moon Bunny makes causes those who watch her to think that she is always moving fluidly. Even when she trips, falls, etc.

**Lunar Caress** ( 200+EFT): An attack only usable during a full moon. This attack creates 4 phantom clones of the Pokégirl that proceed to tease and pleasure the target independently. The phantoms last only until the end of the night, but will last throughout the night. Each phantom manifests physically, and is the ultimate diversion to allow a Moon Bunny to become almost unbeatable in a Sex Match. Some Pokégirls may be able to learn this attack, but only the Moon Bunny knows it automatically (any other Pokégirl must practice this attack and be capable of using magic). This attack has a 50% chance of causing attraction and stunning the Pokégirl's opponent.


	39. Chapter 39

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 39

(06/21/99 0100 Blue League, 0800 Polass Town)

Shikarou returned Yushiko to her pokeball and then headed inside the gym once more. Now a Catgirl sat behind the desk, talking with a Tamer. "Yes, sir. It'll be a few minutes before the gym opens. If you would be so kind as to have a seat, Ms. Milantiev will be with you as soon as she's ready to battle. That should only be a few minutes."

The young man nodded. "Thanks. I'll be over there." He went over and sat down in one of a row of chairs. Several of them were already filled with expectant looking men and in one case, a woman.

The Catgirl turned to him and smiled cheerfully. "May I help you, sir?" Her nametag said Lindsey.

Shikarou handed her his pokedex. "Good morning, Lindsey. I'm Shikarou Urufu. I'm pretty sure the night clerk checked me in this morning."

Lindsey scanned his pokedex. "Everything appears to be in order, Mr. Urufu. Mr. Alistier will be with you shortly." She smiled. "You've gotten lucky in the draw. He doesn't fight just anyone."

"Thank you." Shikarou settled down in a chair where he could lean back against the wall and stretched out.

One of the other challengers leaned over. "Man, you just got screwed. Rory's tough and unless you've got a killer harem you're going to have to come back again tomorrow and hope you get someone else."

Shikarou nodded politely. "Thanks for the update. I saw his battle yesterday with Thai Silvati. It seemed pretty good."

The guy grinned. "Yeah, that was a good match, but you didn't see all of his pokegirls. He's got some really powerful ones and he brings them out for really tough opponents." He looked at Shikarou's long hair and frowned. "You might not get to see them."

Apparently long hair wasn't manly. "You don't think the battle yesterday was tough?"

"Sure, it was a good match. Rory tries to match his power level against that of his opponent. It works really well against most Tamers and makes for a good fight. That's what he did yesterday, but that Silvati kid got lucky."

"I don't call winning by one pokegirl 'lucky'. Thai could have easily lost. He and his pokegirls fought well and they earned that badge."

The man frowned. "Buddy, you have still got a lot to learn about pokegirl battling."

Shikarou smiled. "That I don't doubt."

Rory appeared in the doorway. Now he was comfortably dressed in some slacks and a heavy shirt. His eyes fell on Shikarou. "Hey, Widow Killer!"

Shikarou sighed. "Excuse me." Interested eyes followed him as went over to Rory. He deliberately kept his voice low and tried to remain calm. "My name is Shikarou Urufu. I don't go by anything else." His eyes narrowed and his ears went back. "I did not go after that Widow for glory. I happened to be in the area when the alert went out and got tapped to go after her along with any other Tamer that happened to be anywhere nearby. I went after that Widow alone because I thought I had a way to kill her without her getting the opportunity to eat a dozen Tamers and their harems before she was destroyed. How I did it and what I did is not common knowledge and I would prefer it to stay that way for the simple reason that it won't work for anyone else and will just get people killed."

"The only reason you know about it is because the video was put out on a gym leader website and it flagged my name when you ran the search." Shikarou realized suddenly that he'd been leaning forward and aggressively invading Rory's personal space. He took a step backwards and worked on projecting calm thoughts.

Rory's cheeks were flushed. He took a deep breath and stuck out his hand. "Shikarou, you just impressed me." A slight smile. "Not for getting in my face, but for what you said."

Shikarou merely raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Come with me." He led Shikarou down a hallway and into what looked like a break room. There was a coffeepot and a box of various pastries.

He pointed Shikarou into a chair. "I've done some research since you left this morning. You really did go out there to try and keep other Tamers from getting killed. More importantly, at least to me, you haven't tried to market the video of your kill." He cocked his head. "Are you aware of just what that would be worth?"

Shikarou nodded. "A couple of million credits and a whole slew of Tamers who get themselves waxed trying to emulate me. I think that was the very thing I was trying to prevent."

"So you don't intend to try to release it?"

"No, I don't." Shikarou smiled unpleasantly. "If it does get released I will find whoever did it. They won't enjoy the ensuing conversation, either."

Rory shrugged. "At that point it won't matter. The recording will be out and seeking revenge will be pointless."

"I disagree. If I'm firm enough with the first person to pull something like that, anyone else will think twice before doing something that I might not appreciate."

"So you think the ends justify the means?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Now there's a trick question. How about instead we talk about the middle instead of the ends. That's where all the juicy parts are."

"You are an odd individual."

"Yes, I am." Shikarou nodded politely. "So are you going to let me challenge your gym?"

Rory frowned. "I don't really have any choice. The only way I can legally refuse a challenger is if they show themselves or their pokegirls to be unfit. You're not a glory seeker, so I can't refuse you on moral grounds. I can't claim your pokegirls aren't fit, the most powerful members of your harem are as strong as mine are."

"Oh?" Shikarou looked curious. "I wasn't going to use them. I really just want to give my pokegirls a good battle."

"Whether or not you just want a good bout, it happens that we record our battles here and sell them for broadcast revenues. It's big business here in the Ruby League. You've got some rare pokegirls, if you'd rather not do that; you'll have to make it worth my time or there won't be a battle."

"Do I get a share of these revenues?"

Rory nodded. "You're entitled to a small percentage. It won't be much. Most battles aren't good enough for multiple broadcasts. That's where the real money is." He grinned. "Do you think you can put on that kind of a show?"

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "I suspect that would presume that my usual style of the quick and dirty takedown wouldn't work."

"No, a pokegirl battle needs to go for a while for the real ratings. What we need is a gym leader challenge."

"I don't want to run your gym."

"Not like that, more like what the WAPL does, where we film the entire thing from your long challenge to the battle and, finally, the conclusion."

"I have no intention of fighting you for pokegirls or other salvage." Shikarou's voice was flat.

"That's good, because you can't do that."

Shikarou gave him a long look. "Is the battle rigged? I know I'm going to be the villain since you are the local hero."

"No, the battle's not rigged, but just about everything else is." He smiled. "I think you'll enjoy this."

"How did I get talked into doing this?"

Branwyn snickered. "I'm not entirely sure, but I hope to discover his secret so I can use it on you."

Shikarou glared at her. "Someone thinks they are funny."

"I've noticed that too. No matter how many times we don't laugh at your jokes, you just don't seem to get the message." She got up. "Hold still, your moustache is crooked."

"I told them that I can't grow facial hair. Why did they have to stick a chunk of this nasty stuff on my face?"

Branwyn worked on it for a moment and then smiled at him. "Well, actually you can, but you have to grow a muzzle and all that other stuff. You know, the stuff that freaks people out." She grinned and turned his face to Circe. "So tell me, does that look like he's dour or long suffering patience?"

"It looks like you're squeezing his cheeks like a chipmunk. His moustache is crooked."

"Damn it, stop moving your face."

Shikarou pulled the moustache off and stuck it on Branwyn's forehead. "There, now you've got black eyebrows." He cast an illusion. "How's that."

Circe nodded. "The beard is diabolic looking. Nanu's going to love the way you look."

Branwyn pressed her new eyebrows firmly on her head. "It is kind of malevolent and yet sexy. What about the cameras? Will the illusion work for them?"

"Yes, if it didn't I'd have been in big trouble at Alexia's parent's place."

"I forgot about that."

"I thought you might have." He sighed. "Faelan is going to remind me about this for a thousand years."

"I think the word you're looking for is taunt."

"I think the word I'm looking for is merde."

Someone knocked on the door. "We're on in ten minutes."

"I am going to kick his fucking ass on the battlefield for this. How did I get talked into doing this?"

"You already asked that."

"I don't remember getting an answer."

Branwyn ignored him and reached for his outfit. "Where did they get this?" 'This' was a midnight black jumpsuit with hinted red swirls inside the fabric. There were matching knee boots and an ankle length cape.

Shikarou flushed slightly. "I brought it with me." He stripped and slid it on. It fit like a second skin and outlined his muscles. Other things too.

Circe snickered. "You need a cup. Things are really on display."

He sighed. "It wasn't quite so snug in the crotch before."

"You're a growing boy." That earned Branwyn another glare. "You are." She cocked her head. "You didn't answer the question. Where did you get this?"

His voice was barely audible. "I used to wear it in the Empress' guard."

"Pallaius liked you wearing this?"

"As a matter of fact, she didn't." He shrugged. "The members of the guard were encouraged to be original and as striking as they could. There were so many different variations on the kimono that I lost count of them all. I finally went with this. It was different and utilitarian." A quick smile. "It's body armor."

"Pallaius let you wear this?" Branwyn handed it to him.

"Pallaius did not 'let' me do anything. She did not rule my life." He sighed. "That was Her Majesty's job."

"What is it?"

He frowned. "I've just discovered so many things since Pallaius died. Things that if she were still alive …," he broke off. "It doesn't matter. She's not."

Branwyn decided to change the subject. "I've done some reading on the WAPL. We're lucky this isn't like that. You'd probably try to kill someone in very short order if we were."

"Oh?"

"The McMahon family likes their theatrics." She grimaced. "We'd also have problems with one of your girlfriends. It turns out that Sexmet thinks they have ties to Sanctuary."

Shikarou shook his head. "Sexmet is so paranoid that she thinks my shoes have ties to Sanctuary."

Circe looked closely at his boots. "She may be right."

Branwyn handed him his script. "What do you think of it?"

"I'm glad it's all opinion and it never says these opinions are mine. If it weren't, it would be a pack of lies and I'd have to decline." He flipped through it one last time before handing it back to his alpha and wife. "Let's do this and get to the fight." He gave a whimsical smile. "They don't do grand melees here, do they?"

"Nope. Besides, you'd probably cripple him."

"Cripple? He would be lucky if I stopped there." He returned Branwyn to her pokeball and turned to his Alaka-Wham. "You're watching my back, right?"

Circe nodded. "I'll be in here, but I'll be aware of what's going on through our link and I'll rescue you if things get weird."

"They're weird now."

"I meant weirder than this."

"That will take some doing." He headed outside to the steps leading up to the Polass Gym.

The director was talking to his Cameragirl when Shikarou came out. He looked up. "Good. We're almost ready."

Another member of the director's harem handed Shikarou a bandanna and a mask. He sighed and tied the bandanna over his hair and put on the mask. She looked him over. "Excellent. No one will be able to identify you."

"I wish."

"Ok, we're ready to roll film."

Shikarou nodded and assumed an arrogant pose. His eyes went hard and an outraged expression covered his face.

"Very good. Ready? Action."

"Rory Alistier, it is said that for too long have you held this gym up as a shining beacon for those who walk the path of righteousness." Shikarou curled his lip and sneered into the camera. "It has fallen upon me to punish you for walking that path. For this and the insults that you have brought upon me, I call you out. Face me and feel the wrath of my pokegirls." The diatribe went on in this vein for some time. Finally he wrapped up and the Cameragirl waved a finger over her head. "And, cut!"

"Very good." Rory came out of where he'd been waiting. He was wearing a gi with the gym's logo on it. "You look evil. In a good way, of course."

Shikarou blinked as he realized something that he should have figured out from the beginning and felt like kicking himself. "I have to wear this for the bout, don't I?"

Rory grinned. "The women watching us are going to love that outfit, human and pokegirl alike." He nodded to himself. "I'll make sure you get a fan website set up right away. You know, if you went over to the WAPL, you could probably be a star. You're photogenic and you've got a powerful harem."

"Pass. Kasumi is going to have enough questions for me as it is."

"Your mother?"

"Wife."

"Oh. Sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry. Kasumi's a good person. She's been very understanding so far."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Is she going to understand this?"

Shikarou shrugged. "_I_ don't understand it. How did you talk me into this?"

Rory grinned. "I have high empathy and even higher charm."

"Am I done here?" Shikarou rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "Or is there anything else I need to do for this?"

"You're done. Now it's my turn to rebut you."

"Then I'm going inside. When's the battle?"

"In about an hour."

Shikarou nodded. "Have someone let me know in case something changes before the bout."

Shikarou looked out over the arena battlefield. The posturing was over and finally it was time to fight. Well, at least most of the posturing was done. He eyed the cameras that lined the walls of the arena with mingled distaste and amusement. For once he was glad of the outfit. He'd promised himself that he'd never put it on unless it was absolutely necessary, but was suddenly grateful that he'd brought it along to wear here. He was also thankful for the mask and the scarf.

He decided he'd add something like them to the uniform permanently just as soon as he could.

There was an OfficerJenny officiating over the match to ensure that all combatants acted within the rules, which of course meant she was there to make sure he didn't cheat. She smiled affectionately at Rory. "Gym Leader Rory Alistier, are you ready to defend your gym?"

Rory struck a defiant pose. "I am indeed, officer."

She turned to Shikarou and almost glared. "And you, you miscreant, are you ready to be defeated?"

Shikarou smiled lazily as he waved a negligent hand. "Can we hurry this up? I have a dinner date."

_That_ earned him a glare from both of them. Shikarou smothered a snicker. He knew that if he'd really been a criminal, that OfficerJenny would have had him in handcuffs in a trice.

Rory drew himself up. "Let us not keep you from something that is obviously more important than the trouncing you are about to receive. Officer, please start this pokegirl battle."

The OfficerJenny nodded. "As you wish, Gym Leader Alistier." She shot a glare at Shikarou. "This pokegirl battle is a single combat, seven pokegirl bout. Tamers are allowed to substitute without penalty with the following stipulation. Pokegirls may not be substituted out until they are injured in some way, given a status or their opponent is injured or given a status. Points are only awarded if the pokegirl is unable to continue with the battle. Noncombatant pokegirls may be used to heal injured but still conscious pokegirls." Her glare returned to Shikarou. "Tamers are not to be deliberately targeted. Failure to comply with any portion of these rules will result in a disqualification."

She turned back to Rory. "Gym Leader Alistier, do you understand and agree to follow these rules?"

He nodded proudly. "I do."

Her mouth twisted as she turned Shikarou. "Do you understand and agree to follow these rules?"

He smiled. "What happens if we disagree on what constitutes a violation of the rules?"

"There is a panel of judges watching this bout who will rule on any challenges." She glared at him.

He nodded. "With that understanding, sure."

"I'll need you to verbally indicate your complete agreement." She gave a nasty smile, as if to grind in the fact that he was the bad guy.

His smile vanished. "I understand and agree to follow the rules you laid out." His voice was a low growl. "Pokegirls are targets, Tamers are not. Correct?"

She watched him through narrowed eyes for a moment. "That's right. Release your noncombatant pokegirls."

Rory released a NurseJoy garbed in a white hospital outfit and stockings. Shikarou suppressed a grin and let Candace out. She appeared wearing a bodysuit almost identical to the one he wore. Her waist length hair was loose and had been magically turned as black as his. It matched well against her magically swarthy skin. Even her lipstick was black.

She cocked her head and clasped her hands behind her back. _I feel very naughty. Wanna play?_ She glanced at his crotch and smiled. _I see you do._

_You're getting better with the link._ He shook his head slightly and turned to face the arena.

The OfficerJenny gave Candace a disgusted look. "Tamers will release their first pokegirl on the count of three. Release will be simultaneous." She looked at both of them as they each pulled a pokeball from their belts. "One. Two. Three!" She dropped her flags.

Pokeballs flew. On Rory's side a Randysnatch materialized while Yushiko appeared in front of Shikarou.

Shikarou glanced over his shoulder at Candace. "Get behind me and stay close."

She moved close enough to stir his hair when she spoke. "Why?"

"I'm following the rules. Rory's not going to like that."

His NurseJoy chuckled. "I hope this works without getting you kicked out of the battle."

Shikarou noticed the Randysnatch was wearing a radio, so he muttered his com spell just as she lurched into motion. She rolled into a ball and began to pick up speed as she used buzzsaw to race across the arena.

Rory grinned at him. "Ovdotia's going to make short work of your Armsmistress, fool! Steel doesn't fare well against ground."

Trash talk was part of the game. "Do you know what surprise is? It's when someone misunderstands something they've seen all along." Shikarou grinned back. "Yushiko, focus energy and feather shuriken."

Rory blanched as ruby wings glittered into existence. "A Malakai!"

Yushiko vaulted into the air before Ovdotia reached her. She glowed briefly and stalled as her wings snapped down, sending a spray of red ki energy into the path of the Randysnatch, who rolled right through it. Recovering quickly, the Armsmistress climbed steeply.

A cry of pain drifted up to Shikarou as the Randysnatch changed direction and rolled back towards Rory. He nodded slightly as the gym leader returned her to her pokeball and then released her next to the NurseJoy for healing. "Monica, help her."

"Do you want me to hit the secondary target?" Yushiko's voice whispered in his ears.

"Not yet. Stand by for him to release another pokegirl."

Rory released a Ria. "Crap," from Yushiko. "I'm going to get hurt."

Shikarou didn't hesitate. "Swordslash, target is secondary."

"I'm on it." The Malakai changed course in midair.

Rory grinned. "You're going to enjoy this, villain! Esfir, thunder."

Candace wrapped her hands around his braid. "Don't get me hurt pulling this stunt."

"Then stay bloody damned close."

The Ria began to glow as she summoned energy for a thunder attack as Yushiko drew her katana. The blade began to pulse with a bright light and she swung as if striking something as the Ria's attack released.

The thunder attack smashed Yushiko sideways, but not before her own attack went off. A glowing arc was drawn from the tip of her sword as she swung it. The band of ki energy blurred forward straight at its target. Monica had time for a brief scream as the swordslash smashed her from the Tamer's platform.

The NurseJoy hit the floor and bounced once, becoming perfectly still.

"MONICA!" Rory screamed in anguish.

The OfficerJenny slashed Shikarou's flag downward. "HOLD! YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED!" Her amplified voice sounded like thunder as Yushiko landed next to her Tamer.

Candace automatically started healing her as Shikarou gave the OfficerJenny a puzzled look. "Why? What trick is this to save your Rory?"

"You attacked a noncombatant pokegirl! That's against the rules!"

"I challenge that!" He gave an evil grin. "I asked if pokegirls are targets and you said YES! You did not qualify that in any way."

She went white as her earbud buzzed. She listened intently to a conversation Shikarou couldn't hear from this distance.

**The judges are agreeing with you. They will not allow you to be disqualified because you twisted the OfficerJenny's words in your favor. Her name is Jacquelyn. **

Candace grabbed his braid again. "Yushiko is ready to go."

Yushiko gave a low chuckle. "Ready to kick ass."

The OfficerJenny glared at him and turned to Rory. "How is she?"

He sighed. "She's unconscious but otherwise not too bad. She'll be fine. What's the judge's verdict?"

She suddenly looked very unhappy. "They are overriding my disqualification. They say he's right."

Rory glared at Shikarou. "That's another thing you'll have to pay for! I will destroy you!"

Shikarou gave him a lazy grin. "You'd better be quick about it, you're all out of healing for your pokegirls and I'm just getting warmed up."

"You bastard!"

Shikarou ignored him. "So, Officer Jacquelyn, do you think we can get the match restarted?"

Her eyes narrowed and then she smiled. "Of course. Tamers, return your combatant pokegirls to their pokeballs."

Shikarou realized she intended to reset the match if she could.

Candace leaned forward, her breasts pressing firmly against his back. "What about your point?" Her breath was warm against his neck His groin tightened at her scent as well as the feel of her body against his.

"That's cruel. That's also perfect." He recalled Yushiko. "OfficerJenny!" I took out one of his seven pokegirls. What about my point?"

The OfficerJenny almost hissed at him. "Noncombatant pokegirls don't count for points."

"I do believe you said this was a seven on seven battle, didn't you? That would mean there were seven points up for grabs on each side."

Her glare would have scratched diamond. She started to speak and stopped as the earbud chattered again. Her jaw set. "The NurseJoy Monica is unable to battle, point to the criminal." She raised her flag. "Release pokeballs on three. One. Two. Three."

The flag fell. Shikarou released Yushiko again while Rory released Infera, his Whorizard.

"Climb and use swordslash." Yushiko summoned her wings and shot upward.

"Infera, get her! Use fire blast." The Whorizard spread her wings and used ignite to create a thermal that lifted her from the ground in a blast of dust and sand.

Infera used fire blast just as Yushiko used swordslash. The ki attack passed through the oncoming fireball and smashed into the Whorizard, knocking her spinning.

The fire blast took Yushiko squarely and she screamed. Her smoldering wings crumpled as she fell limply towards the ground. Shikarou caught her in the containment beam, returning her to her pokeball before impact.

He glared at Rory. "Fuck. She's out."

The OfficerJenny grinned and raised a flag. "The Armsmistress is unable to battle. Rory takes the point."

Shikarou released Nanu. "Use lightning on the Whorizard. See if you can ground her."

"You're going to get me hurt." The Mini-Top began casting.

"You are probably right."

Rory laughed. "Flame thrower, Infera."

Nanu's greater speed allowed her to finish her spell before Infera could attack. Thunder cracked as lightning flashed, carving a glowing line along the membrane of one of Infera's wings. She squalled and tumbled from the air, smashing into the ground hard enough to shake the arena. The flames surrounding her body faded as her ignite was disrupted.

"I don't think she's down. I didn't hit her that hard." Nanu sounded annoyed. "Tricky slut. Closing." She circled around to the side.

Candace leaned against his back. "What do you think?"

"I think Rory and Jacqueline are too quiet."

"Boss?" Nanu sounded slightly worried.

"If she's awake, you are going to get hurt, so let's make this count. Mega punch."

Nanu darted in as her arm began to glow. Infera suddenly whipped around and unleashed a fire blast, which missed because Nanu had already jumped. The leap carried her over Infera and she landed behind the pokegirl, smashing her in the back with mega punch.

The Whorizard was driven face first into the dirt. She rose up just a bit and smashed blindly behind her with a wing attack, catching the Mini-Top squarely in the chest.

She staggered backwards as Infera whirled again, releasing another fire blast at point blank range.

Nanu was out before she hit the ground. Shikarou recovered her quickly and tucked her pokeball into his belt.

The OfficerJenny almost crowed with delight. "The Mini-Top is no longer able to battle. Point to Rory. The score is Gym Leader Alistier two points, menace to society only one."

It was time for another sound bite. "Play time is over." Shikarou hurled the next pokeball. Lorelei materialized directly in front of Infera, the Sphinx already in her battle form. "Slice n Dice!"

Lorelei's first strike knocked the Whorizard's head up, causing her flame thrower attack to go wide. She used her superior strength mercilessly as she crowded her opponent, ripping her with each stroke of her claws.

In seconds, it was over. Infera crashed backwards to the sand. Lorelei growled and spat on the Whorizard's prone form. "Bitch."

Shikarou grinned and cupped a hand behind where a human had an ear, cocking his head towards the OfficerJenny and waving with his free hand. She glared at him. "Infera's valiant effort is over. The score is Rory Alistier two points, dark hearted villain two points.

Lorelei moved to in front of Shikarou as Rory recovered his pokegirl. "What's he got left in his lineup that I should be worried about?"

"I haven't seen his entire group, but he's got an uninjured Ria and an injured Randysnatch. We're down Yushiko and Nanu."

"I knew something had happened to Nanu. I could smell her burnt fur." The Sphinx settled herself and folded her wings carefully.

Rory seemed to be involved in an internal debate. Finally, he pulled a pokeball from his belt and released Esfir, his Ria. "Thunder!" The Ria's eyes glowed and plasma appeared as the air began to ionize around her.

"Teleport and vortex." Lorelei vanished as the thunder attack glazed the ground. She reappeared several meters away from her original site. Suddenly the air whipped in a circle around the Ria as the vortex sprung into existence. Esfir tried to escape but failed. The vortex sucked her into the air and she crashed into the roof of the arena.

Lorelei hit the falling pokegirl with feather shuriken, smashing her almost all of the way back to Rory.

Esfir slowly pulled herself to her feet and lightning cracked as she hit Lorelei with thunderbolt. The Sphinx staggered and replied with another feather shuriken. The Ria almost dodged the attack, but staggered as it clipped her. Her answering thunderbolt went wide.

Lorelei dug her hind claws into the ground and whipped her wings forward. Dust exploded towards the Ria as the wing buffet raced towards her, smashing her backwards.

Esfir slowly pulled herself to her knees before collapsing back to the ground.

Lorelei cast heal on her own injuries as Rory recovered his downed pokegirl.

The OfficerJenny dropped her flag. "Esfir has fought the good fight. Point goes to her vicious attacker."

Candace sighed. "She's pretty angry at you."

"It sucks to be her." Shikarou looked down at Lorelei. "You need healing?"

"I'm fine." She shook out her wings.

He nodded and looked over at Rory. He raised his voice. "You had enough yet?"

"Not a chance in hell!" Rory released another pokegirl. "Katja, psychic," he called out as she coalesced. It was an Espea and her eyes were already glowing with power.

Lorelei shrieked and clutched at her head as the Espea's attack roared through her mind.

Shikarou quickly recovered her and released Elizabeth. "Ghost blade." The blade appeared above the Espea and dropped, slicing down her back. She cried out and jumped away.

Candace pulled Lorelei's pokeball from his belt and released her for healing, carefully keeping close to her Tamer.

Rory swapped out Katja for Celia, his Armsmistress. "Chi blast." She held out her hand and a bolt of energy leapt from it to smack the Vampire in the chest. Elizabeth wobbled and vanished, appearing behind Celia.

Celia spun, lashing out with her poleax. Elizabeth staggered away from the blow as electricity snapped around her.

Candace put Lorelei's pokeball back in his belt.

Shikarou winced. He hadn't realized that the poleax was enchanted, much less electrical in nature. He thought rapidly and swapped out Elizabeth for Lorelei. "Get her poleax away from her."

The Armsmistress blinked and relaxed as Lorelei appeared. "A cat!" Rory cursed and reached for her pokeball. He was too slow and cursed again as the Sphinx used her telekinesis to jerk the poleax from the Celia's grip.

He swapped her out for Katja as the poleax clattered to the ground nearby. "Psychic!"

The Espea's eyes glowed again. Suddenly she shrieked and fell sideways as Lorelei launched the poleax at her, using telekinesis once more. The poleax buried itself in her leg with sound of a cleaver hitting a side of beef. Katja's body jerked violently as the electricity flowed through her.

Using her own telekinesis, the Espea finally managed to tear the weapon free of her leg. Feather shuriken slashed at her as she used psychic once more.

Both pokegirls screamed and toppled under the assaults. Shikarou cursed when the Sphinx didn't move. He recovered her and released Elizabeth again as Katja pushed herself upright, moaning as her leg refused to take her weight. Blood spread in a growing pool around her prone form.

"Rory scores once more! Another point to the Polass gym and its illustrious leader!"

"I'm going to pole her ass," Candace growled.

Shikarou grinned at the image her words conjured in his mind. He refocused. "Elizabeth, take the Espea down."

The Vampire raised a hand, palm pointed at the Espea. Katja screeched and dropped to her knees as energy poured from her body in a swirling cloud to stream across the arena towards Elizabeth. It sank into her hand and vanished as the Espea slowly toppled sideways.

Elizabeth shivered as she absorbed the energy collected in the mega drain attack. "Yummy."

Jacqueline hissed in anger. "Katja has been cruelly defeated. Point to the evil marauder."

"What's my score?" Shikarou asked in a loud voice.

She glared back at him. "You have four points while our glorious leader has three."

"I just love your impartiality." The OfficerJenny purpled at his words but remained silent.

Rory released Celia. "Chi blast! Avenge your sisters!" The Armsmistress grabbed her poleax and charged across the arena, releasing a bolt of chi energy that took Elizabeth in the chest.

The Vampire staggered but finished her spell. The fireball detonated a half meter in front of Celia, engulfing her in flames before the blast picked her up and threw her skidding backwards.

Celia slowly climbed to her feet, her armor charred and blackened. She used chi blast again as she lurched into motion once more, her armor grinding as she strode forward.

The chi bolt knocked Elizabeth to the ground. She rolled to her feet and used mega drain again.

As the energy was sucked from her in a glowing cloud, the Armsmistress crashed face-first into the soft ground of the arena.

Elizabeth smacked her lips. "Tastes like turkey."

Rory cursed loudly, earning him a sympathetic look from the OfficerJenny. She sighed and raised her flag. "Celia is unable to continue. Point to," she waved in Shikarou's general direction, "him."

Candace giggled against his back. "She's so angry."

Shikarou chuckled as he recovered Elizabeth. "Of course she is. She's beginning to realize that she's been rooting for the wrong side."

"I heard that!"

Shikarou tapped his throat-mike gently. "I'm glad to see this is working." He smiled sweetly. "Next time you can be on my side."

"Never! My loyalty is to the Polass Gym!"

"Which is beginning to look like it may be mine before this day is over. Then I shall command your loyalty." He grinned lasciviously. "That should prove to be fun for both of us."

"Never, not in a million years!"

Shikarou released Bellona. "It's time for you to play."

The DragonQueen looked around slowly. "I don't have a playmate." Her armor flowed up her body.

"Rory's a little slow today."

The gym leader snarled. "You will pay for this!"

Shikarou snickered. "So far the price has been pretty cheap." Candace plucked Elizabeth's pokeball from his belt as he put his hands on his waist. "Release my next victim or forfeit."

Rory muttered something too low for the throat mike to pickup and released a pokegirl Shikarou had never seen before. She was tall, nearly two meters in height and her skin and armor was a pale green. "Masha, quick attack."

"Bell, dragon breath."

**Masha is an Assasara, a bug/steel type. They are very aggressive. They are strong to bug, psychic, dark, rock, plant, and poison. Weaknesses are fire, ground and fighting techniques.**

_None of which Bellona has. She needs to learn more spells._

Masha's attack smashed Bellona back a step. The Assasara was in and out too quickly for Bellona's dragon breath to score.

"She doesn't hit very hard," Bellona reported.

_Energy level check._

**Just a moment.** There was a brief pause. **Bellona has several levels on Masha.**

_Does she now? That changes things. This just became an endurance battle._

"Masha, quick attack."

"Bellona, dragon rage."

The Assasara smacked Bellona again and leaped back out as Bellona glowed and released a horizontal arc of energy that swept the entire battlefield in front of her. Masha staggered from the hit.

Rory hissed. "Masha, metal sound."

"Bellona, use gust." The eerie noise Masha made when she rubbed the armor on her arms together made everyone in the area wince. Shikarou, whose range of hearing was much wider than anyone else in the room, ground his teeth together hard enough to crack one of them.

The DragonQueen's gust attack smacked the Assasara backwards in a spray of sand.

"Bell, use dragon breath again."

"Masha! Cross shield!" Energy glowed in front of the Assasara as she deflected most of Bellona's attack harmlessly around her and then she disappeared, appearing directly in front of the surprised DragonQueen. Her armored fists smashed into Bellona's chest armor.

Bellona reacted almost instantly, using blur to open the distance between her and her opponent. "That fucking hurt!"

Shikarou nodded to himself. "That metal sound attack lowered your defenses. More of her hit got through."

"She's not going to do that again." Bellona sounded like she was starting to lose her temper.

Rory apparently had other ideas. "Masha, use metal sound again!"

Shikarou growled. "Not this time, bitch. Bellona, dominate."

The DragonQueen's eyes glowed as she brought her will to bear on the Assasara. Masha had started to rub the armor on her arms together again, but froze under the power of Bellona's mental assault.

The sound of cursing from both Rory and the OfficerJenny drifted across the arena to Shikarou. Candace snickered.

"Bellona, dragon breath." Energy blasted across the helpless Assasara even as Rory reached for his pokeball. Masha smashed into the wall behind her and slid limply to the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Shikarou recalled Bellona and handed the pokeball to Candace. "Next." He smiled viciously and released Pythia. Her blue fur was now charcoal and her solid black eyes gleamed in the light.

Rory scanned her with his pokedex and cursed loudly. "That's not fair! She doesn't have an entry."

"G-Spliced is a legitimate pokegirl. It just happens to be rather vague on any of the details."

Rory glared and released his Randysnatch. "Ovdotia, dig!" In a spray of dirt, the pokegirl ripped into the ground and disappeared from view.

Pythia didn't wait for the command before using tectonic slam, her foot glowing as she stomped. The shockwave shook the arena and the ground spat the Randysnatch out in a spray of rocks and dirt. She struggled to her feet, wincing and favoring her right shoulder.

Shikarou nodded once. "Ice beam."

"Ovdotia, buzzsaw."

The Randysnatch rolled forward until the ice beam smashed into her in a cloud of supercooled vapor. When the vapor cleared, it revealed a tremendous block of ice with a curled up Randysnatch in the middle of it, caught in mid roll.

Shikarou smiled widely. "OfficerJenny Jacqueline, does that count as being unable to battle?"

Jacqueline glared. Before she could speak, Rory nodded. "I have no more pokegirls, you insufferable bastard. If you won't let me recover her, then I must yield."

Shikarou looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "I will allow it, if only so your defeat is absolutely complete."

Rory recovered his pokegirl and released her again into the arena. "This battle isn't over yet. Ovdotia, buzzsaw."

"Shadow dash." Pythia vanished and appeared in the Randysnatch's shadow. Her blow smashed Ovdotia in the middle of the back. The Randysnatch flew across the length of the arena and crashed into the wall beneath Shikarou.

Shikarou smiled. "Yes, I think it is over. Jackie?"

"You will refer to me as Officer!" She glared and raised her flag. "Gym Leader Rory Alistier can no longer battle. The match goes to his opponent, who will remain nameless."

Shikarou sneered. "I'd say you were a magnificent opponent, Rory, but it would be a lie. You were so easy to beat. Pathetic. I don't even want a memento of this match, much less control of such a crappy gym." He shook his head sadly. "Turn the cameras off and spare the viewers."

A voice echoed through the arena's speakers. "Sound is off. Five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One. And we're clear."

Shikarou recovered Pythia and Candace before heading over to the judge's station to meet Rory. He sighed and stripped off the mask and scarf with relief. His ears flicked wildly in all directions as he made sure they still worked right.

The OfficerJenny shook her head and grimaced. "Don't you think that speech was a bit much?"

Rory grinned. "Actually, it was perfect. Good match, Shikarou." He held out his hand.

Shikarou took it. "Yes, it was. But that show variant was a bitch to work with. I don't normally talk during a battle, except to my pokegirls."

Rory nodded. "It can throw a Tamer if they aren't used to it. I repeat what I said earlier, you would do well in WAPL."

"No, thanks." He shook his head. "Let's get our pokegirls healed. I'm sure you have someone to pummel in a little while."

"I certainly hope so." He smiled. "I'll need to see it from the perspective of the audience, but we just may have an outstanding broadcast. Hell, I may save it for Saturday and just put out some teasers until then."

He held up his fist. "Here's your badge. Considering you were the bad guy, we can't really have an award ceremony, unless you really want to rub your victory in my face." He didn't look enthusiastic about the idea.

"It was a good battle and I have no desire to try to humiliate you, Rory." Shikarou grinned. "Besides, I don't do the voluble malevolent type very well."

Rory smiled with relief. "That suits me perfectly well. You know, you've got some very good pokegirls. I don't suppose you would be interested in trading any of them to me?" He sounded hopeful.

Shikarou decided to put a halt to that immediately. "No. None of my pokegirls are available for sale or trade."

"I figured it would be that way." Rory nodded. "When a Tamer reaches our level, they usually don't want to trade unless they have a problem they're trying to get rid of." He grimaced. "I got burned on that recently myself."

Shikarou shrugged. "I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but I happen to be rather attached to my harem."

Rory cocked his head questioningly. "Shikarou, you're from the Blue League, right?"

Shikarou frowned at the sudden change of topic. "That's what my Tamer entry says." His ears canted questioningly.

"I happened to get my hands on a pokegirl that is supposed to be from the Blue League. I can't get her to speak anything but gibberish, even with a speech T2. She won't obey me either and she's not enthusiastic about being tamed." He shrugged. "If nothing else, I thought you could release her back into the wild if you can't get any use out of her."

"I thought the whole idea was to remove pokegirls from the wilderness, not the reverse."

Jacqueline nodded. "Normally that's the case, but in rare cases they can be released."

"The Blue League prefers that pokegirls like that be put down." Shikarou's voice was bland. "I don't agree with it, but it is the law."

Rory nodded. "I'm hoping that since your Mini-Top is unusually stable, you might be able to help her."

Shikarou sighed. "You're working very hard to make me feel guilty if I don't help. What's next, you appeal to my Seraph?"

"I'd only do that if I needed to." Rory grinned. "I was hoping not to be that blatant."

"You want me to take a pokegirl that you can't communicate with, who doesn't seem to want to obey you and would rather go feral. She's not lesbian, is she?"

"No, I got her from a female Tamer who said she would sleep with both sexes, like most pokegirls. She had no luck with her either." Rory shrugged. "Do I need to talk to your Seraph?"

Shikarou briefly contemplated the jet of blood that would appear if he just flattened Rory's nose. Jacqueline blinked and moved between them.

He met the OfficerJenny's worried gaze for a moment and then smiled. She relaxed. "If I understand you correctly, this is a gift, right?"

"Yes. She's yours, free and clear, if you'll take her off of my hands right away." He shrugged. "If you have to think about it and I find someone who'll take her, then I won't keep her for you."

Shikarou looked amused. "Very well, under those conditions, I'll take her."

Rory beamed. "Excellent. Wait here for just a moment, I'll go get her." He trotted off.

Shikarou watched him leave with an unreadable expression before turning to the OfficerJenny. "I want to get my pokegirls healed."

Jacqueline nodded. "This way." She led him to a healing machine.

A short time later Rory made another appearance. He handed Shikarou a pokeball. "Here you go."

Shikarou sighed. "I suppose I should say thanks." He frowned. "I'm going to presume that you had her scanned by psychic pokegirl. What did she find?"

"Sorry, I didn't have her scanned. I've only got my Slowboob and she's not good at filtering thoughts selectively."

"Lovely. Let's see what I've won." He pushed the button on the newly acquired pokeball.

The beam coalesced into a mottled blue gray form. She stood around a meter and a half with storm cloud gray eyes and shoulder length blue hair. She swept the room with an unhappy gaze before stopping to glare at Rory.

**She is a Wet Elf. They are found usually around the Blue Continent and are a water and magic type. There is a colony of them off the southern coast of Caomh Sith. Lynn has an agreement with them to provide security around the harbor.**

Rory pointed at Shikarou and said slowly, in a very loud voice. "He is going to be your new Tamer."

The pokegirl turned to look him up and down with disdainful gray eyes. You look like a dog I once ate. It was pretty stupid too.

Shikarou raised an eyebrow as Rory nodded. "That's that gibberish I was talking about."

The kami gave him a quick glance. "That's not gibberish. It's Gaelic." He spoke to the Wet Elf. I'm not a dog and if you want to try me, we'll just see who eats whom. He grinned and she blinked at his fangs.

Finally, I've found someone who speaks a civilized tongue. Her face lit up in a hopeful smile. Can you take me away from here? There is nothing here but barbarians who speak that barbaric English and some foreign babble. She sniffed. I am Irish and want nothing to do with anything from England.

**The Caomh Sith colony is fervently Scot. It appears to be some kind of cultural trait. **

I live in Scotland, not far from a colony of Scottish Wet Elves. Is that going to be a problem?

She frowned. I have no truck with the Scots, but neither do I bear them any ill will. I would not join them, however, nor is it likely they would want me. If you will have me, you will be my Tamer. She bowed gracefully. My name is Roisin.

Rory's eyebrows had climbed almost out of sight in his hair. "You speak that babble?"

Shikarou smiled slightly. "She thinks the same of English and Russian. That it's babble."

"You'll take her then?"

Shikarou glanced at her hopeful expression. "I will." The Wet Elf suddenly hugged him. You understand English.

I never said I didn't. That I chose not to converse in the language of a barbarian doesn't mean I can't understand them.

Rory watched them with an odd expression. "Sometimes I think she understands me."

Shikarou watched Roisin's face go carefully blank. "That's an interesting theory." He recalled her to her pokeball. "We need to transfer her to my possession."

"Are you going to tame her right away?"

"Without meaning any offense, this place has too many cameras for my taste." Shikarou looked around with a faintly suspicious air. "The women in my harem tend to not care for public tamings, except during a sexbattle."

Rory frowned. "You mean pokegirls. There are no women in a harem."

Jacqueline looked suddenly uncomfortable.

Shikarou smiled humorlessly. "I didn't speak incorrectly. Pokegirls are as much a part of humanity as you are and deserve the same respect as other humans."

Rory made a dismissive motion. "I disagree." He shook his head. "I have to go prepare for my next match. It was a pleasure, Shikarou, but not one I'm in any hurry to repeat." He turned and strode confidently away, only to pause. "I'll make sure the Elf is transferred to your ownership." He quickly disappeared down a hall.

"Why didn't you include yourself?" Shikarou blinked and turned to the OfficerJenny.

"Excuse me?"

Jacqueline crossed her arms. "You didn't include yourself in your comments about pokegirls and humans."

"That's incorrect," he replied blandly.

"I heard you."

"What you heard me say was that pokegirls are part of humanity. I certainly didn't divide pokegirls from humanity. That would have left me with no point to be made. So, what you should have heard is that pokegirls are human, so they can be referred to with the word 'human'."

Her mouth firmed. "I suppose that's right. However it doesn't change the fact that you didn't include yourself with Rory in your explanation."

"Do you think that if I disagree with Rory on such a fundamental issue that I would want to include myself with him in anything?"

She looked startled. "I didn't consider that."

"I'm not surprised." He sighed as he looked around. "I don't suppose you know the way out of this maze. If you do, would you kindly show me to the front door? I have someplace I need to be."

She smiled. "Your dinner date?"

"That's right."

Jacqueline looked shocked. "You really have one."

"If I said I did, then I do. It'll be me and my alpha, Branwyn." He flashed a quick grin. "Do you know any good places to eat?"

An hour later, Branwyn was looking at a bowl of borsht. "I'm supposed to eat this, right?"

"It's a beet soup. If you don't want it, slide it over."

"What's the main course?" She eyed his bowl with suspicion. "What are you having?"

"Solyanka."

"Gesundheit."

Shikarou gave her a sour look. "It's a soup made from cabbage, pickle brine and cucumbers. Its also got olives, capers, tomatoes, lemons, lemon juice, kvas, and pickled mushrooms."

"Neither sounds great. So I ask again, what's the main course?"

"Pelmeni. It's a dumpling filled with sausage, lamb and beef."

"That, I can eat." Branwyn pushed the bowl at her husband. "Enjoy."

"Thanks. Dessert is Sambouk. It's kind of like a mousse and it's made with plums." Shikarou went back to his soup.

"That sounds good." She reached over and dipped her spoon into the borsht. After licking the spoon she suddenly looked surprised and pulled the bowl back. "I can eat this." A snort. "Unlike your pickle brine."

"It's actually quite good. I'm getting the recipe for Helen."

"I suspect I'm not going to be thanking you for that." She finished her soup and settled back as the waitress bustled up to take the bowl away and refresh her hot tea.

She watched him eat contemplatively for few minutes. "So what is it that you're hiding?"

"Pardon?"

"I can feel it in your mind. You're hiding something. I think its something that happened after the victory against Rory."

Shikarou smiled. "That's rather annoying."

She smirked. "Do you want to know what's annoying to me? I can't access your mind without going through our bond, but by doing that I'm limited to what you want me to find or the few things you can't control. That is annoying."

He watched the waitress, a smiling Ingénue, take away his bowl and begin setting up for the main course. "Rory gave me a pokegirl."

Branwyn nodded. "Is this the secret you're keeping?"

"I'm not sure if you'd classify her as a secret. She's a Wet Elf."

The Unicorn looked surprised. "I didn't know there were any around here. Where did Rory get her from?"

"According to him, he acquired her from a female Tamer. He didn't give any other details. I think he figured he came out worst on a trade and didn't want to dwell on it."

Branwyn flashed a grin. "There was also the little fact that you'd just beaten him in a pokegirl battle. That probably didn't help his temper."

"Probably not. Her name is Roisin and she's from a colony off of the coast of Ireland somewhere."

Branwyn looked interested. "I haven't visited them, but I do remember Lynn telling me that the kingdom off of the coast of Caomh Sith was almost violently Scot. She was laughing at them because they wanted to know if she knew of a way to play bagpipes underwater."

"Do they refuse to speak anything other than Gaelic?"

"That's right; she did mention that little fact. How did you know that?"

"Roisin is the same way. How many members of the harem speak Gaelic?"

She frowned. "You and I are fluent. Elizabeth can curse in it." A nod. "I think that's it. Oh, Misaki can speak some and Gwyneth is fluent. Lynn and Molly can make themselves understood although Molly knows mainly stock phrases like 'hands up' and 'come along quietly or you'll get hurt'."

"I think most of the active harem is going to have to learn it, unless we can get Roisin to start speaking English."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "Gaelic is too well known in the Blue League to use as a battle language, but learning a new language can't hurt anyone too much. Besides, it is used in the Scotland and Ireland regions. Not as much as English is, but it's still in use."

She watched the waitress put down the platter of Pelmeni. The dumplings rested on a bed of vegetables and came with a rich brown bread. "That looks good."

She frowned and held up a utensil. "What is this?"

Shikarou gave her an odd look. "It's a fork."

"Oh." She peered closely at it. "I think I remember using something like this." She sighed. "I've got this crazy Tamer who makes us eat with sticks."

"Maybe he's got your best interests at heart."

She shook her head. "I think he's just sadistic. The reason he made us switch to sticks isn't even valid anymore."

"I suppose you're right." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you trust Nanu next to you with one?"

Branwyn gave him an annoyed look. "Thanks for spoiling my dream."

"No problem, my love."

The Unicorn glanced up at her husband as she started filling her plate. "Are you intending to keep her?" She smiled sweetly. "The Wet Elf, not Nanu."

"I don't know much about them, but we've been lamenting the fact that we don't have a water type for some time. This might just alleviate that need."

Branwyn nodded. "We need to evolve her quickly to Wet Lass or even to Wet Queen. That will increase her usefulness by several orders of magnitude. When are you going to tame her?"

"I want to give her a few days to settle in. She didn't seem frantic for a taming, and we've got the time to spare before we hit the time we came from." He shook his head. "Now there is an awkward sentence."

Branwyn snickered quietly and tried the dumplings. "These are good! What did you call them again?"

"Pelmeni."

"This recipe you can give to Helen." She stuffed another one into her mouth and spoke around it in a muffled tone. "I'll tell the others to help Roisin settle in. Consider it done."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 56

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 52

Vampire Elizabeth 50

G-Spliced Pythia 50

Sphinx Lorelei 47

Mini-Top Nanu 47

NurseJoy Candace 55

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym

_**ASSASARA, the bounty-hunting Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Bug/Steel

**Frequency**: Very Rare

**Diet**: Omnivore

**Role**: Bounty hunter

**Libido**: low

**Strong Vs**: Bug, Mantis-Pokégirls, Psychic, Dark, Rock, Plant, Poison

**Weak Vs**: Fire, Ground, Fighting

**Attacks**: Glare, Quick Attack, Dodge, Quickturn, Blur, Recover, Cross Shield, Metal Sound, Iron Defense

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Strength (x5), Enhanced Endurance (x4), Enhanced Speed and Agility (x5), Increased Lung Capacity, Natural Armor

**Evolves**: Unknown

**Evolves From**: Unknown

**Story this Pokégirl appears in**: TBD

A Pokégirl that was found only within the last hundred years within the Ruby League. However, since 287 AS, it has been found in other leagues as well, and their numbers are steadily growing. A strong

bug-type Pokégirl, it is unknown as to how it came to being. Assasara are assumed to be one of Cocooner's

creations at some point. This Pokégirl is rather popular, and it isn't hard to see why.

The Assasara seem to be born to go after wild Pokégirls for capture... or bounties. In particular, back in 217 AS, an Assasara that was part of a harem found herself and her Tamer under attack by a several Mantis-Pokégirls. Although the Tamer lost a pair of Pokégirls during the battle, the Assasara with help from the remaining Pokégirls in the harem managed to kill the three Mantis Pokégirls that had attacked them. Further studies showed researchers that the Assasara's physical abilities are remarkably similar to a Mantis' own, which makes her quite capable in combat.

Although an Assasara takes excessive damage from Fire and Ground attacks, an Assasara's defense against other attack types render it very strong. However, an Assasara also takes more than normal damage from Fighting attacks, despite it's being a Bug-type Pokégirl. The reason for this is assumed to be because of it's armor. This Pokégirl's combination of strength and defense have made her highly coveted by Tamers and League Pokégirl forces alike. Only the largest cities in any league have access to even one Assasara, while most smaller communities may petition to obtain one for years before managing to acquire one.

Assasara are aggressive in all ways, both in battle and in Taming. They refuse to back away from a challenge, even if they are completely out of their class. These Pokégirls are very stubborn as well, and if told to do something by someone that they respect (such as their Tamer), then they will do it. However, Assasara have devoted their strength towards battle, and not Taming, so Sex Battles are an Assasara's real weakness.

One thing that the Assasara are known for is the fact that they refuse to submit to Pokégirls. They only submit to humans, as they cannot bring themselves to harm one, unless under extreme duress. This annoys the Limbec Pirates, as otherwise this Pokégirl would be a great addition to their forces. And they are unable to be psychically 'reprogrammed', due to their amazing resistance against Psychic Pokégirl types. Assasara stand at six and half feet tall on average, and all have a shade of green skin that covers their

bodies. The armor that they have is their skin, which hardens up when an Assasara is ready for battle. Assasara have hair of all colors on their head, but none elsewhere. Assasara have nicely sized C-cup breasts, but prefer to display other parts of their bodies for their tamers. One thing that these girls do not have, however, is a long lifespan.

No Assasara has been documented as living longer than 45 years old (36 years on average), and in fact wind up undergoing a second maturity at 25 years old, a full five years younger than most Pokégirls ever do. Researchers assume this is due to the fact that Assasara put too much stress onto their bodies throughout their lives, and wear out their muscles quickly. Research has also shown that each Assasara have, at most, two children ever, despite breeding attempts. Assasara also have difficulties when giving

birth, which makes it very difficult to breed enough to make the Assasara widespread. There are very few feral Assasara, which seems to be due to the fact that they as Pokékits (pre-puberty), the kits do not enjoy any of the advantages of their breed after the first

puberty.

_**-True History- (Not in the Pokédex type of information)**_

The Assasara were actually created by SEELE, during their control of the Ruby League. First created in 195 AS, they were designed to be able to take the fight to Mantis and Widow Pokégirls. However, when SEELE tried to sic a pair of Assasara onto a dozen captured Tamers that had been trying to incite an uprising against their control, the Assasara resisted the commands, and were immediately terminated along with the Tamers that had been collected in the room. In 201 AS, SEELE lost a dozen Assasara into the wilderness of the Green Sea in the Ruby League. When SEELE was disbanded as leading the Ruby League, the remaining Assasara were discovered and distributed to Research labs and Ranches to ascertain their usefulness. It had been found that SEELE designed the lifespan flaw in order to assist with parthenogenesis control, as well as to make sure that these Pokégirls couldn't be considered an overly long-term threat. SEELE also designed the Assasara to have trouble with birthing their children, and in fact the Assasara are rendered sterile after having two children (assuming the Assasara survives the birth of her first child).

In 272 AS, when Ruby City was attacked by a Widow, there were three Assasara assigned to the police force and two more to a nearby Ranch. All five banded together with the police force and local Tamers, and were eventually able to kill the Widow after two hours of fighting, with assistance from over a dozen other Pokégirls. However, three were badly injured and a fourth was in a critical state for almost a year. Since then, many Breeding Ranches within the different Leagues have been working on increasing the numbers of Assasara.

_**WET ELF, the Unseen Elf Pokégirl **_

**Type**: Very Near Human

**Element**: Water/Magic

**Frequency**: Unknown, thought to be Uncommon in the Blue League and Rare elsewhere

**Diet**: omnivore

**Role**: spies, saboteurs,

**Libido**: Average (Bisexual)

**Strong **Vs: Fire, Rock, Water

**Weak Vs**: Ice, Plant, Dragon

**Attacks**: Fade, Whirlpool, Water spear, Sing

**Enhancements**: Longevity, Magical Affinity, Underwater Vision, Enhanced Dexterity (x4), Reduced Feral, Water Breathing

**Disadvantages**: Flawed Constitution

**Evolves**: Wet Lass (normal)

**Evolves From**: None

Wet Elves stand from 4'6" to 5'7" tall and are slender of build. Their skin is usually a mottled bluish-gray and their hair color is typically a light brown or blue. Eyes are white, brown or gray.

Although only recently discovered, an interview with the Wet Queen of one kingdom revealed that the Wet Elf has been around since the beginning, only no one has known of them up to this point. Their near constant use of fade has ensured they have remained almost unknown.

During the war they acted as aquatic spies and saboteurs. Often they would stop the arrival of waterborne forces by the simple expedient of using whirlpool to stop the vessels in a convoy and then using water spear to damage or destroy their propellers. If discovered, they would use sing and escape, only to return later using fade to finish off their prey.

These days the Wet Elf lives in quiet communities in the oceans of the world, using their powers to remain undiscovered. Even water Pokégirls don't usually know of their presence, and there is a coming of age ritual common to all of the kingdoms in which a Wet Elf band must track down a Sharptits and return with a handful of scales while leaving the Pokégirl otherwise unharmed.

Wet Elves do not dry out on land, but they prefer to remain in their native habitat and will not voluntarily leave the vicinity of water. When on the surface the always drink three to five times the amount of water that others would.

Wet Elf colonies have not been discovered in fresh water to date, but in the interview the Wet Queen commented that her people were everywhere that they weren't seen and when asked specifically about fresh water merely smiled and repeated her answer.

Wet Elves and their evolutions tame each other just as their landbound cousins do in order to avoid going feral. However, their feral state is one of increased aggression instead of torpor.

The Wet Elf and all of her evolutions have remained in hiding since the Revenge War and therefore were not added to the human genome by interbreeding. There are no recorded threshold cases and none will be expected for at least a couple of generations.

All of the Wet Elf evolutionary line have longevity and thus none have become Pokéwomen as of 299 AS.


	40. Chapter 40

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 40

(07/03/99 1430 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

One instant the pier was empty; the next, Branwyn appeared, her Tamer in her arms. She let Shikarou go and shook her head slowly. Her thick braid moved in counterpoint to her movements. "So that's what time travel feels like. I don't suppose I could leave that to Circe?"

"You need to learn it, too." Shikarou looked around slowly. "Someday you might be the only one available to save us."

Branwyn sighed and nodded. "That means you'll want everyone to learn this, doesn't it?"

"That's right. We will cross train until everyone is proficient, even if not completely comfortable with the technique."

Branwyn unzipped her coat. "All right, I'll make the arrangements. It's so nice to be warm again." She glanced at him. "Not that you noticed how cold it was in the Ruby League."

He rolled his eyes. "Enough already. Who's got me duty today?"

"Nanu."

"Take the others and set up camp in our usual location. We'll skip afternoon practice." He smiled broadly. "That means give them free time, by the bye."

Branwyn gave him a brief smile. "So you don't want me harassing them. All right, will there be anything else?"

He thought for a minute. "No. What do you think about keeping Candace with us fulltime? Maude seems competent enough running the clinic without her."

"Considering your proclivity towards personal injury, I wanted that a while ago. Do you think she'll be willing to do it?"

"We can only ask. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow." He frowned. "Ask Faelan if he'll be available for breakfast in our tent tomorrow. I want to discuss Ygerna and what she knows with him."

"Svetlana?"

"Yes. I need to talk with her about Ygerna as well, if not about exactly the same thing."

"Should Ygerna be there?"

"No. This is family business."

She nodded. "When do you want to start training Roisin?"

"We'll evaluate her abilities tomorrow and see what she needs." He stretched. "I want a hot bath and a cold beer, not necessarily in that order."

"I thought you didn't like beer from here in Scotland."

"Normally I don't, but Rani has found some that is quite good. It's not local; it comes from a winery in the Capital League." He grinned. "It took them almost three hundred years, but they've managed to make an excellent beer."

Branwyn looked curious. "I'll have to give that a try. If you say it's good, then that'll let me see what your palate likes, besides pokegirls." She grinned. "I've made a little beer when I was younger. If I can, maybe I'll start making some in the tent, presuming I can duplicate a recipe that you happen to like."

"That sounds good. My dear, dear wife, if you're trying to do that for me, well, I'll even buy the first round."

(07/03/99 1800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Branwyn said you wanted to talk to me?" Svetlana settled down next to him on the bench. "She mentioned something about you wanting to talk to me about Ygerna and my husband."

He raised an eyebrow and flicked his ears in annoyance. "I'm pretty sure she also mentioned doing it tomorrow."

The Megami-sama nodded. "She did, but I suspect that it might be better if we have this talk in private."

Shikarou gave her a curious look. "You do? Why would you want to talk to me privately about it?"

"This has to do with populating the world with Sidhe from her womb and using Faelan's sperm to do it, doesn't it?" She nodded before he could answer. "Of course it does. I'd prefer to have this particular discussion without Faelan so I can hear your arguments without his input. Sometimes he gets a bit shrill when the word 'children' is bandied about freely." She raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to just order him to do this, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Shikarou sighed. "Ygerna wants to have Faelan's children. That you already know."

"Yes, I do." The Megami-sama grimaced. "After all, she hasn't been very subtle about it, now; has she?"

"No, she hasn't. Her prejudices are showing and, like most, they aren't particularly pretty." He leaned back against the bench and glanced at Nanu, who smiled back briefly before returning to scanning the area. "Part of the problem stems from the fact that Ygerna doesn't really consider him married, since you are a mortal. She's wrong, but that's the way she sees it." He waved a hand dismissively. "Granted, it's different from the whole 'you're a pokegirl and can't marry anyone' argument, but it's still just as wrong."

"So that's why she acts like I'm invisible when she wants to suck up to my husband." Svetlana looked thoughtful. "Now her behavior makes sense." She glanced at him. "What do you think?"

"You are my sister by marriage and you are his wife." He smiled at her look of gratitude. "You love Faelan and he loves you. That's why I made the offer I did."

"What will happen if you do make me Sidhe, like you offered? She won't be able to ignore me then."

"When I do it, not if." Shikarou smiled gently. "I see no reason not to make you one. You are a good person and I'm worried that when you die, the Celestial conspiracy will try to drop another Megami or such into his harem." He met her gaze squarely. "No matter what they seem to think, you are not just a cog in their machine and there isn't anyone who can replace you. Besides, my brother loves you with all his heart and I don't want to see him hurt. It just happens that I can do something about it, thanks to the Grimoire of Danu."

She colored with pleasure. "That's quite a compliment. I'd gotten the impression you weren't really all that fond of my presence."

"That would be because for a time I wasn't. However, we've both grown since then. You've mellowed a bit since finding a real purpose in serving my father and I've come to realize that you serve a very important role in my brother's continued happiness. I value that very much and so I value you as well." A quick flash of a grin. "On a more personal note, I've come to realize that you aren't a bad person to know and I hope we can actually become friends. Dorothea has helped me to see that Celestials aren't bad as individuals."

She frowned. "That's nice to hear and I hope we can be friends, too. If you are going to make me Sidhe, why does Faelan need her?"

"He doesn't. However, she needs him." He shrugged slightly. "And I need her to have him."

"Why?"

He turned to face her. "I'm going to be frank with you."

Nanu snorted. "That's new." She smiled cheerfully when his head swiveled to look at her. "It is. Usually we have to pull information out of you one fragment at a time."

Svetlana glanced at her. "Please be silent for a change. This is very important to me and I'm grateful he's willing to be forthcoming."

Nanu snorted again but said nothing.

Shikarou looked out into the bay for a moment. "Ygerna is a very powerful and old Sidhe. In fact, she's considerably older than I am. I don't believe she's as powerful as she'd like us to believe, but she's powerful enough that she needs to be neutralized somehow. I'd prefer to make use of her in some role, but if I can't, then it's very likely that I'll have to eliminate her." He looked over to see if she was following the discussion. "The best way to neutralize her without lopping her head off and burning her to carbon would be to give her a vested interest in our family's continued health. Having children with Faelan would handily fill the requirements of doing just that."

He shrugged. "I thought about breeding her myself, but I think you'd do a much better job of keeping an eye on her than Branwyn or Poppet would."

Svetlana looked surprised. "Me? I don't see why."

"They both have a tendency towards tunnel vision and it's only going to get worse when they start having children. You are much more likely to evaluate Ygerna as a possible threat to our entire family, instead of just to your children."

"What about Kasumi?"

Shikarou hesitated. "I suspect that Kasumi is likely to be the most practical of all three of my wives. In spite of the fact that it is frighteningly different from the one she came from and the life she led there, she's adapted remarkably quickly to this world. That suggests I may be right. It also suggests that her practicality may rival my own. If I am right and she suspected Ygerna was any kind of a threat to her family, she might just kill her and be done with it." He smiled softly. "If I wanted her dead, I've already taken care of it myself."

Svetlana nodded once. "You may be right about her. Am I mistaken or is Kasumi much smarter than she lets people know?"

"That's very perceptive of you. She is."

Svetlana gave him an odd look. "I realize you are trying to be nicer to me, but isn't this a bit much?"

He ground his teeth together. "I've been an ass to you pretty much since we met and I guess I'm trying to overcompensate. In part, my behavior is a response to your own behavior. You have been treating Faelan like an extension of your will and that has been spilling over into how you treat me." The grinding became audible for a second before it stopped. "However, parts of my actions have been a knee jerk response on my part to your being a Celestial."

"Why do you dislike us so much?"

"My service in the Amatsukami court gave me the opportunity to see just how bad good people can be. Celestials here have that same arrogance, and they are just as prone to serious mistakes because of that arrogance." He shrugged. "I'm done serving that kind of stupidity."

"Is that why you've worked so hard to corrupt Dorothea?"

"I don't think opening her eyes to the fact that the small injustices are just as important as the world spanning quests, as well as pointing out that destroying evil includes dealing with the fallout on the surrounding populace, should be considered corruption." He glanced at her. "I think it actually makes her a better Celestial."

Svetlana bristled slightly. "What makes you think we don't try to deal with all of those problems?"

Shikarou smiled again. "Normally, at this point I'd reply with something hurtful and you'd either start yelling or stomp off in a huff."

She blinked and suddenly looked amused. "Historically, I think something like that would take place, yes. Are you going to do something different?"

"Aye, I am. The Celestial alliance claims to have brought Ranma Saotome here to advance the precepts of Parity, right?"

"They did." She looked slightly puzzled at the sudden change of topic.

"So, apparently, there wasn't anyone on this world who could have spoken there as eloquently as he did."

"Of course not, he was the Chosen One."

"So the Celestials made the arrangements for his father to fall into one of the Cursed Springs and become a cat to scare Ranma onto that rock so that their other unwitting agents could bring him here after they got killed and the equipment got damaged." It wasn't a question. "Couldn't they have kept everyone alive and scooped him out of his bedroll?" Shikarou glanced at her. "Or was turning Genma into a cat some kind of punishment for the life he's led?"

She looked uneasy for a moment and then shrugged. "He was going to fall into a spring; we just nudged him into one that would help us as well."

"And Ranma was going to fall into a dimensional vortex, but they just chose which one?" He frowned. "I retract the question. I'm not trying to start a fight."

Svetlana looked stunned. "Ok."

"So, the Celestials brought Ranma here and without wondering if they arranged for the Tendo Dojo to be destroyed and people seriously hurt in order to make sure he got some of his pokegirls, I want to ask you a question." He scratched his nose. "I'll try not to word it in such a way as to either make you mad or vent my anger over what happened."

"This sounds interesting. Go ahead."

"The Celestials brought Ranma here and they arranged for him to receive a harem so he could understand the plight of the common pokegirl. They arranged for him to speak at the Sadie Poken's celebration in Dogpatch and then, after a suitable time, they made the arrangements for him to go home. Am I incorrect in thinking they tried to reward him by making his harem follow after him? This isn't my question, by the bye."

Svetlana nodded slowly. "That was the general plan."

"Which brings us to my question: why didn't they care enough about him and his harem to make sure he got back to his proper home or have the means to take care of himself and his harem until he got settled?"

She frowned. "I don't know. Do you have a theory?"

"Not one you're going to like."

"You're probably right. Nevertheless, I want to hear it."

"I think they were done with their tool and, as soon as they could, they washed their hands of him with as little effort on their part as possible. It follows the usual pattern of blind arrogance." He twisted to face her. "Ranma had to turn to stealing to feed his harem. He got caught and put into jail, leaving his harem starving in a cave and half feral when I met them. What's noble about leaving someone that way?" He turned back to the bay. "More importantly, in the big picture of things, if his pokegirls went feral, there was nothing to keep them from populating that world with the same horrors that exist here via parthenogenesis. Ranma would have been out of the picture and it's doubtful he would have been listened to. Even if they had been eventually killed, the death toll among the humans would have been staggering."

Svetlana went white.

Shikarou continued relentlessly. "Where does the Celestial community get the right to ruin Ranma's life and put another world in danger, just so he can have a chat with a group of Tamers? I don't think they have that right and I don't think they ever did." He smiled mirthlessly. "We talked about this in a roundtable discussion and it was suggested that I was their solution. Pythia doesn't think so and neither do I. A considerate group of Celestials would have taken steps to ensure that none of those problems got the opportunity to arise instead of having to shove me into the situation as a sop to their pride. Unless, of course, they didn't think what happened to Ranma was important once they were done with him. They didn't even bother to return him to his own world, for the sake of darkness."

She looked thoughtful for several moments. "I think the Celestials did the best that they could with what they had," she said quietly.

Shikarou turned and took her hand. "Why are you lying to me?" His tone held only curiosity.

Svetlana gave a helpless shrug. "You've turned my world on its head and I don't like it."

"That's understandable. No one likes it when they find out that things may not be as they think." He brushed off his kimono and rose, offering her a hand. She smiled and took it. "I think I've given you enough to think about for now, but I do want to ask you a question."

"Another one?" She gave him a teasing smile. "All right."

"This conversation is very similar to the discussions that I have with Dorothea and with anyone else in my harem that's interested. This is the source of what you've been calling corruption. Do you really think that's my aim?"

"No, but I think you are diverting us from our goals."

"I thought your goal was to help humanity."

She nodded. "It is."

"So, the Celestials had Ranma help the humans on this world. How did they help him when they were done with him?"

"When does our responsibility to offworlders end?"

"When they're back where they belong and can deal with the changes you've wrought in their lives."

"Isn't that what you did?" She gave him a triumphant smile.

"Yes. Did the Celestials have me do it for him or them?"

The smile vanished. "No. You did that on your own."

"That's the problem. They either didn't think of it at all or didn't think it worth doing." He motioned her up the pier as he began walking. "I shouldn't have to clean up their messes." He favored her with a grim look. "If it happens again, I may have to find them jobs."

"I thought you didn't want more worshippers."

"I don't. But someone has to do their job and, from where I sit, so far the Celestial's aren't doing theirs." He smiled. "They're making me ask my sister-in-law questions that are making her unhappy. I don't like her being unhappy and, since it's within my power to do something about it and them at the same time by making them work for me, …." His smile broadened as his voice trailed off.

She suddenly looked thoughtful.

(07/03/99 2300 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The wind gusted fitfully and clouds swirled overhead. Raindrops pattered intermittently on the pier and splashed into the bay as a shrouded figure appeared. It separated into two forms briefly. There was a quick flash of dim red light and only one remained.

The figure turned and moved quietly towards the bench, settling down next to a cloaked figure that was already there. A feminine voice issued from the hood of the newcomer. "You felt it, too." It wasn't a question.

The second figure nodded. "Probably about the same time you did. Do you know what it is?"

"Something is wrong at home." The first figure turned to face the other. "When can we leave?"

"I'd prefer to leave in the morning but, if you think we need to, we'll leave now."

"Something is dreadfully wrong. I want to leave now."

The second figure rose. "Very well, I'll gather my harem." A hand appeared and pulled the first figure to its feet. "I was hoping your homecoming would be slightly more cheerful than a family emergency, Kasumi."

"I did too, husband." She leaned against him briefly. "I had much happier things planned for our reunion. I don't like being apart from you."

They turned and headed up the road. "Then, don't leave." There was a low chuckle. "I'm not particularly happy that you're gone."

"I still have things that must be done. I won't after that."

The sun shone brightly in the clearing and the musical calls of birds filled the air. With a soft crackle, energy split the fabric of the universe and the portal spun open. Shikarou stepped through and looked around as Branwyn followed. He nodded and Branwyn stepped back through the dimensional portal only to return with Kasumi and Giselle.

Everyone quickly shed their rain gear as the portal slid shut. Shikarou released Pythia. "I want you to take Giselle and go to Nerima. Don't go near the dojo; instead, establish a teleport point for her a couple of miles away in that park we went to."

The G-Spliced frowned. "Considering some of the things you are concerned about, I recommend exiting a dozen miles away and flying the rest of the distance. That'll give us a better chance of evading anything that attacks us as well as increasing our chances of avoiding detection entirely."

Shikarou nodded. "That sounds good. Do it." He turned to Kasumi and Giselle. "When Pythia takes you to Nerima, be very careful and follow her lead. At the first hint of trouble, teleport back here immediately."

The Pegaslut glanced at her Tamer and nodded. "I will. Kasumi has told me to obey your instructions as if they came from her and I shall do as she wants." She smiled suddenly. "The fact that your instructions are designed to keep me safe has nothing to do with that decision, of course."

Kasumi and Branwyn chuckled softly while Pythia grinned. Shikarou nodded somberly. "Good. Pythia."

Pythia took Giselle's arm. "Here we go." They vanished.

Branwyn glanced at her husband. "Are we going to set up a perimeter?"

"Not yet. If someone suspects we might show up around here, having people flying around overhead will only help to pinpoint our location."

With a crash, something jumped into the middle of the clearing. Shikarou summoned his sword as Branwyn shifted to her quad form and moved to protect Kasumi.

The tiny figure glared at Shikarou. "You're late," snapped Cologne.

Shikarou's ears flicked. "I got here as soon as I knew there was a problem," he replied in a calm voice.

Cologne's gaze hardened. "You're still too late." She motioned at Kasumi. "That's the last living Tendo now."

Kasumi turned white. "What? What happened?"

"Happosai happened." Cologne turned back to Shikarou as Kasumi stared in shock. "You'll need to know the whole story before you act."

Shikarou nodded and sank to the ground cross legged. "I will, indeed." His voice trembled with the first stirrings of anger. "What did Happosai do?"

"For a couple of months after you left, things were fairly normal at the Tendo house," Cologne began. "Akane Tendo took over the household duties once Kasumi left and, according to my son-in-law, wasn't doing too badly. Things only began to fall apart when she suddenly up and died one afternoon while preparing dinner." Kasumi gasped and the old Amazon looked over at her. "I already told you they're all dead." She turned back to Shikarou. "The Saotomes, too. That's why I'm back here."

"Nabiki was the next to drop dead, this time at school. It was a month after Akane's death. That gave Happosai what he wanted and not too long after that, Soun died as well." She sighed. "My son in law realized that Akane had been murdered by Happosai and attacked him. He was killed. Afterwards, Happosai killed Genma to keep his secrets from being found out. I only know what happened because Ranma wrote me a letter before his death. He hoped I could avenge him if he didn't beat Happosai."

"Shampoo found the letter and was killed by Happosai as well, when she tried to kill him in retaliation for Ranma's death." Suddenly, Cologne looked her true age. "That's why I returned here. I can't beat him, either, and I have responsibilities to the other Amazons."

Tears trickled down Kasumi's cheeks. "Why did he do such a thing? We've always shown him kindness."

"It was your fault all of this happened, girl. Your bride price was too much for him to resist and Akane flatly refused to give him any of it. Nabiki was the same way and so she had to go, too. Soun, of course, buckled like a stick of straw and handed all of it over."

Kasumi looked at Shikarou and spoke in a tone of hammered iron. "I want his head."

Shikarou nodded. "Not just yet." He smiled grimly. "Or should I say, not just now." He turned to Cologne. "What day did Akane die?"

"I don't know for sure. Why?"

"It's very important." He rose. "As soon as Pythia and Giselle get back, we'll move to Nerima and set up in a hotel. Then, we'll visit the local newspaper and find out exactly when events took place." His lips curved in a predatory smile and his ears flattened against his skull.

"And then we'll go back and stop this from happening."

Cologne blinked. "I didn't know you could do that."

Shikarou flashed a smile that was nothing but teeth. "If I wasn't planning to do it and destroy this present, you wouldn't know it now."

"I want to go with you when you do this." Kasumi touched his cheek gently. "They are my family and it's important to me, too."

Shikarou glanced down at her hand but didn't pull away. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not likely to be a pretty interview. The coroner's records will contain photos of their bodies and I will have to look at them."

She nodded firmly. "I am samurai, from both my father's and my mother's bloodlines. I can handle this. I will handle this." She looked down at the floor for a second. "I can't ask you to deal with this by yourself. It's not fair to you."

"And if it becomes necessary to actually go back in time and see the autopsies?" His voice was gentle. "If the data is inconclusive, that may be the only way to prove they were murdered."

Kasumi flinched but recovered quickly. "I go where you do, my husband. If you must see my dead family, then I must as well."

He nodded. "If at any time you feel that you can't continue, then you don't have to. This isn't some kind of bravery test for you. I have faced the dead many times before and the fact that they are your family will not make this any easier."

_I think her touch helps her to do whatever she does to get her way._ Branwyn glanced at him as she handed cups of tea to each of them.

Shikarou smiled. _I think you may be right, but right now isn't the time to experiment on the subject. She's on the edge of a breakdown and she doesn't need us to pull away from her right now._

_I don't blame her for that. If I had to consider seeing my dead family all sectioned for an autopsy, I'd be jittery, too._ Branwyn hugged Kasumi. "One way or another we will make this right."

**I will have the manufactory construct a high speed laboratory for forensic analysis. DNA analysis isn't available right now and won't be for several years so it may prove of some utility.**

Kasumi blinked. "What is DNA analysis?" Her head cocked as Aggie fed her information through her newly functioning twee. "Oh. Do you think that could be useful?"

Shikarou frowned. "You never know. It's a very useful tool and having one around could prove useful in other ways as well." He took a deep breath. "Since we are going to erase this present, there is no reason to hunt Happosai down here. I'll also be playing fast and dirty with rules."

Kasumi looked thoughtful. "I won't countenance killing Happosai until he's done something, but won't that mean that Akane will die?"

"No. It means that we'll interrupt Happosai during the act, but early enough in the attempt to save Akane's life."

Kasumi gave him a worried look. "You can do this? You're sure?"

"That's why I want to know exactly how she died, so I know that I can prevent her death."

"Oh. I see. That's quite clever. But doesn't that mean that you'll only need to investigate Akane's death?"

"If there are things in common with how they died, it could help me to prevent Happosai from succeeding. Only by examining all of them can I be sure to understand exactly how he's thinking."

Branwyn took Kasumi's hand. "Are you completely sure you're going to want him dead? That's quite a step and I know you've never killed before or had someone killed for you."

Kasumi gave her a level look. "That little man took my father's honor years ago, and he's been shaming my family ever since. The fact that we had to endure his noxious presence after his return and even abet him in his activities only made our shame that much deeper. If Cologne is right, now he's murdered my family and, even if we successfully time travel back to before Akane's death, he'll still be planning her murder at that time. I want him dead."

Giselle cleared her throat. "Um, master Shikarou, could it be that you are going about this all wrong?" She ducked her head.

He kept his voice soft. He definitely didn't want Giselle to stop contributing now that she'd started. "It could be. It wouldn't be the first time. Why don't you explain what you mean?"

"If you are concerned as to whether or not this Happosai killed Kasumi's family and if you want to know exactly how this was accomplished, then perhaps this is the perfect time to be hunting him. He has all the answers." Her voice dropped. "Then my mistress won't have to look at her dead family."

Shikarou turned slowly and smiled at her. She visibly relaxed. "That was an outstanding observation and you are absolutely right. If we can take Happosai alive, then he can answer all of our questions." He went back to staring at his tea as the Pegaslut colored with pleasure at the praise. "Now we need to determine where Happosai might be."

"We'll start at the training hall." Kasumi's voice was firm. "Since my family is gone, that would be a perfect place for him to store his pretties without fear of being disturbed."

"Pretties?" Giselle looked puzzled.

"He collects women's undergarments, but they have to be stolen or taken from an unwilling woman to make them worth his while." Branwyn sipped at her tea. "He's considered a pervert because of it and he tries to hide his activities."

"Only from outsiders," Kasumi corrected. "In private, he's very proud of his acquisitions." Her brow furrowed. "If it becomes necessary, taking them from him would enable us to lure him to us. Even if he's moved out of the dojo, he never knows just how many of his treasures he has at any particular point. I was always taking some and giving them back to their owners."

Giselle nodded. "Then taking out an ad in the local paper stating that a large number of these items had been found in the dojo might draw him out."

Kasumi smiled. "There's no might about it. He's fiercely protective of what he has and if he thinks someone has part of his collection, he'll come for it."

Branwyn put her tea down. "That means, if he's not at the training hall, we have a way to get him to break cover. Excellent. However, I still hope he's at the hall."

Elizabeth touched his shoulder and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "The light just went out."

Shikarou nodded. They were ensconced across the street on a rooftop and covered by an illusion spell that turned them the color of the slates. A light drizzle made the watch more than slightly uncomfortable. "We'll give him a half hour before we move in. He's always been quick to sleep and quick to wake."

"I wish he'd been more predictable. We've been watching him for two days and he hasn't acted with any regularity in any way." She snickered. "Not even to go to the bathroom."

"Two days isn't long enough for real surveillance. A week to a month would be required. Besides, he's canny enough not to set a pattern if he can avoid it."

"Who are you taking besides me?" She looked around as if she could see anyone else in the dark cloudy night.

"Circe will have overwatch. Other than that, no one. I don't want him to suspect anything until it's too late." He glanced overhead. "There she is."

Elizabeth peered. "I don't see anything."

_That's because your senses aren't as sensitive as his happen to be. Don't worry, I'm here._

**The sensors you placed show the streets are empty. Scans in all available spectrums confirm that there are only a few cats and some rodents in the area. No one else appears to be awake in nearby homes.**

"Remember, Elizabeth, once we're inside, don't put me down. We can't have us leaving any signs of our visit."

"I remember. Leave nothing you bring and take nothing you find."

"Good. This time, don't break that rule. Let's go." The Vampire wrapped her arms around him and lifted off silently, fading from view as she accelerated towards the now silent dojo.

From another rooftop, Kasumi and Giselle watched them anxiously.

The drizzle had become a pounding rain and the gray sky hid the sun almost completely. The drumming on the roof finally woke Happosai and he stirred slowly, rubbing his head with a pair of lace panties. "Ah, my beauties, it's good that you greet me when I awaken each day." Tucking them into his gi, he headed for the bath, absently scooping up the bottle of saki he'd taken to bed with him.

A short time later, he was downstairs. He headed into the kitchen, skirting around the pile of delivery boxes. It teetered precariously as he brushed one edge. "Maybe I'll hire a maid," he mused. "One young and cute, who can live here and take care of an old man in his second childhood." His eyes glinted with humor. "She can model some of my things for me."

He put the kettle on the stove and a short time later settled down at the table with his tea, shoving more cartons off of it to make room for the cup. "Hmm." He lit his pipe and puffed contentedly.

"Hello?" A feminine voice drifted down the hall. "I tried to ring, but the bell is gone." Kasumi smiled at Happosai as she stepped into the room and hung her raincoat up. "Good morning, Happosai."

He grinned. "Kasumi! Wonderful. Now, I won't need a maid." He blinked as the color drained from his skin. "KASUMI!" His eyes raced around the room. "Where is he?"

Shikarou stepped in from the porch. "I'm right here. I warned you about being careful, now didn't I?" His mouth twisted in distaste as he sniffed the air. "I hope we won't be here long or this place is going to have to scrubbed."

Happosai screeched. "But I didn't! I didn't drink from the bottle and I cleaned my cup before using it! How?"

"The paralytic poison was on the grip of your pipe." Shikarou smiled as he settled down in front of the panicked looking man. "It's quite specific. It only paralyzes the nerves that control every movement except for your face and jaw." That's why you can still speak but can't move your head or anything else."

Kasumi was looking around the room. "You had all of my family's money and you couldn't be bothered to fix the battle damage or clean? You are completely pathetic." She pulled two pokeballs from her belt and released Giselle along with a Drow Zee. "Shikarou, this is Ayame."

Shikarou nodded to the pokegirl from where he sat. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Shikarou. Where did you meet Kasumi?"

She bowed deeply. "Shikarou-san, I was salvaged by Kasumi-san when she defeated my former master in Tomakomai."

Shikarou glanced at his wife. "You never mentioned going there."

She shrugged. "Junko took me there to meet her family. We really haven't had time to talk much, have we?"

"No, we haven't. It's been a little busy since you came home. What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not going to leave my family home looking like this, even if it won't exist in a little while." She flushed. "I suppose that sounds silly."

"I understand. I cleaned my home in Japan before I left, even though I knew I'd never come back to it." He released Helen, Pythia, Yushiko and Nanu. "Branwyn?"

She teleported in, followed closely by Circe. "You rang?" Ayame's eyes bugged at her words and she was obviously waiting for Shikarou to do something violent.

"Would you help Kasumi to get this place clean?"

Branwyn nodded. "Yushiko, guard duty. Pythia, Circe, start compressing the garbage into smaller piles. Helen, check the rest of the house and see what else we need. Nanu, start in the bathroom." She glanced around. "It's probably the worst place in the house." She paused. "Nanu, instead, I want you to go through the cleaning supplies and make a list of what we don't have, like garbage bags. We'll send someone shopping once we know what's missing." She turned to Shikarou. "I'll start in the bathroom. Can I have Roisin to help?"

Nanu was looking around with an expression of revulsion. "I think Bellona and her dragonbreath might be a better choice. There's stuff growing on the walls in the sauce stains." Kasumi winced.

Shikarou released Bellona and Roisin. "Bellona, you've got guard duty. Yushiko, help Nanu and then you'll do the shopping." The Armsmistress nodded and headed after the Mini-Top.

Brawnyn turned to Roisin and switched to Gaelic. Come with me, we have a nasty bathroom to clean and hopefully you can minimize the scrubbing we have to do.

Yes, my alpha. She headed upstairs as the others began moving out.

"Once Pythia and Circe are done with the piles of trash, I'll need them." Shikarou twisted to look at Brawnyn. "I'll be using them for the interrogation so I don't accidentally kill the little shit."

"Will you need Candace just to make sure?"

Shikarou looked thoughtful for a second. "I suppose so."

Kasumi paused. "I have been talking to Stardust, so I know about some of your abilities. Why don't you convert him and save us a lot of bother?" She smiled at his look of surprise. "I don't want you or anyone else having to wallow around in his brain, if you don't have to."

Branwyn's eyebrows rose and she stared first at Kasumi and then at Shikarou. "I see what you mean about her being practical." She turned back to Kasumi. "Doesn't the thought of his soul being manipulated bother you at all?"

Kasumi gave Branwyn a curious look. "Should it? This is the fastest way to get the information we need to prevent what Happosai accomplished from happening. Why shouldn't we use it? It's just a tool and our husband isn't going to use it on anyone important to us."

Branwyn's eyes flickered towards Shikarou. _You know what? You two do make a good couple._ "Fine. So convert him, but let me clear the room first."

Happosai was staring at Bellona in shock. "Oni," he breathed. His eyes focused on her breasts. "Nice oni."

The DragonQueen leaned down to look at him. "Is this the runt that's caused all of the trouble?" She glanced at Shikarou. "He's not much to look at is he? What's his name?"

"Happosai."

Bellona blinked and backed up quickly, hissing as she made a sign to ward off evil. "Kill it."

"He's not from our world, but yeah, he's a lot like the one you've heard of." Shikarou smiled grimly at Happosai. "Nobody likes you and you killed your only two students."

"I didn't kill Soun, and Genma attacked me along with that insolent boy of his." Happosai managed to look victimized. "I was defending myself."

Shikarou started removing his tunic. "I don't think I believe you, Happosai. It doesn't really matter though."

The little man's eyes widened. "Why not?"

"You'll tell me the truth soon enough." He folded the haori and laid it off to the side.

Kasumi edged forward, her eyes glinting in the dim light. Shikarou spoke without looking at her. "Are you sure you wish to see this?"

She settled down next to him. "I do. Not only because of Happosai, but also because this is a part of you and I want to know as much about you as possible, my husband. Can your daughters do this?"

"One of them can do something similar."

"Then I need to know everything I can, in case one of our children starts doing anything along these lines."

Branwyn paused. She had been leaving the room behind everyone else, but now she rubbed her forehead and grimaced. "Damn. I hate to admit this, but she's right. I really don't like this, but I need to know as much about it as possible."

"Shikarou, don't do this! I'm harmless." Happosai broke off as Kasumi stuffed a wadded up towel in his mouth before sitting down at his head.

"Will it hurt him?" Her voice was clinically curious.

Branwyn gave her an odd look. "It did in the beginning, but Shikarou has gotten good enough that it doesn't seem to. Would you like it to hurt?"

Happosai's eyes went wide and frantic noises came from behind the towel. Kasumi eyed him for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I don't think that's necessary."

Shikarou opened Happosai's gi and placed his hand on the old man's chest. "Here we go."

Kasumi paled as Shikarou's hand sank into the little letch's chest. Happosai jerked once and then was still.

Bellona moved back against the wall where she could be as far from Shikarou as possible and yet still be in the room.

Shikarou pulled out a small glowing ball. "This is a soul."

Kasumi cocked her head. "Can I touch it? It won't hurt me, will it?"

Branwyn stared at her. "What? Why on earth would you want to do that?"

Shikarou shrugged. "You can try, but I doubt you'll feel much." He leaned over and offered the globe.

Kasumi carefully touched it with a fingertip.

"Why isn't it white like the others?" Branwyn slowly leaned forward to stare intently. "It's got an orange cast to it."

"I think he's made a deal of some kind with an oni. Such a deal can leave its mark on a man and this would be fairly typical." Shikarou held the soul up so everyone could see it clearly. Blue swirled up and mixed with the orange before consuming it utterly. When he finished, the soul was a uniform sapphire blue.

"None of the others were that blue," Branwyn sounded curious in spite of herself. "Why is that?"

"In every other case you've seen, I've left my slaves some personal volition. Not this time."

He plunged the soul back into Happosai's body. The man's eyes fluttered and then slowly opened wide.

Shikarou settled back into a sitting posture. "Happosai, have you had contact with a kami or oni? If so, is there cause for it to come seeking redress for my actions?"

Happosai spoke in a toneless voice. "In my youth, I bound myself into service to an oni in return for being given the knowledge of the Anything Goes style and the power to practice it. Later, it appeared and wanted my soul, which was the payment we'd agreed upon. I tricked it and killed it."

Kasumi leaned forward, her eyes intent. "What did you do to my sister?" She swung to Shikarou when there was no reply. "Make him answer me."

"Happosai, tell me of the events surrounding the destruction of the Tendo bloodline."

He licked his lips. "I will do as you command. After you left, there was all that beautiful money. Soun told me how much you'd given him and I wanted some of it, as was my due as his teacher as well as for putting up with his attitude all these years."

"But Akane had control of how it was distributed and she wouldn't give me any, even when Soun ordered her to. She went so far as to cut Soun off when he started giving me his pocket money."

"I didn't want to kill her, but she left me no choice. On that particular day, I put ground up fugu liver in the soup and she died after tasting it."

Shikarou glanced over at his wives. Kasumi was white as she listened to his confession. Branwyn looked like she was becoming angry.

"After that, Nabiki took control of the money and I knew that it would be mine. I could work something out with her. But she suddenly became responsible. Somehow she found out that Akane's death might not be an accident and she hired an investigator with money that should have been mine to look into the whole matter. She had to go, so I put more fugu grindings in her lunch. She was a careless cook anyway, so it was easy for others to think her death was an accident."

"Later, it turned out that Nabiki had paid the investigator before her death and had gone so far as to give him specific instructions that if she died he was to investigate her death as well. The bastard stayed on the job and turned his findings over to Soun, the only living relative."

"They implicated me. Soun was going to go to the police and I had no choice but to make his death look like an accident. I arranged a drunken fall at the baths. It happens often enough that no one questioned it."

"I manufactured a will giving everything to me and evicted that brat and my thankless student, Genma. Later, Ranma came back and I killed him and his father in a battle. It was purely self defense, you must understand."

Kasumi frowned. "How can he lie to you like that?"

Shikarou glanced at the tiny pervert. "He tells the truth as he sees it and it may be that, because of some guilt, he's persuaded himself that he did have to act as he did to protect himself. Most people don't like to think of themselves as evil and will go to great lengths to rationalize their actions, even to themselves."

He rose to his feet. "I believe we have all of the information we need to act to prevent these events from coming to pass. However, I don't want to do anything irrevocable until we are ready to leave." He gave both ladies a serious look. "If we have more questions later, it'll be difficult to ask them with him dead."

"What will you do with him?" Branwyn shuddered as she looked over at the immobile figure. "I don't want him staying in the same house we do."

Shikarou shrugged. "At this point, he has no volition of his own, but I'll send him away until we need him."

Bellona frowned. "What happened to the money?"

"Who cares?" Branwyn shrugged. "We have plenty."

"If he turned it into cash, we could take it with us and use it ourselves. Or would it disappear once we changed the future?"

Shikarou grinned. "No, if we take anything out of the timestream before we alter it, whatever we took will remain, but it's a very good question."

Bellona wasn't through. "Are we going to use this technique to rescue Pallaius from death?"

Branwyn gasped.

Shikarou shook his head. "No. I have made my peace with her death. Besides, one of the rules of time travel, as I understand it, is that you should never mess with your own past."

Kasumi obviously was thinking furiously. "If Shikarou were to stop Pallaius from dying, he would have never left the service of the Empress. Therefore he would have never come to the pokegirl world and never learned how to travel through time to rescue her in the first place."

Shikarou nodded slowly. "And that is a very good example of what father calls paradox. I don't know a lot about it, but father hinted during some of our discussions that paradox situations were universally catastrophic and should be avoided at all costs." He frowned. "We're taking a serious risk by trying to time our exit so closely and I don't want to jeopardize their chances any more than we already have."

Branwyn changed the subject. "What is fugu? I realize from Happosai's story that it can kill, but I don't understand what it is."

"It's a dish made from a couple of species of pufferfish. Fugu is a delicacy here in Japan ,as well as elsewhere around the world. It has to be prepared very carefully because it has varying levels of tetrodotoxin in various parts of its body. The organs are particularly toxic, but the whole fish has some level of it. The fish accumulates the toxin by ingesting a particular type of bacteria."

"Tetrodotoxin works by inhibiting the fast sodium channels in the muscles, which renders them unable to move and causing paralysis."

"In very low doses, it causes numbness and tingling in the extremities and lips. In anything other than small doses, it paralyzes the muscles that allow you to breathe. It doesn't affect the brain or heart, so you remain conscious while you suffocate. There is no antidote and all medical science can do is support the respiratory and circulatory systems until the toxin wears off. Without prompt medical aid, you will die if you are poisoned by fugu."

Branwyn gasped. "He did that to _Akane_?"

"He also did it to my other sister Nabiki." Kasumi took a deep breath. "There is no antidote for fugu poisoning, Shikarou."

"Candace is a NurseJoy and they can cure almost anything," he replied calmly. "She can cure any toxin except hypervenom with esuna. However, hopefully, it won't come to that."

"I was wondering why you brought her with you."

He nodded. "I'd like to say I knew we'd need her, but the truth is that we were going to talk to her in the morning after we got back about her joining the active harem on a continuous basis. This emergency came up and I never released her once we got home."

"What about him?" Bellona pointed at Happosai.

"When the poison wears off, I'll have him withdraw the money out of the bank. We'll want smaller, older denominations, if possible. We'll finish him off before we leave."

Kasumi rose smoothly to her feet. "Then I'll help Nanu in the kitchen. Branwyn, you were going to help Roisin in the bath?"

The Unicorn nodded. "That I was." She watched Kasumi leave and turned to Shikarou, dropping her voice. "Sometimes she's scary, the way she compartmentalizes. I think Stardust should make sure she's ok, when we get back."

"She's going through a very rough patch and I don't think her responses have been out of the ordinary when that's taken into consideration."

"She just didn't seem so… oh… I suppose… tough works. She just wasn't like that when staying here."

Shikarou shook his head. "She kept a household running with no money and no help. I think she may be the toughest Tendo of them all." He shrugged. "You heard her. She comes from samurai blood on both sides and she seems to take that very seriously. I can respect that."

"I'm sure you can," Branwyn replied in a droll voice. "Now, I get to go shovel shit with Roisin."

"I'll help."

She shook her head. "No, you need to get rid of that piece of filth." She motioned towards Happosai. I don't want that thing in any house I'm in."

"Finally, we're all done." Elizabeth put the last of the bundles into a bag. "We've got four thousand 5000 yen notes in bundles of 100 each for a total of twenty million yen. All we have left is one bundle of 33 bills and 3,974 yen in coins." She looked over at Candace. "I can't tell if we just became rich or not. How much is that in SLC?"

The NurseJoy shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I don't think any bank would convert it and you could probably get more than its face value by selling it as artifacts of the past."

"There's an idea." She stuffed the bag into Shikarou's backpack. "I'll bet he leaves it with the Tendos."

Candace shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Considering the luck the Tendo family seems to have, someone would find out there are already bills out there with the same serial numbers when they went to deposit it. We'll probably end up taking it home."

Branwyn chuckled as she entered the room. "I think he's going to exchange it somewhere overseas so that if they figure out there are duplicates of the bills in existence in Japan, we'll already have laundered it at a small loss."

"Are we going overseas?" Candace looked curiously at Branwyn as she pulled a strand of her hair around. "Some of us stand out more than others and I'm not sure how pink hair would be received."

"You'll see." Branwyn gave her a mischievous look. "I'm not going to say anything else."

"I'll just ask Shikarou," Elizabeth declared, tossing her head. "He tells me everything." She smirked. "So, why not just tell me now and save me the effort?"

The Unicorn snorted. "He doesn't tell himself everything, much less you. Nice try."

The Vampire grinned. "It was worth a shot."

Candace chuckled quietly. "So, this is the banter I was missing in the clinic? And you want me to give up my nice practice for this full time? I think I'll have to seriously consider telling you to get stuffed." She smiled softly at Elizabeth's expression of awe.

"I can't believe you said that to her."

"At the clinic, I was the person in charge and I was the one who had all the secrets to dole out when I felt like it," she replied loftily.

"I guess I deserved that." Branwyn grumped. "The truth is that Shikarou asked me not to talk about any plans we have for when things are settled." She shrugged. "He's suddenly paranoid about 'other' forces overhearing us."

Elizabeth sobered. "Then we shouldn't. He hasn't led us wrong before on that sort of thing, and he's our resident expert on things that go bump in the night." She flashed a grin, all fangs. "And, as the harem's token 'bumper', I think you should consider my opinion carefully."

Branwyn snorted. "We could add another one to the harem?"

"Sure you could. He's not going to want another Vampire. What's left? I don't think even he'd be too happy with a Zombabe, and there's the little problem of the fact that soon we'd all be Zombabes. No, he doesn't want more than one of any type of pokegirl in his harem."

"I hate it when you actually think."

Candace laughed. "Now, that's funny."

In the living area, Yushiko dropped a large stack of paper on the table in front of Shikarou. "Here are the newspapers from the day before Akane died, just like you asked." She settled next to him, her armor appearing as the illusion faded. "I presume you want them for the pictures?"

He nodded. "Kasumi and I agree we're only going to get one chance to get this right, so we're going to come out a day or two before and get into position."

Yushiko nodded. "That sounds good. Where's Happosai?"

"Kasumi asked me to order him to return the stuff he's stolen, so he's out doing that right now."

"You're sure?"

"He's my automaton, and with that level of control, I know where he is and what he's thinking at all times. Yes, that's exactly what he's doing." He grimaced. "That's one of the reasons I hate possessing someone that thoroughly."

"That's creepy."

"I feel that way too." He sighed heavily. "I'll kill him before we leave to sever the connection and make sure nothing strange happens. Sometimes magic can be unpredictable and I don't want any surprises when we run across him again."

The Armsmistress nodded as she leaned over and sniffed his neck. Her eyes narrowed and she looked up at him. "When's the last time you got laid?"

"I've been kind of busy. There are only twenty four hours in the day."

"You know, we haven't tested your ability to cause a taming riot. Are you sure this is the time and place to do that?"

Shikarou winced. "You have a point. I'll tell Branwyn to pull a name out of the lottery tonight."

Yushiko sniffed him again. "Two names, preferably Nanu and Helen." She grinned. "I'd been thinking that the quality of the cooking had been going down and now I know why."

His ears twisted to point at her as his curiosity got the better of him. "Why Nanu?"

"She's tough, horny as hell and it'll be extremely funny to watch her bitch about lactating for a week."

"I could ask for you, instead of her."

"I don't like being out of my armor around anyone but you. Besides, as I've already found out, milk makes my armor smell funny and it's really hard to get that smell out once it's in there."

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You'd better. Now go find Branwyn."

"Can't it wait?"

"I'm starting to think about stripping out of my armor here in public. I don't think so." She gave him a bland look. "Or were you hoping to share your harem with Kasumi?"

He slipped to his feet. "I'll go find Branwyn."

"Good."

Circe passed him as he left the room and paused, sniffing the air. She turned to watch him and then shook her head. "You're right. Helen and Nanu would be best right now. He'll give anyone else friction burns." She took a deep breath and settled down where Shikarou had been a moment before. "Are these the newspapers?"

"Yes."

The Alaka-Wham picked one up. "I see a possible complication."

Yushiko frowned. "What? The picture is legible."

"Yes, but we've never tried to teleport to anyplace depicted in a black and white photo, much less tried to go back in time using one."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 72

Unicorn Branwyn 61

Milktit Helen 59

DragonQueen Bellona 56

Seraph Dorothea 52

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 52

Vampire Elizabeth 50

G-Spliced Pythia 50

Sphinx Lorelei 47

Mini-Top Nanu 47

Wet Elf Roisin 33

NurseJoy Candace 55

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym

Name: Urufu, Kasumi

Age: 20

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 20

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer N

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Pegaslut Giselle 33

Drow Zee Ayame 26

Alpha Giselle

Beta None

Badges: Scotland:

Ireland:

England:

Wales:

_**DROW ZEE, the Elf Variant Pokégirl **_

**Type**: Near Human

**Element**: Psychic/Magic

**Frequency**: Rare (Indigo) to Uncommon (Crimson)

**Diet**: Near Human Diet (Omnivore)

**Role**: originally strike squads, but excellent at surveillance

**Libido**: varies (usually Low to Average)

**Strong Vs**: Psychic, Poison

**Weak Vs**: Water, Electric, Fire

**Attacks: **Glare, Hypnotic Gaze, Shadow Teleport, Backstab

**Enhancements**: Infravision, high dexterity and agility, increased sense of hearing, immunity to poison

**Disadvantage**: Highly susceptible to Attraction effect.

**Evolves**: Elf (mechanism unknown), Dark Elf (Dark Stone), Dark Maiden (orgasm), Golden Elf (Angel Stone)

**Evolves From:** None

A Drow Zee is perhaps the most widely discordant elf Pokégirl. Mostly because of their variations.

Their height can vary from 4'2" to 6'3" and their skin can look like a moderate tan or it can be pitch black. Feralborn Drow Zee tend to have white or silver hair, but it can vary into (uncommon) shades of blonde. Domesticate or Threshold Drow Zee sometimes have brown or black, or, very rarely, red; but these colors are never seen in Feralborns.

Drow Zees have had a bad reputation which leads back to Sukebe's war. As they can teleport out of any shadow within fifty meters, they were the perfect operatives for strategic strikes. The first Drow Zees were usually paired with poison type Pokégirls and were rather ruthless in their operation methods, which lead to the intense resentment towards them that has lasted to modern day, though the resentment nowadays is considerably lower. Most trainers simply avoid them rather than try and deal with them.

Drow Zees tend to be controlled in their shows of affection, though if they find someone they like, they will often act affectionately, giving presents and blushing constantly.

A Drow Zee isn't well suited to stab up confrontations, but she can fight fairly decently once she expands her skills in either magic or psychic techniques. Her good eyesight in both day and nighttime and her ability to Shadow Teleport make her a pretty good scout.


	41. Chapter 41

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 41

Kasumi settled into the bed and leaned against her husband. Shikarou shuddered and pushed her away gently. "Your hair is wet," he complained. She snickered and pulled it out of the way before trying again. A contented sigh escaped her as his arm slipped around her and pulled her close.

The attempt at jumping back in time had overshot by three weeks. It was decided that waiting anywhere around the dojo might put Happosai on his guard and, after Kasumi had verified that her family had never been to the mountain, they'd set up camp in a tiny valley somewhere on Kitadake.

"I hope you aren't going to be upset with me, but I'll want to stay for a while and watch over my family after we are done here."

Shikarou nodded. "Considering what happened after we left, I suspected you'd feel that way."

Kasumi gave him an uncertain look. "I was concerned that you might be upset. It pleases me that you're not."

"I was planning on us staying for anywhere up to six months to let you spend some time with them. Besides, I've got some things I want to take care of myself and this has provided an unexpected opportunity to do so."

Kasumi gave him a curious look. "Does this have to do with what Branwyn has not been talking about?"

He nodded. "It does."

She traced a finger up his thigh. "Could you tell me, your loyal wife?" Kasumi frowned slightly when she realized he was thinking it over. "You'd best not deliberate too long," she warned in a tart voice.

Shikarou snorted. "I think it should be safe here but I don't want this discussed outside the tent. I want to go to Great Britain and contact the Sidhe there. That is presuming that I can find some. They may have information on how Germanicus and Eoghan became undead and the best way to destroy them."

"If I can't find any of the fey, I'll have to raid any libraries that might have the information I need. Faelan's looking into it from his side, but this is a wonderful opportunity to reference texts that were lost during the fall."

"Why do you care that we do not discuss this outside of the tent? There's no one around."

"I don't know if Germanicus and Eoghan are alive here. A suitably powerful mage can establish safeguards that will tell them if someone is speaking their name. If they exist, then they know that everyone thinks they're dead. If we suddenly start talking about them, they are likely to come see what's going on."

"Oh. I didn't know that, but your explanation makes a lot of sense. I won't discuss it outside your room, much less the tent."

"Thank you."

"Won't Dorothea have problems with stealing the books?"

"I won't have to steal anything. I have a spell that will duplicate any nonmagical text I want. I may have to do some breaking and entering; but that's all, and Dorothea shouldn't have too much of a moral issue with that."

She blinked. "Really? Then perhaps we need to put a library in your tent and another in our home that you're going to build me."

"I was already planning on the one in our home. We will have children someday and I won't raise any barbarians."

Kasumi chuckled. "That's going to be impossible to prevent. After all, we won't be raising them as Japanese."

"I think your bias is showing."

"What do you think?"

"I'm not Japanese and I don't think they are the summit of humanity. Besides, our children will be kami."

Her arms went around him. "You and they will outlive me. Will you miss me when I'm gone?"

"Not when you talk about making my kids human."

She laughed quietly. "I suppose that raising them as little gods is almost as good as having them be proper Japanese."

"Ok, I will miss you."

Shikarou sat stolidly on the boulder, watching the view from the cliff. Branwyn sat next to him, his braid in her lap. Kasumi and Giselle were settled nearby, talking quietly. The tableau had persisted since they'd packed up the camp right after breakfast.

Kasumi looked over at Shikarou. "What are we going to do if he doesn't do anything today?"

"Today, Akane will be poisoned, unless our presence has changed something. No one saw me place the sensor and it hasn't been discovered, so that shouldn't affect anything. However, if he doesn't act today, we'll wait until he does. In any case, it shouldn't be too much longer." He glanced over at her, noting her anxious face. "I don't think we'll have to wait. Today is a good day for him to act since Akane is preparing a misoshiru with fish and seaweed."

**Akane has left the kitchen to deal with a problem between her father and Ranma. Happosai is now entering the kitchen.**

Shikarou closed his eyes and accessed the feed Aggie was offering him. Images were injected into his optic nerves and thence to his visual cortex, letting him see through the probe as if it were his own eyes.

Happosai crept silently into the kitchen and hovered over the simmering pot of soup. He looked around furtively and quickly slipped his hand into his gi. Removing a small package of parchment, he opened it and carefully shook it out into the roiling liquid.

In the background Akane's voice could be heard, berating her fiancé. Happosai grinned and slipped out of the kitchen as her voice became louder. A moment later, she could be seen standing outside the kitchen, still arguing with Ranma.

Shikarou opened his eyes as a hungry grin spread across his face. "Well now, time to go."

Akane grumbled to herself as she pulled the soup from the stove. It was hard to believe that her father expected her to marry such a buffoon. Granted, Ranma had his moments, but they were almost universally bad.

She gave the soup one more stir and lifted the spoon for a final taste. She'd die before she'd embarrass herself with substandard food again.

She jumped when a hand grabbed her wrist. A familiar voice said quietly, "I need your help, Akane."

Akane looked into black eyes. Her eyes flicked up to look at his ears. They widened. "Shikarou?"

"Quietly," he almost whispered. "Will you help me?" He twisted the spoon out of her hand so that it dropped loudly onto the floor. "It's important."

Her mouth twisted in a conspiratorial smile. "Of course. What do I need to do?" she asked excitedly.

"Stagger backwards and fall down. What I want is for you to be noisy. I'll also need you to pretend you're unconscious and dying until I tell you it's ok, no matter what happens." He peered intently into her eyes and she shivered. "Will you do this for me, Kasumi and the rest of your family?"

A determined look appeared in her eyes and she nodded. "Just watch me." Shikarou released her and she stood for a second before falling backwards. On the way down, she slammed into the table and knocked some dishes flying before collapsing limply to the floor where she lay unmoving.

"What was that noise?" It was Happosai's voice. "I think it came from the kitchen."

Shikarou muttered a quick spell and faded from sight as he moved to stand next to the door, drawing his sword from its scabbard.

There was a pounding of feet and Soun rushed into the room. "AKANE!" He rushed forward to scoop up his daughter and began sobbing. "AKANE! SPEAK TO ME!"

Genma and Ranma rushed in, followed closely by Nabiki. Shikarou silently slipped past them and headed for the dining room as a babble of voices broke out behind him.

Happosai was seated in front of the television, sipping at his tea. He glanced towards the kitchen and grinned before composing his features and going back to his show.

There was an angry whisper. "You tried to kill my sister, you bastard." The blood drained from Happosai's face as Kasumi swung at him with a katana Shikarou didn't know she had. He noticed she had good basic form, but she missed as the little pervert yelped and threw himself backwards away from the attack.

Shikarou faded into sight as he took Happosai's head in midair. He gave his wife a wry look. "You do realize this is going to leave a much larger mess than if you'd stayed out of it, like I asked you to."

Kasumi's eyes were glued on Happosai's body as it hit the floor and slid, spraying blood in all directions. The head bounced off the wall and rolled towards her. Happosai's mouth worked briefly and his eyes fluttered. Abruptly, she turned and vomited onto the TV. The television shorted out in a pyrotechnic display of sparks and smoke.

He sighed. "Branwyn, come get our wife and clean her up, please. I have to go rescue Akane from her father."

The Unicorn appeared. "Where'd she get the sword?" She grabbed Kasumi by the arm and vanished again.

Shikarou wiped his katana and sheathed it as he headed back to the kitchen. Soun was cradling Akane and calling her name while Genma and Ranma were arguing over what to do. He spotted Nabiki dialing the phone and touched her arm. She jumped and whipped around to stare at him. The color drained from her face.

"Shikarou? Are you here for Akane?"

He took the phone from her and hung it up. "She's going to be fine." He blinked as Nabiki hugged him.

"Thank you. I couldn't bear to lose her." She suddenly pushed away and composed herself. Her tone became suddenly businesslike. "You don't have to mention this to anyone."

He grinned. "We'll talk later about the price of my silence."

She gave him an amused look. "It won't be free?"

"Later." He headed into the kitchen. "Soun." Everyone ignored him. He tried again. "Soun!"

Nabiki touched his back. "You'll have to yell to get their attention."

"Fine." Shikarou took a deep breath. "**SOUN!"** The bellow rattled the window in its casement and a glass on the counter shattered. "Oops."

"I think that was overdoing it just a bit." Nabiki pulled her hands away from her ears as everyone in the room froze. Akane peeked at him with one eye but didn't move otherwise.

Shikarou smiled. "Thank you, Akane."

Soun jumped as she sat up and grinned at the kami. "Did I do a good job?"

"Excellent. I couldn't have asked for a better performance. I'm very sorry about the mess in the living room, but Happosai was trying to kill you and I couldn't allow that."

"HE WHAT?" Akane and Ranma yelled at the same time.

Shikarou raised his hands calmly. "It's ok. He poisoned the soup, but as soon as the soup is disposed of and a little cleanup gets done in the living area, everything will be fine." Genma flung away the spoon he'd been trying to scoop a bit of fish out of the soup with a look of absolute horror on his face.

"I'll kill that little pervert!" A flush of anger suffused Akane's features.

"Not if I get to him first!" Ranma glared at her. She returned it with interest.

Shikarou cleared his throat. "Actually, it's been taken care of." His ears flicked as they both turned to glare at him. "That's why the living area will need to be cleaned. Blood, you know."

Soun fainted.

"I'll clean up the kitchen." Shikarou turned away from the group of women that were nursing Soun back to awareness. Circe had already removed the corpse and any unconnected parts as Branwyn was using her wand to remove the gore.

Branwyn's head came up. "Circe."

Shikarou struggled for a heartbeat as he lifted gently off the ground before twisting around in midair to give the Alaka-Wham a mildly annoyed look. "Please put me down."

Branwyn moved in front of him. "The kitchen is filled with enough poison to kill everyone in this neighborhood. We can't afford to lose you."

He rolled his eye towards the heavens. "I'll be fine. The only way fugu can get into your system is if you ingest it or rub it on an open wound. I'm not planning on doing either."

Circe gave an amused chuckle as she extended her antenna to their full length. "You never intend to get hurt, now do you? Yet it always seems to happen."

"I'm immune to most toxins."

The Alaka-Wham's red skin gleamed as she gave him an annoyed look. "You've been keeping secrets again."

"It's never come up. My body metabolizes foreign substances too fast for most of them to affect me. It's why non-magical wines can't get me drunk. Alcohol is a poison, after all."

Branwyn looked suddenly speculative. "I wonder how hyper-venom would affect you."

"I don't know and I'm not willing to experiment and find out. It seems like a rather hazardous experiment to undertake when it's much easier just to stay far away from any Widows."

The Unicorn shook her head slowly. "Let him down." She flashed a grin. "Yes, to answer your question, you are the one who's in charge. We just want to keep our investment safe."

She grabbed a pokeball from his belt as his toes touched down and activated it, releasing Candace. "Candace, you've got Shikarou duty today. He's going to be cleaning the kitchen of some poison; if it looks like he's gotten into it, you're to heal him and let me know immediately." She gave her husband a suspicious look. "Right now, he's claiming that he's immune to the poison, but you know how he's sometimes mistaken about such things."

Candace nodded. "I'll keep him safe." Linking her arm through his, she gave him a big smile. "On our way to the kitchen, why don't you tell me all about this poison?"

He sighed. "It's the fugu that Happosai put in the soup."

"Ah. What's all the fuss about?" The NurseJoy steered him into the kitchen. "Wait, let me guess. Branwyn is back to thinking you can't walk and talk at the same time. That's it, isn't it?"

"That does appear to be the case." He shrugged. "I'm the best choice to clean up in here since I don't want anyone to get hurt. If you're worried about it, then you can stay over by the door."

Candace grabbed the chair and settled down in it. "I'm fine right here. In your frenzy of cleaning, try not to spatter the soup all the way over here. That's what, almost two meters?"

Shikarou grinned. "That looks about right." He peered into the pot of soup. "I can't pour it out somewhere lest an animal or P-Chan eat it, if he makes a sudden appearance."

"P-Chan? Is that an animal, vegetable or mineral?"

"P-Chan is a small black pig who happens to be Akane's pet."

"Then that would be bad. How are you going to dispose of it?"

He frowned for a moment. "I'm thinking." Suddenly he smiled. "I know." Without warning he stuck his finger into the hot soup.

Candace jumped up and rushed over. She looked down into the pot to watch as the soup began to freeze around his finger. The ice began to slowly spread. "Let a girl know what you're going to do next time, ok?" Suddenly she grinned. "I have a question for you." The ice spread faster and frost began to rime the outside of the pot.

"What?" Shikarou's voice was strained as he concentrated.

"Have you thought about how you're going to get your finger out of the ice or are we just going to lop it off?"

His mouth dropped open for a heartbeat. "Um, that's a good question."

She sighed. "I hope you are aware that answers like that is the reason Branwyn assigns you keepers in the first place."

"Sorry?" He lifted his hand, pulling the pot from the stove with it. He grimaced. "Do we really need to tell her about this?"

"And miss the chance to share this story about you? Not a chance." She shook her head. "This is going to be one of those 'now children, remember to be smarter than your father' kinds of stories."

"Great. Thanks a lot." He shook his hand and there was an audible pop from his finger. "Ow."

Candace smothered a laugh. "You really are hopeless sometimes."

"It's a new power. I'm still learning what I can and can't do with it. Apparently, this is a 'can't do'."

Candace sighed and started rummaging for something to work with. "Sit down and put your pot on the table." She snickered and was rewarded with a glare. "Is there anything else you want to do?"

"Like what?" His voice was flat with annoyance.

"Oh, I don't know. Back in Wick, I treated a couple of Tamers who had their pokegirls put things inside their rectums that later proved difficult to remove."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't really know but, as I understand it, it involves some kind of sexual gratification. I remember one Tamer who had his Rosebreasts practice erotic asphyxiation on him. While they were at the pokegirl center, she throttled him into unconsciousness and came to me for help." She made a happy sound and returned to the table with an ice pick. "I had to caution him and her both that if she accidentally killed him, she'd be put down."

"Did they stop?"

"They left the next day, so I don't know. I doubt it though. Let's see what we can do about you and your potsicle." She promptly stabbed him in the finger with the pick. "Sorry about that."

"I wonder."

"Do you want to get stabbed again?" She hefted the pick suggestively and smiled when he shook his head frantically. "Good choice."

Two more stabbings later, his finger was free. "Wash your hands," he ordered Candace. "Then it'll be my turn."

She dropped the pick into the bowl and headed for the sink. "How hard is this stuff to clean up?"

"I'm not sure and I'm not taking any chances. I'll have Circe dump the pot, the ice pick and a handful of other things out in the same way she took Happosai. A handful of people are accidentally poisoned each year with fugu and I'm not going to let anyone here become a statistic."

"What about the soup?"

"Ha. Ha. It goes with the pot."

She snickered. "All done." She leaned against the wall so she could watch him wash. "Now, I can tell Branwyn that I saw you clean up." The NurseJoy hurried out of the kitchen.

Shikarou carefully made his way over to the chair and settled into it. Candace had driven ice into his finger when she stabbed him and he was going to sit here for a minute or two until the poison made its way out of his system. He'd known it couldn't kill him, but nobody had bothered to ask if it wouldn't make him feel like shit.

Helen stuck her head into the dining room and looked around. "Dinner is on its way," she announced before vanishing back into the kitchen.

"It's about time," Genma grumbled.

Shikarou's ears went back for a second as he gave the elder Saotome an annoyed look. "Perhaps you'd have rather had the soup."

Ranma laughed as Genma's eyes went wide and he began to sputter. "You can't threaten me; I'm a member of the family."

Kasumi was carrying a tray in from the kitchen. She and Helen had moved into the kitchen with Akane to put a quick dinner together. Akane was willing to accept the help but wouldn't stand aside for them, which was something that appeared to please her oldest sister a great deal. "Actually, Mr. Saotome, you are not a member of the family until Ranma marries Akane."

Genma sputtered and then smacked his son on the back. "Boy, you'd better get a move on and marry that girl."

Now it was Ranma's turn to cough, as he sucked the tea he'd been drinking down his windpipe.

Kasumi put the tray down in front of Soun, as was proper. "It was decided that due to the circumstances, we would forego the soup portion of dinner."

Soun nodded absently. "Shikarou, my family owes you a great debt of thanks. I've decided on a reward for saving Akane's life and I want you to have Nabiki to be your wife."

There was a sudden silence. Nabiki was staring at her father with a look of shock. Shikarou glanced over at the door to see Kasumi wiping a furious look from her face. "Ah, Soun, I am already married to your eldest daughter, Kasumi."

"Oh, that's right." Soun waved a hand dismissively. "I'll find something else then."

"Father, did you perhaps hope that my husband would forget that he was married to me long enough to agree to your offer?" Her voice sounded unconcerned, but Shikarou could hear that same undertone that she'd had when she'd been trying to kill Happosai. He made a mental note to listen for it in the future.

"Of course not, Kasumi. I made a mistake, that's all. It's been a very stressful day and I'm not completely myself."

There was a flicker of disbelief until Kasumi realized Shikarou was watching her. She quickly smoothed her face. "I'm glad to hear that, father."

Shikarou flicked his ears. _You have to hand it to him, when he's an ass, he does a bang up job of it. Kasumi, I have no regrets about marrying you._

Kasumi blinked and suddenly her eyes glittered with suppressed laughter as she disappeared down the hall. _When Junko told me about the Soun Tendo that lives in Indigo, I was shocked and thought that he was nothing like my father. Perhaps I shouldn't be so certain of that._

When they were working on desert, Akane gave Shikarou a questioning smile. "Why did Happosai want to kill me?"

"You cut off all his access to the money and he thought some of it was his by right of being your father's sensei."

A satisfied smile spread across the young woman's face. "So he was that angry about it? I'm glad you got rid of him. He's been a bigger pain than Ranma."

"Hey!"

Abruptly, she bowed. "Thank you for saving my life, Shikarou-tono. I will be eternally in your debt."

"Akane, I am married to your sister and so we are family. There's no need for formality between us." He smiled slowly. "As for being in my debt, rest assured that someday I shall come to collect."

She returned the smile shyly. "I will be waiting."

Ranma watched the exchange with growing unrest. Suddenly he burst out. "What do you mean by that?"

Akane rounded on him instantly. "Be quiet, Ranma! It's none of your business!"

Shikarou sighed. "Akane, he's actually posed a good question and I want to answer it. Ranma, when Akane dies, I'm going to call in that debt and make her the guardian spirit for her family." He smiled slightly. "As far as I know, she's going to live for another sixty or seventy years, so it's not something any of you need to be concerned about right away."

"Oh." Akane looked pleased. "I would be honored."

"Is that it? That's ok then." Ranma subsided as quickly as he'd exploded.

Kasumi looked innocent as she spoke. "It's good to see that you're coming to care so much for Akane's welfare."

Ranma turned bright red. "I didn't say that! I don't care what happens to her! I just wanted to see if I was going to have to marry her after all!"

"Don't put yourself out on my account, Ranma!" Akane glared at her fiancé. "I'll be perfectly fine without you!"

Branwyn was staring at Kasumi with an expression of utter shock. "Shikarou, if they're going to argue perhaps we should go to the tent."

He shrugged. "Sure."

Once outside, Branwyn turned to Kasumi. "I can't believe you just started a fight between them."

"They're both passionate people and, right now, they express that passion through fighting." Kasumi looked smug. "I suppose you're right in that I didn't need to do that, it's more of a habit than anything else. They are much fonder of each other than they let on and I do hope that one of these days their fight will turn into something more interesting." Light pink suddenly suffused her features. "They are the heirs to the legacy of both the Tendo and Saotome families and as such they have a responsibility to have children."

"What about you?"

"While I was trained in the Tendo School of martial arts, my training ended when mother died and I had to take over her duties. Father always favored Akane because of her determination and because he wanted a son. She's the closest thing to one he has." Her eyes shuttered briefly. "I wanted to continue training, but father said that it would take away from my real duties. I think I always made him uncomfortable by being feminine and still wanting to learn to defend myself."

Shikarou frowned as a memory resurfaced. "Is that where you learned some kenjustu?"

Kasumi chuckled. "No one teaches kenjutsu anymore, Shikarou. Just kendo. Father taught me some basic moves. How was I?"

"I didn't see any bad habits. Do you want to continue training?"

"I would. I know you use a sword, but I've never seen a technique like it before. Do you think I could learn it?"

"It's my family's style. It includes a wide variety of things, including weaponless combat. I don't see why you couldn't. It just takes determination and a willingness to practice."

She cocked her head. "Here, we rate a martial art by how long it's been practiced. How long has your family's style been around?"

"It's been around as long as the clan has. Our official records go back for over five thousand years, but father occasionally hints that he has some that are older."

"Five thousand years? I guess I'd call that a successful style. Would you be willing to teach me?"

He grinned. "I'd love to."

Branwyn put her hands on her hips. "Hey! The other wife would like to ask a question: What about me?"

"You've known for a while that I practice and you've never shown any interest in it. However, if you've decided you want to learn, then I'll be glad to teach you."

The Unicorn relaxed. "Good. Oh, we'll need to get them a new television tomorrow."

Shikarou nodded. "Yushiko and I'll go shopping for one. Kasumi, where did you get that sword?"

"I told you; Junko took me home to meet her family. Yoshihara-sensei was kind enough to give me that wonderful sword when he found out who I am." She gave him a serious look. "I would appreciate it if you would continue to train me until I am good enough to do honor to it, as it deserves."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Good morning, Dorothea."

"Good morning to thee, Branwyn." The Seraph nodded politely without breaking her guard position outside the door to Shikarou's office.

"Where is Shikarou and why aren't you with him?" The Unicorn gave her a stern look.

"Our lord is in his office with a visitor. I thought that thou had been informed of his arrival. He has asked that he not be disturbed, so I am out here. I do have Aggie monitoring the situation and she has assured me that if she suspects any danger, she will inform me straightaway."

"I see." Branwyn didn't sound happy. "I did know there was a visitor, but I didn't know our Tamer would be breaking his own rules again."

"Indeed, I am not pleased with this either. If thou could get my orders changed, I would be much happier. Can thou do this?"

"I'm about to find out," she responded flatly. _Shikarou, I want to see you as soon as possible and I mean now. It's important._

_Just a minute._ A couple of minutes later, the door opened and he looked out. "Let me guess. Your problems with me will probably almost completely go away if I let you two into my office, right?"

"That's an excellent guess and fairly accurate. You're not supposed to be alone, especially not with strangers."

He nodded. "It was necessary for the first part of our discussion. My visitor needed certain reassurances that I was legitimate and I had to provide them if we were to proceed. An armed guard would have been counterproductive." He opened the door wide. "Come on in."

Quickly, Dorothea moved back to her traditional place as his guard. Shikarou watched her with a slightly amused expression before turning back to the table.

"Branwyn, as you know, for the last month I've been shuttling back and forth between here and Great Britain, trying my best to find some Sidhe who'll deign to speak to me." The figure seated at the table stirred but remained silent. "I found several Sidhe courts but none willing to deal with an outlander from the east. Apparently, they've crossed paths with some kami or oni and the experience wasn't pleasant."

The figure turned, revealing a young man with heavily tattooed skin and dark brown hair pierced by brilliant green eyes that seemed to glow softly in the dim light. "Aye, experience of yer kind we have had in plenty. We defeated them soundly in the first battles, but they are canny warriors and mages. The next battles were much more even and we only narrowly won. Some of our people were taken during that fight and we never got them back." His eyes narrowed. "It's been a matter of blood and honor ever since. Yer husband is lucky that he wasn't murdered on sight. There are some who are looking to do just that."

"I'm Sidhe enough to be tolerated by most of the Sidhe. The rest I'll deal with if it becomes a problem. Shikarou smiled. "This is my wife, Branwyn."

The man looked her up and down frankly. "A comely wench." His eyes widened at the sight of her horn. "She's fey."

"Not really, but kind of. She's mortal, so she cannot be true fey."

"Ah." He nodded. "A mixed blood. If her mother is anything like she is, I can understand why one of us took a fancy to her."

Branwyn blinked and smothered a snicker. "Oh, one of them most definitely did that."

Shikarou shot her a warning look. "Branwyn, this is the Sidhe mage Eoghan. He's from a court in Ireland and became curious when he heard his name being bandied about in close association with mine."

Branwyn's eyes widened. "Is this?" Suddenly she broke off.

Eoghan's eyes glittered with amusement. "That's what I'm here to determine, lass. The events in me own life seem to shadow those of your opponent up the point of me test. Of course, I am Sidhe and me powers manifested as they should have." He smiled slightly. "I did have a half brother named Germanicus and it is true that I am verra well versed in necromancy."

Branwyn nodded slowly. Shikarou smiled. "He wanted to ensure that I wasn't an enemy of his that he'd lost track of. Sometimes that sort of thing can happen in a millennium of life, or so I've been told."

"Aye, that it does, lad." Eoghan smirked. "I've had foes that I thought long dust pop up from the past and hurt me and mine. I willna have that sort of thing happening if I can prevent it. Ye'd been peaceable enough when ye visited me court, so I thought to try a peaceful approach to ye."

Branwyn glanced at Dorothea and rose. "I'm glad to meet you, but I suspect my presence here will only make things more difficult."

"Aye, lass, it would, but yer a damn site better to look at than he is."

"But I'm quite happy with him."

"Ah. Lass, ye do a man proud." He watched the Unicorn leave the room before glancing back at Shikarou. "Yer name's silly as hell, but ye have good taste in women." Eyes flicked up to Dorothea. "What aboot that one?"

"She's mine. Heart and soul. So is everyone else you'll meet here."

"Pity. A spot of diversion could be just what's best for a man."

"I can hire you a whore."

"I thankee lad, but as far as those go, I can catch me own. Ye like em feisty and so do I." He shook his head abruptly. "Now where were we?"

"What do you know about magic using undead?"

"I have to go out tonight and I'll be taking minimal security." Shikarou's tone brooked no argument.

Of course, that meant that Branwyn wanted to argue with him. Her eyes flashed. "Define minimal." The room stilled as the various members of the harem turned to listen. Everyone had been spending more time out of storage as the second month here wound down and even Giselle and Ayame were here, since Kasumi was out with her family at a movie.

His ears went flat for a heartbeat. "Helen and Bellona."

If it was an attempt at compromise, it didn't work. The Unicorn shook her head. "I want you to take someone with teleport."

Helen tried to play peacemaker. "I've got a lot of stuff I need to work on, Nabiki's got that celebration at the school and she's got to bring food and there's that stuff Akane promised to," she broke off as Shikarou turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "I would of course be more than happy to drop all of that back on the people it belongs to and guard you."

He smiled faintly. "Good." He turned back to Branwyn. "I've told you who I want. Make it happen."

"I still want you to take someone with teleport," she snapped acidly. Giselle's mouth made a moue in shock.

"I could just sneak out and go alone," he replied calmly. "Or I could pokeball everyone here and go by myself. Of course, if I get into trouble at that point, you won't be able to help until Kasumi lets you out."

"Why them?"

He smiled. "Ah, now you ask a question. First, they can do the job. Even though Helen's never been in the guard rotation, I know she's been training for it and Bellona is a consummate professional."

"You said first. That means there is a second."

"When armored up, Bellona could be confused with an oni, as could Helen. Bringing oni bodyguards to this meeting will impress the person I'm meeting."

"Take Pythia, then."

"Even though she's changed, she still looks foxlike enough to be confused with a kitsune and those mischief makers won't be welcomed tonight."

"Who are you meeting?"

He frowned slightly. "I'm not completely sure, but he's a powerful kami and I'm not in a position to make demands of him anymore than I already have."

Branwyn sighed. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Why didn't you tell me about talking to Cologne about what could be done to ease Shampoo out of Ranma's life or the chat you had with Ukyo?" His ears flicked. "Or the plans you had for Kodachi Kuno before Dorothea warned me you were contemplating murdering her and I had to step in."

She flushed slightly but didn't back down. "I didn't want to bother you with any of that until I knew if it would work. What about you?"

He nodded. "The truth is that I'm not sure anything good is going to come out of this meeting and it was at a very short notice." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "And I think I'm getting just a bit tired of living in the Tendo's backyard where we can be disturbed whenever Ranma and Akane have a fight. Akane's just about moved in here and I think it's starting to make me cranky."

Circe smirked. "Kasumi's been giving her good advice and she likes being able to get away from them. This is good for both."

"I know. However, I want this tent searched from top to bottom before we leave. She stays here. Everyone else does too."

Branwyn patted his knee. "It's been good for her. She's getting more used to the idea of sex."

"As long as it's with Ranma." Shikarou rose abruptly. "And start locking the door to the tent at night. Last night, I caught Genma rummaging through the kitchen for food."

Helen's head came up and her eyes narrowed. "I made a chocolate cake last night and this morning it was missing. I thought you had taken it for you and Nanu to eat, so I didn't say anything about it. Do you think that," she hesitated, and then her mouth firmed, "that … person … took my food, without so much as a bye your leave?"

"I never saw it. I'd have told you if I took it, and feeding Nanu a lot of sugar during sex is the last thing I'd want to do. She falls asleep soon afterward." The Mini-Top glared at him as laughter sounded. He glanced around the room quickly. "Did anyone from here take it?"

Helen rose up to watch the denials. "I'm going to set traps in the kitchen, I swear I will."

Shikarou shrugged. "Just make sure they're non-lethal. Oh and cold water would be counterproductive. While hard to believe, he eats even more as a panda. Giselle, please warn Kasumi that the kitchen may become a battlefield for a while at night."

The Pegaslut smiled. "Yes, sir, I will. I think I'll stockpile some food in our room, too."

Shikarou took a deep breath before giving Branwyn a sideways glance. "Dorothea instead of Helen," he said quietly.

His wife visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

Bellona turned and climbed powerfully as she made her way back over where Shikarou waited patiently. The night sky was overcast and completely hid her form from view. She twitched her tail and changed direction a few degrees she passed overhead.

As she flew, she opened herself to the night. The wind swept through her, cleansing her, sweeping away all emotions until she felt no hope, no fear. Until nothing at all was left, but a willingness to fight. Her teeth bared in a silent snarl at any of her family's foes.

The night was so dark that it even hid Dorothea's white wings as she also circled nearby, on standby to attack an enemy or defend her Tamer. She had to force herself not to touch her weapons over and over to reassure herself of their readiness.

In her mind, she could feel his bond with her. He was like a rock, and she took comfort in his strength even as she feared for his wellbeing.

Shikarou stood in a relaxed posture, one he could keep for hours without the slightest motion. His breathing was deep and slow and his eyes constantly swept the area in front of him. His mind was open and he combined what he heard, smelled and saw into a gestalt that immediately alerted him when the smallest thing changed.

Because of this, he immediately came alert when the very rocks around him began to slowly breathe a heavy mist into the air. It swelled and quickly filled the entire area with a thick fog that clung to everything it touched. In less than a minute, Shikarou could feel water starting to bead on his skin.

The fog thinned in front of him to reveal a dim figure several yards away. "Have you brought what I asked for?" Its voice swirled around Shikarou with the vapor, caressing his skin with a greasy eagerness like some obscene lover.

Shikarou fought an urge to wipe his face. "I have. Do you have what I want?"

"I do."

"Will you trade for it as we agreed?"

"That remains to be seen." The figure moved slightly. "You are young and yet have an impressive amount of power. I would like a taste of your flesh."

"That wasn't part of the price."

"I would make it worth your while." The figure moved forward slowly. Its skin gleamed wetly in the mist and rhythmic contractions seemed to start at the head and crawl down its body and into the ground. There were no legs, instead it was solid from the hips to the rock it seemed to ooze over. "I have something that you want, although you know it not."

Shikarou's ears went flat for an instant. "I don't know you have it or I don't know I want it?"

"Both, I think." Its forward movement ceased. "I have this." An ornate silk ribbon fluttered into the air and hovered between them. "Crafted by and from the greatest oni mages, whoever wears this is undetectable by man or god." It bubbled a wet laugh. "Once, I was counted amongst the kunitsukami and there was no greater spy anywhere. A millennia ago, I used this to walk unseen through the western demon courts while they planned their defenses against us." Shikarou realized with a start that the oni was speaking about the skirmishes with the Sidhe.

"It is quite an item. Why offer it to me?"

"You are of us and yet not from us, so you will be able to command it. I cannot keep it and I cannot bear to destroy it. Yet, if it does not pass from me, when I come back into prominence with what you give me this night, the kunitsukami will remember that I have it and they will seek to take if from me. If they can prove I still have it, they will kill me to retrieve it. You will take it away with you and, therefore, it will not be used against me."

Shikarou made no motion towards the ribbon. "What price?" His voice was blandly disinterested.

"One of your fingers would suffice nicely." The pulsations started becoming more frequent. "I once was solid and your flesh will allow me to be so again."

"I offer the little finger from my right hand, with only the life that it has within it. Nothing less and nothing more."

The pulsations froze for an instant. "Done."

"Let us complete our first trade." Shikarou offered up a silk scroll. "Here is my part."

The scroll lifted from his hands and drifted towards the figure, passing a second scroll which settled lightly into his grip. "Here is my part. This trade is complete."

Shikarou opened the scroll and scanned it quickly. "I agree that this trade is complete." He put the scroll inside his pack and pulled out two squares of silk. "Are you ready for the second trade?"

The air vibrated for an instant. "Oh, yes, I am," the air whispered against his skin.

Shikarou pulled a tanto from inside his haori. Gritting his teeth, he severed the finger into one of the squares. The only noise was the sound of the knife scraping through the joint. Quickly, he wrapped his hand in the second square. He stepped back as he put the knife away. "Here is my part."

The ribbon settled down in his hands as the silk wrapped around the finger and vanished. "Here is my part. I agree that this trade is complete."

Shikarou nodded. "I agree that this trade is complete."

Without another word, the figure faded back into the mist, which immediately began to clear. Dorothea came plunging through the thinning fog and feathered to a hover before dropping lightly to the ground in front of Shikarou as he put the ribbon into his pack.

She grabbed him. "Are thou all right, my lord? Thou disappeared from sight and I couldn't locate thee for a teleport rescue." Quickly she patted him down to see if anything was wrong. Her face went white when she grasped his hand and blood squished out of the improvised bandage. "My lord, what happened to thee?" Healing energy washed over his hand as she spoke.

"It's ok. I've lost a finger, but I'll be all right. Between you, me and Candace, I'm sure we can fix it."

Dorothea gave him a slightly amused look as she relaxed a tiny bit. "I think that I should bring Candace to thee, for if I bring thou to her, thou will arrive disoriented from the barrage of healing spells that each member of thine harem will apply when they see us."

Bellona flared into a landing nearby and rushed over as her wings faded out. "Are you ok? You disappeared." She frowned. "You smell of blood. Where are you hurt?"

"See, my lord. She means well, as will they all."

Shikarou chuckled and grasped Bellona's hand with his uninjured one. "You've convinced me. Get Candace and, while you're there, tell Branwyn what's happened or she's likely to follow you back."

"Explain." Bellona gave him a severe look as Dorothea vanished.

He shook his head slowly. "You know, sometimes I think I am entirely too easy on my harem."

The DragonQueen's lips curved in a gentle smile. "For what it's worth, I agree with you. However, the pattern is already set, so explain."

Shikarou rolled his eyes. "Remind me to start regular beatings in the harem."

Bellona giggled and looked startled. "Only you could get me to make that disgusting noise."

"What is so funny?"

"I was just thinking that if you are serious, I'll be glad to help." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Don't change the subject."

"Now you sound like Branwyn."

She fought a smile. "Thanks, I think. Remember, someday I might want to be more like her, so sounding like her isn't a bad start." She blinked. "Damn, you did it again."

Shikarou gave her an innocent look. "I was just asking some questions."

"And carefully not answering mine," she retorted.

"I'm missing the little finger on my right hand." He shrugged. "The oni offered me a chance to purchase something that could be very interesting and the price was that finger."

"It'll grow back, right?" He hesitated and she saw it. "Right?"

Shikarou sighed. "I think it will." He grimaced at her look. "I made an agreement with the oni to trade a finger for the item. It was a magical agreement between magical beings and if the magic interprets our agreement as being that the oni gets my finger absolutely, mine may not grow back."

"I thought you were going to meet a kami?"

"So did I. It turns out that the oni used to be a kami at one time and I think it wants to be a kami once again. That's why it wanted the finger. It'll probably use it as a template to grow a new body."

"Won't it become a hybrid like you?" Bellona carefully unwrapped his injured hand and looked it over. She glanced up at him and started licking the wound clean.

"Probably, but since it doesn't understand what I am, it won't access those powers except by accident. Kami and oni vary so much from individual to individual that its differences will never be recognized." He shook his head gently. "If you bothered to wear clothes, you'd have something you could wipe that with."

"If I wore clothes, you wouldn't let me do this." She gave him a quick smile and went back to cleaning his hand. "I like the way you taste."

"Darling, are you aware that's very erotic?"

She gave him an innocent smile. "Really? Does that mean you want me to stop?" She waited a heartbeat. "I'll take that as a no." She went back to carefully cleaning the blood from his hand.

Dorothea appeared with Candace in her arms. A second later, Branwyn also appeared. She quickly released Yushiko and Lorelei, who darted into the air. "Pythia's keeping the lid down at the Tendo residence," she muttered to him. She gave Bellona a glare. "I see you've failed utterly as a bodyguard."

Bellona straightened up and offered the hand to Candace as she looked at Branwyn. "He didn't need me as a bodyguard and if you have a problem with it, take it up with him before you start anything with me."

Branwyn glanced at his groin and shook her head. "That's a waste of time. Well, Candace?"

The NurseJoy was peering closely at his wound. "I'm using regen on it and I think it's working, but I'm not sure." She glanced up. "I know that's a crappy answer, but I've never seen an injury respond like this. The bleeding should have stopped by now. I think it's slowing, but it shouldn't be flowing at all, considering what I'm doing to it."

"Care to explain what this whole meeting was about?" Branwyn slipped her arm through his uninjured one.

"I'd like to wait for a bit and see how some tests come out first."

"And if I insist?"

"I think I'll still wait."

She sighed. "Then I'll wait too. Was it worth the price, even if your finger doesn't grow back?"

"If it's what I'm looking for, I'd give the whole arm for it, forever."

She nodded. "I hope it's worth it."

"So do I, my love, so do I."

Candace looked critically at the finger. "I'm still not sure what happened. You wouldn't heal for almost two weeks. It wouldn't even stop bleeding. Then, this morning, it's fine and you have a whole finger instead of an oozing stump." A suspicious look was shot in his direction. "Do you have any sort of idea what might have taken place?"

Shikarou shook his head. "Not a clue." He sighed and pulled a scalpel out of the little medical kit his NurseJoy carried everywhere. "Shall I do the honors?"

Candace gave him a disgusted look. "It just stopped bleeding and you want to open it up again. Give it here." She made a careful slice in the pad of his finger, cutting just shallowly enough to draw blood. "Didn't removing your finger hurt when you did it?"

"It did." He watched the wound quickly shut. "Do you think we need to remove the finger and see if it'll grow back again?"

"I think you need your head examined for the suggestion." She rubbed her eyes. "Once we get back to the clinic, I'll draw some blood and send it off to Poppet and the lab in Ireland for independent analysis." She glanced at him. "Any idea when I'll have the opportunity? We've been here almost three months."

"Kasumi needed to make sure that Happosai wasn't going to suddenly pop back into sight and start murdering her family again. I think she's about ready to go."

"Is that likely? Him coming back, I mean." Candace sat up and placed a hand on his forehead. "Where did Circe take his body?"

"She stashed it until she could take me that night, and we dropped the body into a volcano. I watched him burn completely to ash. He won't be back without reincarnation and that takes time."

"Is that likely?"

"Not really. Japanese are almost all Zen Buddhists and, as a group, they don't believe in reincarnation. Rebirth occurs during the physical life or not at all."

"I thought Buddhists believe in reincarnation."

He nodded. "Many do, but like Christianity, there are many different denominations of Buddhism. They all travel towards the same destination, but each walks an individual path."

"Oh. That's neat. Which denomination are you?"

Shikarou grimaced. "I'm not Buddhist. Even though the Japanese gods are, for the most part, Shinto in origin, that fact was a source of trouble during my time at court."

"So he's gone."

"Yes. He's dead and as buried as he's going to get. I've managed to do the stuff I was hoping to while here, so now, as soon as Kasumi is satisfied that he's not coming back, we're going home."

"Why are you up here?"

Shikarou looked over his shoulder at the cloaked figure. "Good evening, Kasumi. I'm on the roof because it's raining." The glow from the streetlights reflected in twisting lines from the water running down her cloak.

She settled down next to him and rested her body against his. "Oh, good, you're warm." Kasumi pulled the cowl of her hood forward slightly as the wind blew the rain in a different direction. "Your explanation doesn't make sense."

"Ranma and Genma won't come up here while it's raining because they don't want to transform. Akane won't come up here because Ranma is not here, so she's got no reason to. Nabiki is still waiting for me to demand some price for not telling the others that she's got a soft spot for her family, so she doesn't want to be alone with me." He turned to look over the city. "And I can't be alone in my tent."

"Should I leave?"

"No. You're fine." He rolled his shoulders slowly. "Roisin is guarding me for the first time, so I'm not encouraged to leave the property and get away from her backup."

"Does any of that explain why you're not wearing rain gear?"

"The fact that I'm feeling contrary might."

"That, it would."

They were silent for several minutes before Kasumi spoke. "This has been my home for the vast majority of my life. I never really thought I'd leave it. Then I did, and not for very long; but when I return, not only has it changed but I have as well. I have a new home now and I want to return to it."

"We can leave within the hour, if you'd like."

She turned to face him. "How long have you been ready to go?"

"A while." He glanced at her. "It's only really become an issue since I realized your scent has changed."

"Has it?" She smiled in the semi-dark. "I didn't realize that. I wasn't ready to say anything. I'm still not. How long have you known?"

"I noticed it two days ago."

Kasumi nodded. "How do you feel about it?"

"Punching my father in the nose comes to mind. This is his fault."

"I assure you, it is not," she replied in a shocked voice.

He blinked and a low chuckle sounded from him. "Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound that way. It's because of the blessings he gave Poppet and me."

Her face tilted slightly and she got a distant look as she accessed her twee. "Oh my. I see what you mean." A sculpted eyebrow rose slightly. "Is that all you feel about this?"

He recognized that dangerous tone once again hidden in pleasant words and laughed quietly. "I've been thinking about it for two days and I'm pleased." He glanced at her. "It will mean that your Taming journey will be over."

"I was never on one," she took his hand. "I'm going to study magic and help you found that school. I only wanted a couple of pokegirls to help protect me and Giselle. Will you stand in for the ones I don't have?"

"I will have to deal with Eoghan and his lot. There's no guarantee that will end well. After that," he shrugged. "After that there's nothing that I need to do that I can't do on Caomh Sith instead of on the road."

Her hand tightened. "I know who I think will win," she said simply, "and since I'm Kasumi and I know things, don't you dare prove me fallible."

"Then I don't have anything to worry about, now do I?"

She smiled and nodded. Then the smile faded away and was replaced by a frown. "How are the others going to take this?"

"Are you going to tell your father?"

Kasumi shook her head. "Not just yet. I'll wait and let him know when we come back."

"That's good. I wouldn't want him to have to take to his bed again." Shikarou looked thoughtful. "I've been thinking about that as well, for the last two days. I think there will be some jealousy in the short term but that overall everyone in and out of the harem will be pleased."

She relaxed. "I was concerned about trouble."

"My harem is filled with some exceptional people. I suppose they might give other Tamers a rough time, but they are almost perfect for me." He made an odd sound, sort of like boulders rubbing together. "I came to the pokegirl world laboring under a misconception that it was a different type of place entirely, so I could get away from my mother and her machinations." The sound was repeated. Kasumi decided it was a sort of growl and an expression of amusement at the same time. "I was also running from my memories of Pallaius and I guess I was also trying to run from myself." He blinked rainwater from his eyes. "I went there intending to die."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Instead, I found myself stuck with more personal responsibilities than I've ever had. I think I rose to the challenge admirably. I've built a home and maybe a place where pokegirls can be a little freer than they can be anywhere else. Of course, they also have more expected from them, so I guess that could be considered a wash."

"You still need to build me, and the rest of your family, a true home. I think it'll have to be a pretty large one, too, unless you're planning on getting rid of some of your harem."

"I'll let them make the choice."

She pursed her lips in amusement. "Then, my dear husband, we are going to have to build us a mansion."

(07/04/99 0200 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The spattering raindrops had become a deluge that drenched the landscape. Thunder rumbled distantly and lightning split the night as the portal opened. Shikarou stepped through with Nanu close behind.

"Fuck. I can't bloody believe this!" The suddenly drenched Mini-Top made a rude gesture at the uncaring sky. She made the same gesture at her Tamer before turning and trudging back through the opening.

It had been a bright and sunny day at Jusenkyo.

Shikarou ignored the pouring rain as he looked around. The early morning sky swallowed up any available light. The normally bright twinkle of the porch lamps at the inn was just a tiny point of light in the storm, vanishing in each lightning flash and reappearing when the eyes adjusted back to the night.

Several minutes passed before cloaked and hooded figures emerged from the gate. One of them offered him a cloak, which prompted a grin. "Do you really think I can get any wetter if I don't wear it?"

Branwyn gave him an exasperated look. "Suit yourself. Let's go to the inn and dry off." Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed off, following Nanu. The Mini-Top had turned and headed for the inn immediately, not even slowing down when she came through the gate.

Shikarou turned to Kasumi. "Well?" Behind her, Giselle eyed him warily. From her expression she'd decided that apparently he'd finally cracked completely.

His wife laughed and peeled off her cloak to twine her arm through his. "I am home."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 73

Unicorn Branwyn 66

Milktit Helen 62

G-Spliced Pythia 60

DragonQueen Bellona 59

NurseJoy Candace 58

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 57

Seraph Dorothea 55

Vampire Elizabeth 53

Sphinx Lorelei 51

Mini-Top Nanu 50

Wet Elf Roisin 42

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym

Name: Urufu, Kasumi

Age: 20

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 20

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer N

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder N

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Pegaslut Giselle 35

Drow Zee Ayame 28

Alpha Giselle

Beta None

Badges: Scotland:

Ireland:

England:

Wales:


	42. Chapter 42

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr (SPAM) ). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.

The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr (SPAM) . Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.

Chapter 42

(07/04/99 1600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

"Brother, I thought I should mention at this point that I think I've seen smaller gyms than what you're marking out." Faelan clapped his brother on the back. "Is this monstrosity going to be your home or are you building some kind of fortress that you can evacuate the entire island into?"

Branwyn shot him a look which suggested that he might want to go somewhere else as Shikarou smiled easily. "If you think it looks big now, just wait until we put a second floor on it along with a basement underneath."

Nanu nudged her alpha. "Kneecap?" she whispered as a finger teased the butt of her pistol.

"Don't tempt me," the Unicorn muttered back. Raising her voice, she continued. "Faelan, we've carefully calculated just how much room we're going to need. It's as big as it needs to be and no more."

"Prickly today, aren't they?" Faelan shook his head. "I was just making an observation."

"On something that's none of your business." Shikarou turned to face his brother squarely. "Did I say anything at all about the house you're building for you and your family? No. It sounds like Branwyn doesn't feel you should be here voicing your opinion on ours."

Faelan raised his hands defensively. "All right, all right, I'll stop with the comments." His ears flicked. "How did your project go?"

Shikarou chuckled. "Ah, the real reason for your visit. Would you believe that there is an analogue of our foe there and I spoke with him at length?"

"If anyone other than you said that, no, I probably wouldn't believe it. What did he say?" He blinked. "Never mind, this isn't the forum. Inside your tent would be more secure."

"That's right." Shikarou nodded sagely. "We'll talk about it after dinner this evening. However, I will admit that the visit proved productive on several levels. What about your mission?"

"Not so much." Faelan grimaced. "She's not willing to divulge the location of the headquarters. I think it's more of a habit than anything else. Darkness knows she won't be going back to it anytime soon."

Shikarou frowned and glanced around before dropping his voice. "I don't really have the time or patience to let Ygerna stonewall me for long. Ask her again. Be creative."

"I'll see what I can do. What about you? Maybe a nice ruler to ruler heart to heart would work where my approach hasn't."

"If I have to ask her, I'm likely to be insistent." He rolled his shoulders in a loose shrug. "I know she'll heal and I'm not likely to take no for an answer."

"She'll try to use Svetlana and the other Celestials to stop you," Faelan warned. "They won't like torture. Not to mention, she still has her guards."

Shikarou gave him a flat look. "I do believe I said I wouldn't be willing to take no for an answer. I don't care if she invokes Danu herself. I will have that information and, since she's the only source of it right now, I'll get it from her. However, thanks for reminding me about her guards. I might be willing to use Marcus as an example of what she has to look forward to if she proves stubborn."

Branwyn gave her husband a bland look. "While I would probably enjoy watching you carve things off of Marcus more than is considered healthy, Circe and Stardust may prove useful in getting Ygerna to divulge that information without having to torture her."

"I know." Shikarou smiled slightly. "I'll try them first, but I'm going to get that information." He blinked and his eyes narrowed. "There just may be another way after all."

When he was silent for several moments, Branwyn poked him in the shoulder. "Hey, don't forget we're here. What?"

He blinked. "Sorry, I was planning. I was thinking there may be a way to lure one of the enemy here, or at least somewhere where we can get our hands on him. Then, I can ask him where they are staying."

Faelan frowned. "I think I know who you have in mind and I want to know just how are you going to do that? Send him mail?"

A grin teased the edges of Shikarou's mouth and his eyes gleamed. "I think that would be an excellent idea. I'll just send him an invitation."

(07/06/99 1300 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent, 0700 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Shapely fingers ran through her blue curls as Samantha eyed herself critically in the mirror. "About time for a trim," she said to herself. She cocked her head. "On the other hand, Bellona mentioned that Shikarou likes his pokegirls with long hair. Maybe I should consider growing it out a bit." A quick flash of a smile. "I wouldn't want it as long as Branwyn's but maybe shoulder length or so would be nice."

The smile vanished. She sighed and settled her cap on her head. "What was I thinking when I agreed to join his harem? Nobody wants pokewomen, they all want pokegirls. I'm too old for him to really want me and I'm sure he'd be happier with someone younger. The last thing I want is a pity Tamer." She paused for one last quick look over her uniform in the mirror and flicked off a piece of lint before turning and heading for the door.

She was locking up her house when she realized that someone was standing somewhere behind her. Squelching an urge to whirl, she finished and casually turned, her hand drifting to the elemental pistol that had become a standard part of the uniform for every police officer since the attack.

If anything, her unease grew when she realized who it was, although she forced her hand from the gun. It wouldn't do any good in this case. Ok, it might make her feel better, but that would be about it.

The OfficerJenny forced a smile. "I was just thinking about you. Did your mystical powers tell you, so you could come here to see me?"

When Shikarou didn't return the smile, she grew more worried. He looked, she noted, even more unhappy than she felt. "I only wish I was here for something that simple."

A twinge of fear shot through her and she fought not to let it show. "I understand. You realized that you made a mistake." She held out her hand. "I won't hold it against you. I'm just too old."

He eyed her hand for a second with a puzzled look and then his eyes lightened and he smiled slightly. "Oh, no, I'm not here for that. I still want you in my harem. No, I'm here to warn you." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There will be an Indigo League representative arriving here sometime this afternoon to see you. I'd have come earlier, but I just found about it myself."

Samantha gave him an odd look as something inside her relaxed slightly. "So? They've been coming by off and on since the attack."

He nodded. "Yes, but this one is coming for a specific reason." He hesitated for a heartbeat. "She's bringing your replacement along with her."

Her confusion deepened. "My replacement? What are you talking about? I'm not retiring for several years yet."

Shikarou hesitated again. "Samantha, the League representative is coming to sack you."

When she only looked mystified, he frowned for a second. "Damn, I forget that while English is the common language, slang doesn't always cross regional barriers." His mouth firmed. "The Indigo League finalized its report on the attack by the Limbec Pirates here on Phallus. They'll release it to the general public in three days and they want to be seen as being proactive in dealing with what it concludes."

For an instant, her heart seemed to stop and then the blood slowly drained from Samantha's face as she realized what he was getting at. "They're going to blame us, aren't they?" It came out as a hoarse whisper.

He nodded unhappily. "The report will conclude that you were insufficiently prepared and unresponsive to the changing environment, which allowed the pirates to take the town and sack it. You're going to be their scapegoat; the report refers to you by name."

"What about the rest of my people?" Shikarou understood the question she was really asking and answered it.

"It's considered that without your guidance, they might have done a better job of defending the town. They're safe."

Samantha swayed slightly as the import sank in. "I'm finished," she whispered to herself. "I'll never work again after that report comes out. My career is over." She stared at Shikarou blankly. "I've been a police officer since I was fifteen. What do I do now?"

He gave her a grim smile. "You'll come and work for me, just like I planned. I've got a job that's perfect for you."

She stared at him in disbelief. "I don't really have any choice, now do I? What will I be doing?" she asked numbly.

"You'll be the Commander of the Caomh Sith Guard." He shrugged. "It's smaller than the Phallus police force, but I expect it'll be growing rapidly in a couple of years."

She shook her head. "I'm going to be cashiered in disgrace, Shikarou. I'll just be a hindrance for you after that."

He took her hand. "No, that's the job I want you for and I know you'll do an exemplary job of it. Molly, who is the current commander, is ready to quit and she's already vacated the commander's office in preparation for your arrival. She'll be your executive officer while you get up to speed and then she wants to go back into the field."

A question trickled through Samantha's wall of despair. "You said the report hasn't been released yet. How do you know what it's going to say?"

A quick grin flashed across his face and he motioned to the blonde pokegirl standing nearby. "Before we continue, let me introduce you to Dorothea."

Samantha frowned. "She's your Seraph. I've pulled your records. What about my question?"

"I wanted to introduce Dorothea because a Seraph is a sign that I'm a good, law abiding citizen."

"Oh, really? I happen to know that a Seraph is a sign that you're willing to go on great quests and that, otherwise, she doesn't really care what you do." Samantha's eyebrows rose. "How did you know? It was something illegal, wasn't it?"

He smiled. "Did you know that the Planetary League Council was put into place to deal with inter-league disputes because the various leagues don't allow prosecution for the breaking of other league laws within their lands?"

Samantha folded her arms. "I do," she stated flatly. "Is your little digression pertinent to this explanation?"

"I think so."

"Then proceed."

"So, while an action that happens in one league might be considered illegal, in another league it's not necessarily so; even if it involves or happens to the equipment or personnel of the first league, correct?"

"It is. Where are you going with this?"

"Then, with that understanding, no, I haven't broken any laws of the Indigo League in getting this information."

She frowned. "If this action had taken place within the Indigo League, would it have been illegal?"

He shrugged. "It didn't and I broke no laws of the Blue League in what I did. Anything else is speculation for the act did not occur within the confines of the Indigo League."

"What the hell did you do?" Samantha suppressed an urge to shake him violently. "Just tell me."

"I hacked the Indigo League's central computers." He stepped back and raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't do anything wrong!"

Samantha realized that she'd instinctively pulled her handcuffs from their holder. "Shikarou, it's illegal to hack a League computer system." Her eyes narrowed. "You know what I'm going to have to do."

"Wait just a moment. While I freely admit that in the Blue League it is illegal to hack the Blue League's computers, and in the Indigo League it's illegal to hack the Indigo League's computers, it is not illegal in the Blue League to hack the Indigo League's systems."

She stopped and frowned. "I think that's right." She smiled sweetly. "So, have you hacked the Blue League's computers?"

"You aren't an officer of the Blue League and don't have the authority to ask that question."

Samantha blinked. "You're good." A grudging smile appeared. "Will I be an officer of the Blue League if I become this Guard Commander?"

He nodded. "You will. In fact, you'll be the senior officer on my island, answerable only to me and the League."

"When I take this post, will I be able to arrest you then for hacking the Blue League's computers?"

He nodded. "You will, if you find any evidence that I've been doing something like that."

She gave him an amused look. "So I can if I find proof, I can arrest you. I'm not going to find any, am I?"

Shikarou smiled confidently. "No. I do not believe you will find any evidence that I've been hacking the Blue League's computers."

"Will that be because you haven't done anything or because I won't be able to find any proof of your activities?"

He shrugged. "I don't engage in speculation. Without any evidence, no crime has been committed. That's how law works."

She put her handcuffs away. "Do you have any answer to why I suddenly feel that my moral compass is spinning in circles?"

Behind him, Dorothea suddenly chuckled. His ears flicked in annoyance. "Why does that question keep coming up?"

(07/06/99 1630 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent, 1030 Phallus Town, Indigo League)

Samantha stood waiting as she watched the airship move into a landing pattern and the ground crew rushed into position. It had radioed ahead several minutes ago and she'd detailed herself to meet it.

She'd been careful to make sure that everyone else was busy, not so much as to keep them from seeing her disgrace, but instead so that her replacement would see that every hand was needed and not go dismissing her people in a misguided attempt to control the situation.

Shikarou's revelation had been stunning and, while secretly she'd hoped that he was wrong, it had given her the opportunity to prepare for the blow. A part of her wondered if the League rep had deliberately hoped to shock her with her dismissal. It was unnecessarily cruel, but some people liked that sort of thing and many of them gravitated to jobs like this one.

Hatchetman.

Others of that ilk gravitated towards service with the Teams, which didn't give her a high opinion of the whole group.

She pulled her attention away from the woolgathering that had been going on and watched as the airship was lashed down and the engines spun to a halt.

Three figures emerged from the cabin slung under the airship. One of them immediately started talking with the ground crew captain. That would be the pilot. The other two looked around and made a Buzzbreast line for her, as soon as they realized that she was there.

Samantha was surprised to note that both of them were humans, and hope stirred slightly in her breast. It died when they approached close enough to see that the man wore the badge of the Indigo League police on his chest. They must suddenly rate highly if they were getting a human and a male chief now. It was probably due to the presence of Professor Stroak, she suddenly realized.

The woman leading the man was hard faced with thin lips set in a humorless line. Agate eyes roamed over Samantha with an arrogant superiority that made the OfficerJenny's eyes narrow in response. This was the kind of person she'd normally run for priors if she'd ever got a chance. "You're the chief," she snapped in a flat, slightly nasal voice.

Samantha responded coolly. "I am. Everyone else is busier than I am, so I came down to greet you myself." A glimmer of respect dawned in the man's eyes and a sudden recklessness rose in her. She ignored the official for a moment and offered her hand to the man. "You'll be my replacement, then."

He blinked in surprise and nodded as he clasped her hand. "I'm Linus Deverou." Close up, he looked competent and two pokeballs graced his belt, indicating he might understand about working with pokegirls. Silently, she offered up a quick prayer that he was good Tamer and not one of the beasts.

"What makes you think we're here for that?" The woman almost snarled.

Suddenly, Samantha was very grateful to Shikarou for his warning. She smiled at the rep without any warmth. "I didn't think the league would send a representative out just to give me another policeman and they would have warned me about any inspection that would be taking place. Simple elimination suggests that means only one thing. He's here to replace me. The board of inquiry must have found me at fault."

"So you admit that you fucked up?"

The woman's eyes glittered with satisfaction as Samantha forced her fists to unclench. "I admit nothing of the sort. We did the best we could, but the pirates were well organized and knew exactly where to strike."

"Bullshit. You weren't prepared for any trouble and you got your ass handed to you." The woman's mouth worked briefly. "I'm Agent Tanya Montenegro and I'm with the League Office of Investigation." The LOI was the internal security organ of the Indigo League and one of their functions was conducting investigations into terrorist activity, which included the activity of the Teams as well as groups like the Limbec Pirates. "Let's go to your office."

Samantha nodded. "This way, please." She led them towards the bar where the police station was temporarily housed. "Linus, we haven't finalized the plans for the new police station, so you'll have the chance to put your stamp on things."

Deverou nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He glanced at the league rep and dropped his voice. "How many humans are on the Phallus force?"

"Including you?" She smiled when he nodded. "One." Her smile grew when he stumbled in surprise. "The rest of the force is OfficerJennys and Growltits. You will find yourself quite popular."

"Lovely." He didn't sound pleased. "So, I'm the only police Tamer here?" He sighed and rubbed his chin reflexively. "Never mind, I think I already know the answer to that question."

"They're a sharp group and they'll work hard to make your transition as smooth as possible. You still need some more help though, so start requesting it right away. I have two officers on loan from another department right now, but their tour will be up at the end of the month and they'll be going back to their home unit at that point."

He nodded. "I don't suppose there's any chance I could get them to stay for another tour?"

Samantha smothered a smile. "I'm not completely sure, but I don't think that's likely. They're here as a personal favor to me."

"Damn."

She shrugged. "There are some very good plans in the works to upgrade the defenses here, but we're still waiting on the League to allocate the funds. Maybe you can expedite that, now that you'll be in charge."

Linus nodded. "I'll do my best."

Once they were in Samantha's "office" in the rear of the bar, Tanya settled behind the desk and motioned for Linus to take a seat, leaving Samantha standing. "OfficerJenny Samantha, I have come to deliver the Indigo League's conclusion on the assault of Phallus by the terrorist organization known as the Limbec Pirates. You will, of course, stand at attention."

Samantha drew herself up. "Yes, sir," she snapped in a perfect academy voice.

"That's better." Montenegro leaned back in the chair and steepled her hands under her chin. "As you know, Phallus was assaulted, taken and looted by the Limbec Pirates without your force mounting any sort of effective defense. You were ill equipped to deal with them and unready for any sort of attack. While it has been some years since Phallus was raided by anyone, such a gross dereliction of duty is not going to go unnoticed or unpunished; an intensive investigation was launched to determine the root cause of the failure to withstand the pirate attack."

"The LOI has determined that the root cause of the failure of the Phallus police force to mount any credible defense of the town rests in the police chief and her blasé attitude towards a potential attack. That would be you, OfficerJenny Samantha," she added unnecessarily.

"Because of your ineffective leadership, the police of this town failed, not only in driving off the pirates, but in doing them any significant damage at all. Because of your incompetence, one of the most respected pokegirl researchers in the world was captured and threatened. His lab was looted and his very person was nearly violated. It's only divine favor that kept this from being much worse."

She smiled thinly. "Do you have anything to say in your defense, OfficerJenny Samantha?" She drew the name out as if it were something obscene.

Samantha realized that she was shaking with suppressed fury and fought to bring herself under control. "I don't suppose that the fact that the Indigo League didn't think we were a high priority for defensive emplacements would be a valid defense?"

"You were given all the resources necessary to defend this town." Tanya seemed cheerful for the first time. They were back to playing her game, by her rules. "It's your fault they weren't deployed in a fashion to make effective use of them."

"I don't suppose that the fact that the Indigo League wouldn't allocate me additional personnel is a valid defense, either?"

"You would be correct. Your police force was more than adequate for the task at hand."

Samantha's voice rose. "Yes, it was for policing Phallus but NOT FOR FENDING OFF A FUCKING SHIP FULL OF PIRATES!" Suddenly, she realized she was bellowing and took a deep, steadying breath.

Both Linus and Tanya appeared stunned at the outburst. Tanya recovered first. "You will not take that tone with me, OfficerJenny Samantha!"

A sudden calm swept over Samantha. She spoke calmly again. "You're going to fire me; get it over with, you bitch."

Tanya shot to her feet. "YOU WILL NOT TALK TO ME THAT WAY WHILE YOU WEAR THE BADGE OF THE INDIGO LEAGUE!"

Samantha smiled broadly. "Fine." She pulled her badge from her uniform and dropped it and her pistol on the desk. "I quit. Go fuck yourself." She turned to Linus. "Good luck." With parade ground precision, she did an about face and marched from the office, ignoring the screeching that started up behind her.

Shikarou was waiting outside the bar with a surprised look on his face. "That woman has a remarkable grasp of the English language. I don't think she's used the same curse twice." He gave her a quick once over. "How are you?"

"I have some personal possessions in my house, but the rest of it belongs to Phallus. We'll need to get them before we leave." Samantha kept her voice calm. "Can we go somewhere else? I don't want to give that person the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart." She looked around slowly. "I poured my life into this town, and my reward for everything I've done was to get fired by her." Grief began to fill her voice. "That's all I was worth."

Shikarou pulled a pokeball from his belt and released Bellona. "Bell, take Samantha to her house and help her collect anything she wants."

The DragonQueen nodded. "Where will you be?"

"I'll be around. Samantha needs some time alone." He gave both of them a wry smile. "I'll run interference for you until you're ready to leave."

Dorothea gave him a worried look. "No killing, my lord." Samantha blinked at the concern in the Seraph's tone. "Thou cannot help if thou are in jail."

Bellona grinned. "It'll also set a bad example for Samantha; and we all know you don't want to do that, now do you?"

"I'll try to keep any lawbreaking to misdemeanors." Shikarou frowned as Montenegro's voice began to grow louder. "Bell, Samantha, go."

Bellona spun Shikarou around and dug through the pack on his back, pulling a sack from it. "Ok." She nodded to Samantha. "Let's get out of here."

Samantha led her away as a whistling Shikarou headed into the bar. "What's in the bag?"

Bellona smiled. "Some clothes. Branwyn was worried that you wouldn't have any civvies. Shikarou had them because we didn't know who he'd release to help you pack."

Samantha blinked in surprise. "You know, I hadn't thought about that. I don't. I haven't worn any since I was fifteen."

"She's a good alpha."

"I'll remember to thank her." She started hurrying as the sounds of glass breaking began to come from inside the bar. A tiny grin appeared. "I'm suddenly glad I'm not the police chief anymore. I wouldn't want to be the one to try to arrest him."

Bellona laughed.

Shikarou stepped into the room and headed over to the bar, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and a pitcher of beer that the bartender was filling. "Ah, thank ye, lad." He glanced at Dorothea as he headed for the door and made himself comfortable in the middle of it. "Lass, pay the lad, would ye?"

The Seraph frowned and dug in a pocket for some money as she eyed her Tamer suspiciously. The yelling voice suddenly grew louder and Shikarou took a big gulp of the beer and sprayed it on the floor. "Ooch, lad, ye should pur this back inta the Ponytoor it came oot of." He threw the pitcher on the floor, where it exploded in shards of glass and beer that sprayed the room. Patrons cursed.

He pulled the stopper from the bottle and took a swig. "Now this wee bairn is more to me likin." He leaned against the doorway and chugged half the bottle as Tanya stepped into the room and promptly slipped and fell in the puddle of beer. Linus tried to grab her and she pulled him down with her.

They flailed around on the floor for a moment before Linus managed to clamber back to his feet. He offered the still cursing Tanya a hand which she ignored, finally managing to stand. "What the hell happened?" She shot the bartender a glare. He shrugged and pointed at Shikarou.

"He did."

Tanya surged towards the kami like a leviathan rising from the deep. "Out of my way, you idiot. You're blocking the door!" She glared at Linus. "When we catch that whore, I want her in irons! Do you hear me? Irons!"

Shikarou peered owlishly at her and then turned slightly and, raising the bottle of whiskey to in front of his face, spoke to it. "Noo lass, I ken tha the thins tha crewl from ye urnt purty, boot tha une's a right sceery." He turned back to Tanya as her face reddened. "I thin ye won the oogly ribbon." He grinned drunkenly. "Woorst o the lot, ye are." He wriggled his ears at her and leered. "Boot ye'll doo. Coom eer."

"YOU DRUNKEN BASTARD POKEBOY!" Tanya slapped him with all the strength in her body.

Dorothea, no tyro in hand to hand combat, winced as she heard at least one knuckle break.

Shikarou blinked, but otherwise didn't react as a handprint began to appear on his face and lines of blood started to trickle down from four nail marks in his cheek. "Noo, lass, is tha a wee to treat the one who'd drunk ye froom the bootle? Take thoot, ye beech." He upended the whiskey bottle over her head.

Whiskey cascaded down Tanya and over the floor as she screeched in shock which quickly turned to rage. "Arrest him!" She tried to point at Shikarou and turned white before suddenly cradling her broken hand.

There was a steely rasp as Dorothea drew her sword. "Thou did strike him first!" She turned to Linus. "I entreat thee, officer, to do thy duty and arrest that woman for assault."

Shikarou grinned drunkenly at the Seraph. "Lass, ye have noo need fer tha knife, poot it awooy." He smirked at Tanya. "I unnerstan tha sooch a oogly lass moost ha a timper." He frowned and leaned towards her. "Ooch, lass, yer all wet." A salacious grin appeared. "I ha tha affect oon woomin."

Tanya hopped backwards as if he were contagious and promptly slipped and fell once more.

Linus covered his face with his hands for a brief moment, but his eyes still gleamed with suppressed laughter as he turned to Dorothea. "I must ask, are you his pokegirl?"

She nodded slowly. "Aye."

He sighed with relief. "Can you take him somewhere else, anywhere, so I don't have to arrest him?"

Dorothea glanced at Shikarou and smiled as she saw an almost imperceptible nod. She sheathed her sword and squared her shoulders. "I'll try."

Linus shook his head slowly. "Does he get this drunk often?"

She shrugged. "I'm a Seraph."

"Oh." He nodded suddenly. "I guess he deserves it, then. Seraphs are a hard road to travel."

Dorothea carefully gathered Shikarou up, trapping his arms under hers before effortlessly lifting him up and moving slowly outside, being careful not to slip on the sodden floor.

Once outside, the Seraph summoned her wings and vaulted into the air, turning to climb and soar in the general direction of Samantha's house. "Lord, are thou well?"

"I'm fine, other than a little heartburn from the liquor." Shikarou hurled the bottle in direction of the bar and grinned as it smashed in front of the door. "Let's get our ladies and return whence we came."

Dorothea's arms tightened. "Lord, may I ask a boon of thee?"

He blinked. "You may. Ask and I'll have to consider it fully and then decide if I'll grant it."

"Would thou never try to sound like a Scot again? Even a drunken one?"

Shikarou managed to look offended.

(07/07/99 0830 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou looked around the room. "Samantha has asked for a full up demonstration of what we would do against pirates, so that's why we're going to be having this little exercise."

"If this is a full up drill, where's the rest of the harem?" Branwyn raised an eyebrow from where she sat. "There are only six of us."

"Seven." It was Candace. "I'll be involved as well, providing medical aid as needed."

Shikarou nodded. "Candace understands that she'll be just as much of a target as anyone else and has still insisted on playing today. I didn't want to use the full harem because this is an excellent chance to give Roisin another chance to mesh in combat; and because both Kasumi and Svetlana think something is going to happen soon. Neither knows what, but we've come to value their abilities to give us vague warnings about the near future."

Nanu chuckled. "Vague is right." She pulled her ears around into her lap and grinned. "Will I get to use my new rifle?"

"Of course you will."

Samantha frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm a trained sniper and I've recently been given an upgrade from a .50 caliber sniper rifle to a 25mm. I've used it in practice, but this will be my first time in the field, even if it's an exercise." She glanced at Shikarou. "I was supposed to get something really nice, but there's been a snag in production."

"Where did you find a 25mm rifle?" Samantha gave Shikarou a curious look. "I've never heard of it."

"Around 5 AS, a firearms company called Barrett deployed a 25mm sniper rifle. I've copied the plans and made the weapon a little more robust since Nanu can carry a lot more than a standard human."

"I'm surprised it's not forbidden tech."

Shikarou rubbed an ear and looked innocent. "Well, actually, I never asked what its status is," he said slowly. "The Blue League government is very busy and they have a tendency to knee jerk react negatively to a weapon that they feel that only a pokegirl could deploy."

Samantha shook her head. "That whizzing noise was my moral compass spinning again." She sighed. "Let me guess. It's currently not illegal and you're not going to give the Blue League the opportunity to outlaw it, right?"

"That's right." Helen grinned. "He believes that if you give a government a chance to try to regiment your life more, they'll always take it."

Dorothea cocked her head. "But in truth, did the government not lower thy taxes, my lord?"

"Yes, but I still have to give them money so they can tell me what to do."

The Seraph raised an eyebrow. "If taxes were voluntary, then no one would pay them and thou know it."

A slow smile appeared on Shikarou's face. "Wouldn't that kind of indicate a fundamental problem with taxation? I don't tax here. Instead, I charge a fee for the services that someone uses."

Branwyn made an annoyed noise. "I thought we were here to repel pirates, not to plot our secession from the Blue League."

Lorelei nodded. "She's right. We should only deal with one group of pirates at a time. Today, we're fighting the ones we're allowed to kill."

Samantha blinked in shock as Shikarou chuckled. "Now, the purpose of the exercise today is to let Samantha start to get an idea of what we're capable of here; so she can plan to use us to augment the Guard in an emergency. So we're supposed to cause maximum damage to the enemy while minimizing collateral damage."

Branwyn winced. "Remember what happened last time. I didn't think the arena would make the bodies be those of the people actually living here." She shuddered at a particularly gruesome memory. "Magic is neat, but sometimes very creepy."

Dorothea raised a hand. "Is our goal destruction of the enemy force or repulsion of it?"

Samantha frowned. "It's the same thing."

She is stupid. Roisin shot Samantha an annoyed look. Shikarou, tell her I said that she is stupid. Very stupid.

Helen giggled. "Samantha, that's not true." She gave Roisin an innocent look when the Wet Elf peered suspiciously at her. Roisin suspected Helen spoke Gaelic but still wasn't sure. If Helen did understand Gaelic, then she was doing a good job of hiding that fact from her harem sister. "If we are supposed to drive them off, sinking their ship close to shore is a very bad idea. The pirates tend to swim to land and be very upset. However, if we're supposed to destroy them, sinking their ship right away deprives them of their gun platform."

Candace grinned. "Now, setting the ship on fire is almost always a useful tactic, especially if you start a nice big blaze someplace vital. The vast majority of invaders tend to find other things becoming a priority at that point, once their ride starts to billow smoke."

Samantha looked a bit dazed. "You've got a Milktit spouting tactics and a NurseJoy who is advocating setting people on fire and doing it quickly."

"I said set their ship on fire, not them."

Nanu grinned. "Welcome to the Island of Misfit Pokegirls." Everyone else groaned.

"Misfit pokegirls? You've been waiting since we saw that show to say that, haven't you?" Shikarou turned a long suffering look on Samantha. "Yes, we're a bit odd, but face it, pokegirls are individuals and everyone is different. Candace doesn't think wholesale slaughter is usually good; but when it's necessary, she thinks we should go about it properly. After all, NurseJoys hate shoddy workmanship and it means she has to patch up fewer of her own family."

He turned a warm smile on Helen, who suddenly looked pleased. "And Helen is definitely unique; but then, how many pokegirls actually fall from the heavens to be with you?" She flushed red. "She's interested in battling and if I hadn't gotten her an Everstone, I'm sure she'd be a Minotaura by now."

"Why haven't you let her evolve?"

Helen's eyes narrowed belligerently. "It's my choice," she snapped, "and Shikarou has agreed to go along with it. Don't you get mad at him."

Branwyn patted Helen on the knee. "You need to take a deep breath and relax. She's not trying to take Shikarou from you."

Helen closed her eyes for a moment and when she reopened them, they glittered with amusement. "Samantha, I'm sorry about that."

The OfficerJenny looked confused but smiled gamely. "No offense taken, I assure you."

Shikarou flicked his ears. "Now, this exercise will mimic the attack on Phallus, so it'll be something similar to the Jet Diamond assault. The pokegirls will be primarily taken from the reports and records, with of course, some innovations to keep you on your toes." There was a collective groan and he nodded. "It also means that the exercise will take place at night." He flashed a grin as the groans sounded again. "Now, if you can guarantee me that the bad girls will only attack during the day, I'll," his grin appeared again, "continue to train everyone at night so we can take advantage of their stupidity."

"Why couldn't I have a lazy Tamer?" Nanu smirked. "Oh, that's right. I'd still be in storage."

Branwyn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "and we'd be much happier." She flushed slightly when Shikarou raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry." His eyebrows rose further and she took a deep breath and raised her voice. "I'm sorry, Nanu."

The Mini-Top eyed her for a second before nodding. "Thank you."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "Branwyn, you have the floor. Get them sorted out and let's be off."

She frowned. "What about you?"

"I'll be monitoring from the command post. I have no plans to enter any of the fighting."

"Good." She smiled as Circe teleported into the room in response to the Unicorn's mental summons. "Circe, you've got Shikarou."

The Alaka-Wham looked between Branwyn and Shikarou before bowing slightly to her alpha. "I'll take good care of him."

The Unicorn nodded. "Dorothea and Nanu, I'm with Helen. Lorelei, Roisin, you two are on independent ops." She turned to the Wet Elf. "I know you're still working to fit in with us, so keep your eyes open. You have a tendency towards tunnel vision and I want you to work on that. Shikarou will help." She glanced at the Sphinx. "Lorelei, you know what to do. Try not to pull your usual stunts, please. Candace, Shikarou will keep an eye on you and vector in any help if you need it." It was unsaid but understood that he'd send the NurseJoy where she needed to go.

She turned to her Tamer. "Repulse or destroy?"

"Repulse if possible, destroy if needed."

She nodded. "You heard our kami. Hit the armory and let's play."

Samantha watched them as they filed out. Shikarou smiled slightly. "Oh, and Branwyn?"

She turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"The attack has already begun."

"Shit! Run, girls!" The pokegirls poured out the room and vanished down the hall.

Circe chuckled. "That was cruel."

"The first rule of battle."

Samantha stirred. "What's that?"

"Battle plans usually don't survive contact with the enemy." He nodded towards the entrance to the room. "Shall we move to the command post? The battle will take place in the arena and we'll be using a replica of the command post there, but it's identical to the one we've built." He headed towards the door. "The real one is located in a vault in the basement under your office."

The command post was nicely furnished, with comfortable chairs and several computer stations. In the center of the room was a two meter wide holographic view of the area around Peacetown and the harbor. It showed everything in exacting detail and she jumped when the tiny pirate vessel erupted in smoke as it fired.

Samantha stared at it with a look of hunger. "You actually have this in operation in the real command post?"

"Yes. I've also licensed the technology to a manufacturing firm in New Avalon which will be making command stations like this as well as entertainment units for commercial sale."

"Is it real-time? That will make things much easier."

"I've got an observation and commo satellite parked eight hundred kilometers up just for that purpose." He frowned as the ship bellied against the pier. "Branwyn, they're dropping anchor and troops are starting to offload."

On the bluff overlooking the harbor, Branwyn looked at the assembled harem. "Remember, the goal is to drive them off if possible, so don't cripple the ship so much they can't get underway." She took Helen's hand as Lorelei vaulted into the air. "Go."

Dorothea grabbed Nanu and teleported to one of the gunpits cut into the bluff as a cannon round smashed into the inn. There were only a couple of completed buildings in view of the harbor and all of them had received at least a little attention from the attackers. The harbormaster's building was already half smashed and a wick of flame could be seen dancing in the wreckage.

The Seraph lifted her imaging binoculars as Nanu quickly assembled her rifle. "I'll let them know we're here first and start dividing them."

Dorothea glanced at her. "Thou need not explain the plan to me. Shoot."

Nanu sighed and bent to the scope. Nightvision turned the night into day. "Uh, the front mast thingy, halfway."

Dorothea chuckled as she trained her binocs on the site. "The foremast, Nanu."

"Whatever. Shot." The rifle bellowed. Nanu shifted and started scanning the ship for targets.

The 25mm high explosive dual purpose round flashed and the foremast began to bend around the impact point. "Thou broke it."

The Seraph quickly swept her binoculars over the ground to see if any pirates were headed their way as Nanu stopped shifting. "Helmsbabe." Dorothea trained her binocs as the rifle bellowed again.

Lorelei rolled and dove, her wings flashing briefly in the moonlight. There were yells from the group of pirates she'd targeted and a flurry of gunshots as well as a couple of powerful jets of water she had to quickly evade.

In situations like this, the harem was heavily outnumbered and Shikarou had stressed speed and mobility. Hit and run. She grinned as her claws glowed. Hit, she would. The Sphinx leveled out just above head height and used sabre claw to slash at anything in range as she whipped overhead. She climbed and jinked wildly to avoid the attacks which pulsed past her, licking the blood from her talons as she headed up to search for another group to maul.

In her wake, she left a half a dozen wounded and two dead or dying, along with severe terror as the survivors frantically scanned the night sky for her return. A return that wouldn't take place until they'd relaxed and started moving again.

A voice whispered in Branwyn's ear where she and Helen crouched amongst some rocks about ten meters from the end of the pier. I am in position.

"Roisin's ready." Branwyn and Helen stood quickly. The Unicorn cast a fireball spell that shot in an open gunport as Helen cast forceshield around them.

The gunports flashed yellow and the ship shuddered wildly as the fireball ignited bags of powder that had been readied for the barrage. Screams erupted from the gun deck and pirates already on the pier stared at the appearance of the two for a heartbeat before charging. The air filled with their screams of rage as they rushed forward. Energy flared and more material attacks bounced from the forceshield as the oncoming pokegirls tried to attack. Suddenly, the front ranks collapsed on the pier as Roisin used sing from beneath it.

The Wet Elf jumped up and grabbed the two closest foes, pulling them over the side and into the water. She swam quickly away, leaving their unconscious forms to be rescued or to drown.

Branwyn shot the pirates the finger and teleported away with Helen, appearing two hundred meters from their initial point. "I hate this nibbling shit. With the full harem, I could turn that ship into toothpicks and the crew into fertilizer."

Helen shrugged as she cast a nightvision spell on them both. They'd held off in case the enemy had a mage who could detect the magic. Shikarou had thrown in complications like that before. "Perhaps. But you'll have to work with what you've got."

"I know and I will." She cocked her head. "Shikarou says that we crippled their firepower and that a team of pirates is headed for the inn. We're to intercept them. Roisin is working on cutting any anchors they put down and dealing with anyone stupid enough to get into the water with her." She grinned. "Apparently cutting bars are a big surprise for them."

"They're not organized enough to be a team," Helen disagreed. "They're just a gang. I saw mostly Catfish." Her ears flicked. "Be glad we don't have Yushiko this time."

"Kami preserve us from Armsmistresses and cats. Mostly Catfish, was it? Lightning, it is." She grabbed Helen's hand and they vanished.

The Buttaneer catapulted backwards as the 25mm round took her in the chest. There was a flash behind her as the bullet detonated on the railing. "Thou have killed the last one with fancy clothes." Dorothea swept the decks of the ship with her binoculars. "No one else appears to be willing to scream commands anymore."

Nanu chuckled grimly as she changed magazines. "Someone's capable of learning. What about that big cat type I missed earlier? Has she shown up again? I'd really like to nail her hide to the wall."

"I haven't seen her." They'd had to move to different blinds twice so far and it would soon be time to move to yet another one. After that, they'd join the melee if the pirates were still feeling belligerent.

Dorothea swept the area around the blind. Clear. She returned to the ship. "Some of them are trying to cut away the fouled sails on the foremast. Our lord thinks they may be trying to leave."

"Orders?" Nanu had gone back to watching the ship through her scope.

"Let them."

"Bummer." She sighed. "This was fun."

Dorothea gave her a hard look. "Thou were killing pokegirls who had no chance to strike back at thee."

"That's the best part." She flashed teeth in the semi-darkness. "They attacked us, remember? They're only getting what they deserve."

Lorelei dropped the remains of her last victim and turned, climbing to circle over Peacetown. The pirates had scattered finally and she was down to picking off stragglers as they scurried through the night. "Aha." A lone slim figure held a tiny torch and was using it as she peered at a sign. "Someone got lost. Joy for me, pity for them."

The Sphinx twisted in midair and lined up in an attack run, her claws flexing. The pokegirl saw her coming and dropped the torch, turning to face her. Suddenly, she grew dramatically as the Ogre shifted to her battle form.

Lorelei yowled a challenge and snapped her wings shut just before impact. Bone snapped under the force of the collision and then they were down, rolling furiously as blood, fur and feathers flew. From the shadows around the fight, a number of pirates dashed forward to close the trap, cutlasses flashing as they stabbed into the melee, completely regardless of whether it was friend or foe they struck in their eagerness to draw the blood of their enemy.

Branwyn tossed a pokeball to Helen and shifted to her quad form. "Rescue, please." Air snapped in a loud "CRACK" as the Unicorn blasted ahead using mach breaker.

The Milktit hastily aimed the pokeball and retrieved the Sphinx just before Branwyn smashed into the group of pirates. Bodies flew in all directions as the Unicorn never slowed, slashing around her with her energy blade as she passed through the cluster of pokegirls. Then she vanished, teleporting from sight as the pirates scattered once more. Still and moaning forms littered the ground behind them.

Helen used lightning and ice beam to discourage survivors until Branwyn appeared behind her and grabbed her tail before vanishing again. The sound of pounding feet was heard as pirates decided to race back towards their ship and possible safety.

From their new blind, Nanu and Dorothea urged them on with carefully placed shots, killing anyone who showed any inclination to tarry.

Branwyn rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "Candace says that Lorelei would have died, except for the limiters in the arena, but she will be fine. However, she's planning on keeping Lorelei overnight in the clinic for observation." She smirked. "I swear certain things are coded into pokegirls on a genetic level. Things like NurseJoys and wanting to keep people for observation and Sphinxes with that whole 'scream and leap' mentality when the wheels come off."

Nanu snorted. "I think NurseJoys are all voyeurs. They're always wanting to 'observe' people."

Samantha stifled a laugh. "That was quite a show." She looked at Shikarou. "Is your harem going to be my primary assault force?"

"No, you'll have the guard. They're not as polished as my harem, but we've trained together and they don't like looking bad when compared against us." He grinned. "It's encouraged them to work harder. Molly can give you details and, when we're around, we will be available to train with." His smile grew predatory. "As well as against."

Samantha's answering smile was equally vicious.

He sipped at his tea. "We've also got a treaty with a colony of Wet Elves that live in the area and they'll help once we notify them."

Bloody Scots. Roisin sniffed. I wouldn't trust them as much as you have. They'll let you down when things are at their worst possible time.

Branwyn raised an eyebrow. "Unlike the Irish Wet Elves, who'll just stab you in the back when you're not looking?"

Roisin grinned. Then you'd better pay attention now, hadn't you? Her eyes swiveled to Helen, who was watching the conversation with a blank expression. The Wet Elf suddenly scowled and went back to her tea.

Samantha sighed. "Is there any chance she'll speak English?"

Roisin shook her head and grinned evilly. About as much chance as there is of you speaking it, yank.

Nanu snickered.

Dorothea leaned forward. "Lord, how would thou evaluate the exercise?"

Branwyn winced when he smiled cheerfully. "I'm glad you asked that question. Lorelei did get 'killed', which, of course, hurts your points." He glanced at his alpha. "And you almost destroyed the ship with that fireball. If their magazine had been open, it would have been a disaster. However, they did manage to limp out to sea, where presumably we would have been waiting to sink them. Technically, you did achieve your objective."

"Nanu managed to shoot both of the mages on the ship before they could get into action, which helped your overall score. After final consideration, I graded you at eighty percent and Selene graded you at seventy."

Nanu's nose twitched. "If Miss Perfection wants to be so critical, why doesn't she haul her silicone arse out her hole in the ground and show us poor carbon based life forms how it's supposed to be done?"

Samantha looked puzzled. "Who is Selene? Is she a VideoGirl?"

Shikarou shot Nanu a glance as the Mini-Top reddened and sank down in her chair. "You'll meet her later. Right now, let's concentrate on getting you settled in and up to speed on things around here."

Circe poked her head in the door of his office. "Got a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

The Alaka-Wham slipped into the room and looked around. "Who's guarding you right now?"

He shrugged. "Nobody. You looking for a job?"

She grinned. "Not exactly." She came over and settled into his lap. "Oz, I've got a problem. You see, I'm horny."

Shikarou flicked his ears and made a show of examining her head. "All I see are antennae."

Circe squirmed in his lap. "Something understands what I mean, and as long as it does, I don't need you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily.

Her eyes were half closed when they came up for air. "So," she asked in a low voice, "want to help out a pokegirl in distress?"

Shikarou chuckled quietly. "I happen to think that's an admirable trait in a Tamer, so, yes."

She kissed him gently, her eyes bright. "I think that kind of Tamer is an admirable thing in a pokegirl." She twitched an antenna and everything on his desk cascaded to the ground. "Oops."

He lifted her onto the desk and pulled her shirt off, tossing it into the corner. Circe lifted her hips so he could pull off her shorts before pulling him back to her for another long kiss.

Her hands fumbled with his belt until he pushed her away to do it himself. She laughed quietly. "If I can see it, I'm ok, but I'll just need more practice when I can't."

Shikarou stepped out of his pants and Circe hooked her legs around his waist to pull him in. He pulled her head back and bit her gently on the throat. "Harder," she murmured. Shikarou did as she asked, using the points of his fangs to scrape her skin until she hissed in pleasure.

Her warm scent filled the room as she pulled his head down to her breasts. "Yes," she moaned, as his mouth covered a nipple. He sucked and her back arched as she tangled her fingers in his hair to hold him down.

He suckled, pulling her nipple in his mouth until it came free with a soft pop. Abruptly, Circe pulled him to her other breast, mashing the nipple against his lips until he opened them and ran his tongue across it. She sighed happily as he sucked hard enough to pull milk from her breast, if there was any. "Mmm, you've got the wrong girl for that, but you just keep trying."

Shikarou's hands slid over her hips and down her legs. They gripped and lifted suddenly and the Alaka-Wham fell back onto the desk with a loud thump. "Hey!" The cinnamon hue of her face was framed by a sea of chestnut as she glared at him. "That hurt."

"Sorry." Shikarou ran his tongue up her inner thigh and glanced up at her as her eyes widened. "Should I stop?"

"Don't you dare," came her breathless response.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of her arousal before leaning forward and lapping at her pussy. Circe draped her legs over his shoulders and tugged. She jumped when he covered her clit with his mouth and swirled his tongue over it slowly. She had a spicy taste that he'd always enjoyed and he savored it as his tongue delved into her.

There was a tentative touch on his mind and he dropped his shields enough to let her completely in. Shikarou's pulse began to pick up speed to match hers as their minds meshed and shared pleasure swirled around them.

Circe's nails made a grating sound as she gripped the edges of the desk and the soft sound of panting filled the air. Suddenly she grunted, her body shuddering, her legs tightening painfully on his head.

Her legs dropped away and he rose to press himself against her. Suddenly he stumbled and winced. Circe's eyes widened. "Are you all right?"

He glanced down and kicked something away. "Fucking stapler. I stepped on it." She started a giggle which quickly died as he rubbed the head of his cock against her. He leaned over her, putting his hands on either side as his hips slowly slid forward.

Circe closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of him inside her as her body rocked in time to his gentle thrusts. Her breathing began to speed up and a flush mottled her skin across her chest and neck

Their link shared what each was feeling and created an experience that was both razor sharp and muted at the same time.

Circe grunted again and pulled him painfully against the edge of the desk as she raked her nails down his back and bit his shoulder. The pain blended with the pleasure making Shikarou drive the desk forward in his last thrust as he spilled heat into her body.

Slowly, their breathing eased. Shikarou raised himself up slightly, wincing at the burning where she'd bitten him. An eyebrow rose. "You drew blood, didn't you?"

Circe blinked and glanced at his shoulder. "Oh." She pulled him back down and soothed it with broad strokes of her tongue. A half smile appeared. "You taste good."

He started to pull back and her legs tightened around him as she made a protesting noise. "Don't move, you feel so good inside me." Her hips shifted slightly and she smiled comfortably. She blinked and looked around. "Wasn't your desk on the other side of the room?"

He grimaced sourly. "Yes." She started laughing. "Hey, it's not funny!"

"Yes, it is." Her chuckles eased. "Did I make you do that?" she asked in a little girl voice.

Shikarou smiled. "Yes, you did."

"Good." She shifted again. "You need some pillows in here."

He rolled his eyes. "I am not getting padding for every flat surface on Caomh Sith."

An impish look appeared. "You don't have to. All you need is a couple to carry around with you all the time."

She laughed again when he groaned.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 60

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 73

Unicorn Branwyn 67

Milktit Helen 64

G-Spliced Pythia 60

DragonQueen Bellona 59

NurseJoy Candace 58

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 57

Seraph Dorothea 56

Vampire Elizabeth 53

Sphinx Lorelei 52

Mini-Top Nanu 51

Wet Elf Roisin 43

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym

_**CATFISH, the Wet Pussy Pokégirl**_

**Type**: Animorph, Very Near Human

**Element**: Water

**Frequency**: Uncommon

**Diet**: fish and cream

**Role**: Lifeguards at beaches, swimming instructors, fishers... pirates too.

**Libido**: Average (High once a month)

**Strong Vs**: Ground, Fire, Rock, Water

**Weak Vs**: Electric, Ice, Plant

**Attacks**: Bite, Fury Swipes, Kick, Scratch, Slap, Tail Slap, Water Gun, Water Spear, Slick Stroke, Air Recovery

**Enhancements**: Enhanced Speed(x3 on land, x5 in water), Enhanced Agility (x3 on land, x5 in water), Enhanced Senses (x3), can move on land as well as water, Night Vision, Cold Tolerance, Breathe Underwater

**Evolves**: None

**Evolves From**: Catgirl (Water Stone), Kitten (normal; raised by a large body of water)

An interesting event occurs when a Catgirl is given a Water Stone. Although Catgirls normally dislike water, when given the Evolution Stone of aquatic powers, she will evolve into a species of Pokégirl known as Catfish. It should be noted that the evolution of Catfish can also happen naturally when a Kitten is raised by either a beach, or near a large body of water all of her life.

As the name suggests, a Catfish is one Cat-type that lacks aversion to water, although they do prefer their battles to be on land. Also, opposite to what the name suggests, the Catfish are in no way a Fish-type Pokégirl, they are still feline Pokégirls. However, it is easy to make the mistake between the two under certain circumstances as Catfish are known to have physical variation depending on how exactly they evolved and where. If evolved near the Earth's equator, the Catfish may evolve without fur, instead her skin a pale blue or sea green, yet will never feel cold even in an icy climate. Most Catfish, however, still have soft and short fur on their bodies.

A Catfish's fur and hair can be different shades of blue or blue-greens, denoting they are Water-type Pokégirls. To aid in their swimming capabilities, the species also have webbing between their toes and fingers, and they have a set of fins at the tip of the tail, although again, this also seems to change depending on where she evolves at. Some have flukes at the end of their tail that are horizontal, while others have the tail fins grow in vertically. In either case, the tail is longer and thicker than most Cat-types, which allows her great maneuverability in water and even assists with propulsion. The tail is also prehensile, but is sluggish to move immediately once out of the water.

It should also be noted that a Catfish's body changes so that she even gains the ability to hold extra water in her breasts and shoot the liquid out of her mouth like a water cannon. However, they are not dependant on the ocean as a Catfish can move about on land perfectly well when dry, and can be away from water for long periods at a time without needing to rehydrate.

Catfish can breathe air with her gills as well, when they have need to, making them truly amphibious. When underwater, gills open up along the sides of their necks, allowing them to breathe underwater. Above water or on land, these gills are sealed shut and are actually rather sensitive to the touch. Some Catfish have even taking this into effect when Taming, giving their Tamer what they have termed, `Deep Throat'; giving the Tamer head with the gills in their neck. While Catfish owners have claimed it to be a wonderful sensation, sometimes the fun gets cut short should the Tamer cum in there.

In the Indigo Plateau, the Divide Sea, the Silver Islands, and the Lost Sea, Catfish are an incredibly popular species to own, since they are great fishers and have been proven to be of great help to fishermen and pearl divers. Unfortunately, this popularity has extended to the Limbec Pirates and other pirate factions around the world, as their capabilities in and out of water make them almost perfect for the job. As such, Catfish found at smaller port towns and fishing villages around the world often find themselves under careful scrutiny, distrust, and may require collars to vouch for the fact that they are not pirates. Of course, no Catfish complains about being collared, if such is the case.

While Kitten is still the defacto outcome for girls going through Threshold to become a Cat-type Pokégirl, the number of Thresholds resulting in the end of Catfish have increased dramatically over the years, changing a once Rare Pokégirl to become a rather Uncommon sight. It has been noted that the majority of Threshold cases that end with Catfish are around villages on the water or by a large body of water, adding merit to the concept of Water being the primary trigger.

_**BUTTANEER, the Swashbuckling Pokégirl**_  
**Type**: Very Near Human  
**Element**: Water/ Fighting  
**Frequency**: Uncommon  
**Diet**: human diet, mainly seafood  
**Role**: pirates of the waters  
**Libido**: Average to High  
**Strong Vs**: Bug, Dark, Fire, Normal, Rock, Steel, Water  
**Weak Vs**: Electric, Flying, Plant, Psychic  
**Attacks**: Water Sword, Water Gun, Tidal Wave, Water Tower, Water Tickle, Wet Jet, Go down, Glare, Slice n' Dice, Cuddle  
**Enhancements**: Increase in speed, agility, and stamina, usually knows how to wield any weapon she comes across  
**Evolves**: She Captain (normal), Taverngirl (special; settles down on shore)  
**Evolves From**: None  
A Buttaneer is a Pokégirl of the sea, she lives for adventure on a ship rather than traveling in a Tamer's Harem on land. They are often used as ship sailors and are excellent defenders against other pirates that attack their ship.  
A Buttaneer is often found on ships as mentioned above. The Buttaneer is very loyal to a ship and will usually prefer to stay near the ship even in times of great dangers that threaten it. They will, however, get off the ship once in a while to go into a port town to do shopping and to enjoy themselves.  
When a ship they are on is retired they usually stick around the ship either becoming a tour guide for it or a local tavern with her tamer. This of course causes problems for tamers who want to sometimes leave a seafaring life and go inland. When that happens a Buttaneer will refuse to go and return towards the sea and refuse to leave. A tamer who owns a Buttaneer is either committed to the sea or will trade her to a different Tamer who wants the life of the sea.  
Her sense of style in fashion is also an interesting one. Most prefer to wear a bandana and a simple white shirt and a pair of comfortable pants. She also wears a set of gold earrings if they are available to her. She keeps a weapon by her at all times but usually brings out a water sword.  
She knows how to use any weapon that she finds that has to do with a bladed edge, including Katanas, Broadswords, and Kunais. They of course may not use it correctly if they aren't very familiar with it.  
Buttaneers have a wide range of looks, from short to long hair, from brown to blue eyes, they all however have breasts the size of a B-Cup to a C-Cup. They have a small slender frame for high maneuverability and have quite a bit of strength despite their thin arms.  
Most Buttaneers attack head on they usually try and get in the first shot to raise the fight to their advantage, they all are very strong in water with all their water based abilities but they are still formidable on land.  
Buttaneers of course also belong to a number of pirate groups. They are fierce and blood thirsty in some cases, but that too is somewhat rare. The usual Buttaneer is sweet, kind, and caring until you cross her.  
When a Buttaneer is crossed she WILL challenge the offender to a duel, if the Pokégirl is particularly fierce it will be to the death.  
Feral Buttaneers are ruthless in any case, they are often found raiding ships that pass by their territory.  
A Feral pack's territory is usually in and around a island. They can sense approaching ships and will swim up to them to attack them. They were some of the main attack forces in Sukebe's Revenge when it came to raiding important ships.  
Every Buttaneer is a powerful swimmer. Not as fast as other girls because they lack fins but still fast and agile enough to catch up with a large ship and climb aboard. They are however not able to fight with weaponry inside water unless she goes through extensive training.  
When raiding enemy ships their tactics change depending on their position. If they are aboard a ship they will leap from their ship to the enemies with a rope or by simply jumping. If from the water they would first make it so that the ship can no longer be controlled by destroying the rudders or engine. They then use grappling hooks to climb aboard and attack.


	43. Chapter 43

This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.

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The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.

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Chapter 43

(07/09/99 0600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

**The message is finished. Do you want to review it?**

"That would probably be a good idea." Shikarou rubbed his eyes as he looked around the room. Branwyn, Kasumi, Svetlana and Faelan looked back at him. "Anyone who wants to leave is free to."

Faelan smiled slowly. "I know you hate this."

"It's not that. It's just that there are seven people in this room right now and that's four too many to keep a secret." He gave them a tired smile. "I'd say six, but nobody can get anything out of Aggie or Selene. And the fact that I'd really like to have Bellona, Circe and Stardust here, as well as Poppet, tells me just how lax I've gotten about security."

"It could also mean that you trust your family implicitly," Svetlana countered. "That's not a bad thing to do."

Faelan nodded. "She's right. Eoghan and possibly Germanicus could pull just about anything from the mind of anyone else on this world except you. That means you either trust us or not. It doesn't really have much to do with them." He smiled thinly. "It also means that Pythia knew what she was doing when she summoned you."

Shikarou nodded. "I know. I just want to minimize the chances of a leak before this gets a chance to work." He sighed and then straightened in his chair. "It's time to throw the damned dice. Selene, if you would?"

She appeared and nodded. "Yes, commander. I want to begin with a general overview of the security situation here on Caomh Sith. On the physical side, things have been quiet, other than the probe by what has been identified with a probability of .88 confidence as Germanicus. For the time being, our foe has not attempted to replace Mary and Gwen since they were subverted over to our side and their loyalty has been confirmed. The electronic side has been slightly more active, with a VideoGirl making several attempts to penetrate the island's electronic defenses. She has penetrated to the first tier of the computer system, which consists entirely of fictitious data files. This was expected and she was allowed to reach this point. To date, all of her attempts to penetrate any deeper have been repulsed. There is a probability of .92 that she believes she has been facing an enemy VideoGirl and I have been careful not to reveal too much of my capabilities to her. Unfortunately this also means that I cannot trace her back to her source without her knowledge."

She took a deep breath and glanced at Shikarou, who nodded. "The discovery of the presence of an agent for Eoghan on the island was an almost fortuitous accident due to my commander's thriftiness. When the repeater station was set up for communication with the mainland, a dedicated computer was needed to handle routing for the video calls, voice calls and internet access. Shikarou is too cheap to buy a computer that he doesn't need, so he gave the work to me, since I can do it perfectly well and currently have few other responsibilities." She smiled at her Commander. "Logic and Tirsuli privacy rules dictate the installation of a stand alone system sometime in the future; but I was bored, so I agreed and we loaded the League software into my system so that I could become a postman."

"While Tirsuli law requires a mail computer to only have access to the address headers, the equipment here used for recordings is frightfully crude by my standards and I took it upon myself to ensure the integrity of the messages themselves. What I decided I would do was scan the messages and clean up any interference. I did set up a subroutine that did all of the work without disturbing me, which allowed the messages to be cleaned up without my having knowledge of their contents. However, Blue League law requires me to keep copies of all messages for a year. It's one of the rules they enacted while hunting Team Viper and has never been revoked."

Branwyn frowned. "I didn't know that."

"The commands are built into the software that Shikarou loaded. This software comes straight from the official Blue League supplier. I requested and received a second set of software for comparison and these commands are built into the core programming for both sets, not as an add-on."

"One of the functions present in the subroutine I wrote for cleaning the messages was to learn from what it had done in the past and attempt to become better; thereby avoiding past mistakes. My subroutine informed me of three messages of exceedingly low quality, all from the same sender and all going to the same source. It had a series of suggestions for the message sender on how to improve message quality." She shrugged. "Apparently the subroutine got a bit too smart for its own good. It happens."

"However, in this case it was a good thing," the AI continued. "The third message had some unusually complex encryption that got my attention when I tried to read it. Decoding it was easy, but I've never seen anything quite like it and it's very sophisticated for this world. After decrypting the message, I reviewed it and immediately pulled the copies of the other two from storage for evaluation. The next step was to contact Shikarou." She nodded to him. "Sir?"

He stood. "The three messages were voice only and were whispered, which is why they were flagged by Selene's program. They were sent by a previously unknown agent of Eoghan's who is on this island. The agent was passing along any information that it could get on the Grimoire, Faelan, and Ygerna." He smirked. "Apparently the agent is either under orders to ignore me or it is unaware that I am also a small portion of the power that Eoghan's forces would have to contend with if and when he assaulted the island. The messages were short, but very specific."

Kasumi stirred. "Do we know who this agent is?"

Shikarou nodded. "I do. When the message was cleaned up the voice was unmistakable. It's Barbie, the Magic Battle Angel who came through with Ygerna. I realize now that letting Ygerna vet her people for loyalty was a mistake. The only one I really checked out was Marcus and that's because he turned up late and, frankly, because I despise the little cockroach. I should have done them all." He shrugged. "It's also possible that she may not know she's an agent, there are several spells that could take her will and reduce her to a puppet of Eoghan's at any time. A spell would explain why she's only focused on what he knows are threats." He smiled broadly. "If I was a spy, I think I would have mentioned all the powerful pokegirls that Eoghan doesn't know are here, at least once. If he's so powerful that he doesn't need to care about our force configuration, we may as well pack our toys and go home because he's got victory already in the bag."

"So, I took it upon myself to conduct a little examination of Ygerna's guard pokegirl and I determined that she is an unwitting agent due to a parasite spell she carries."

Branwyn frowned. "That makes sense; in most cases as soon as a pokegirl gets a new Tamer, she starts transferring her loyalty to him. Only a delta bond can keep the process from happening and even that's not foolproof."

Shikarou nodded. "That's good to know. It turns out that Barbie has the magical equivalent of a very stupid computer in her head. It has tunnel vision on only a small number of things and it takes her over and sends messages whenever necessary. This last fact simplified my job a great deal; since the messages aren't on some kind of prearranged schedule, my little trick can proceed whenever I want it to."

"Selene and Aggie have made a fourth message. It's one that I'm hopeful will draw a powerful agent of Eoghan's into my grasp. As members of my family, I am telling you about what's going to happen so you can prepare. Selene."

She nodded. "What you are going to hear next is the message that we have created."

When Selene spoke again, it was in the voice of Barbie. While the voice was the pokegirl's, there was no inflection and the words were clipped in sharp contrast to her normal vibrant tone. "It has been decided that the Sidhe Queen Ygerna will take custody of the Grimoire of Danu. The Grimoire of Danu is currently under the protection of a time delay spell that will expire in two days at noon. The Sidhe Queen Ygerna will take possession of the Grimoire of Danu as soon as that spell dies. The location of the transfer is next to a rock known as the Gates of Alexandria. The location of the rock follows."

Selene spoke in her normal voice. "The word usage is identical to the previous messages. A map of the island with the rock marked will be attached to this message. This gives Eoghan both a time and a place that the Grimoire of Danu and Ygerna will be in same location. It is very likely that a retrieval team will be sent to collect them. There is a probability of .92 that Germanicus will accompany this team and a probability of .48 that Eoghan will also come. If he does, the probability of Germanicus also being present approaches 1.00. The time delay put into the message is long enough for them to respond, but short enough that they don't have time to assemble a massive force or conduct extensive pre-assault scouting."

Shikarou nodded. "My vote is for Germanicus as opposed to his boss. Eoghan seems to be the shy sort. In any case, barring the appearance of Eoghan himself, I intend to catch and interrogate whoever shows up."

Svetlana winced. "And then what will you do with them?"

"Considering their behavior in the past, I intend to execute any humans and undead. The pokegirls get reformatted with level five conditioning cycles; which, of course, is execution as well."

Svetlana nodded. "Good." She smiled when Branwyn blinked. "Remember, I said once before that if it comes down to us or them, they get to go. That hasn't changed."

Branwyn nodded slowly. "I remember. I also agree with you." She turned to her husband. "Considering what happened last time, there are likely to be casualties on our side as well as theirs."

Shikarou rubbed his eyes again. "I know. I've been trying to work around that little fact but I can't be sure I can take the whole team down by myself before they flee. I suspect I wouldn't be allowed to solo this even if I thought I could." He gave Branwyn a wry smile that she returned. "Since you're going to be there whether I want you to or not, I might as well use that in planning this fiasco."

"What about us?" Faelan gave him an angry look. "I won't be left out of what's going to happen."

Shikarou nodded. "I wouldn't try to keep you out, but our harems haven't trained together and we'd be getting in each other's way. I thought, perhaps, you could be a reserve as well as a pursuit team for any leakers to make sure no one escapes." His ears went flat. "I want everyone who Eoghan sends out to simply disappear forever. That druid set the rules when he started killing people as an example for the rest of us and I'm going play by them for the time being. Svetlana had it right: one side is going to cease to exist and I want to make damned sure it isn't us."

Kasumi frowned. "What about possible defections?"

"If someone wants to surrender and join us, then they are welcome to do so. However, Ygerna's word on someone's loyalty is no longer sufficient. They will get a complete check as to their true loyalties and anyone who's not firmly for us gets the axe." His ears drifted back up to their normal position. "If I thought it wouldn't expose our plans, I'd take her people now and do the same thing to them. Rest assured, once we spring this trap, they already have appointments." His eyes narrowed. "That means that if someone wants to surrender, they get taken prisoner with all normal precautions until they can be vetted. There will be no exceptions." He looked around. "Are there any questions? No? Then we can move to the planning stage. When that's done, I'll brief Samantha, Lynn and Gwyneth."

Branwyn nodded. "I'll go to the Conservatory and brief Poppet. Should anyone else be brought into this?"

Shikarou started to shake his head and stopped. "I don't think she needs to be fully briefed, but let the Wet Queen know that things may get ugly so she can be ready to evacuate her people if necessary."

Svetlana tapped a fingernail on the tabletop. "I'll take care of that. She respects my status as a Celestial and is less likely to ask awkward questions."

Shikarou nodded. "That sounds excellent. Branwyn, Faelan, assemble the planning staff and let's get this thing on the road." He glanced over at the hologram. "Selene, send the message."

(07/09/99 0930 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

The technician looked at his pokegirl as she smiled brightly on the display. "Bobby, the decryption is complete and the message is ready for review.

"Thanks." Bobby keyed up the message and read the display. "Alert Sir Dwayne that we have another message from Agent Beta. Make it a priority message."

The Video Girl rolled her eyes. "Very well, I've sent him a priority email, just like he ordered."

Bobby nodded. Their job was done until Dwayne got in touch with them. Still, he hesitated for a second before making a decision. "I want you to copy Sir Evan as well."

"Are you sure? Dwayne got really pissed the last time you went to his boss. Considering the purges, are you sure you want to put your neck on the block for him to hack at?"

"The message is time sensitive and Dwayne's not good about being prompt. If I don't get this to someone who can say it either is or isn't important, my neck's already there."

"I get your point. Message sent."

Bobby winked. "Excellent. Since he'll ask, I guess I'll need a status on your other projects. Nanette, how's your assignment hacking the computers on Caomh Sith going?"

She gave him an apologetic look. "They've got to have a Video Girl of their own and she's pretty good. I got into some unsecured stuff, but every time I try to access more valuable files, I get led into blind alleys or some traps that dump me back outside the system. Some of this stuff I've never seen before."

She frowned. "Oddly enough, neither has anyone else I've talked to. It's like something I'd expect from McMahon's technical research group but that island doesn't have squat in the way of trained personnel. I don't understand why, but that place is defended and pretty well too." Nanette blinked. "Sir Evan just acknowledged your message and replies that he'll be here in five minutes. Maybe you were right, Bobby."

"Maybe." Still, Bobby waited nervously until Sir Evan showed up.

Sir Evan stopped in the doorway. "Are you doing anything I'm not supposed to know about again?"

Bobby reddened at the memory of the time he'd been caught taming Nanette while on duty. "No, sir, please come in."

Evan smiled easily as he entered the com room. Bobby had been recruited because he was one of the five best people in his field in the entire Blue League, as well as the only one who'd tested strong in magic. The boy's only problems were a lack of confidence in his own opinions, compounded with a complete lack of awareness of the consequences that the change in administration in the Order had brought. He'd had to call in some serious markers to keep the boy from being purged but having someone that skilled around was worth it. "Robert, I know Sir Dwayne told you not to send anything to me without contacting him first, so I do hope this is important."

"Sir, we received a message from Agent Beta, as you know from my message to you. I read the message and it's time critical. Sir Dwayne is sometimes a bit slow about responding to things and so I had you copied. I did inform him first as ordered, he just never replied."

Evan grinned broadly. "Let's see the message and see if it's as important as you think."

Robert keyed up the message again and Sir Evan fought to keep his face still as he read it. The technician wasn't even a squire and had no idea just how important this particular message was. However, the cost of all those favors to keep him around had just been paid in full. "Robert, I think commendations are in order. You did exactly the right thing and I'll make sure you get the reward for that." He continued as Bobby preened. "Print me a paper copy and then archive it as normal." His smile hardened. He didn't particularly like Dwayne; the oaf had this post because he was a good politician. "If Sir Dwayne asks about this message, tell him that I've seen it and I'm taking care of it personally."

"Yessir." Bobby handed Sir Evan the hardcopy.

"Good job, my boy." Evan turned and hurried out.

Sir Evan entered Sir Kenneth's office and came to attention. "Sir, we just received a message from Agent Beta and I think you'll want to see it right away."

Kenneth leaned back in his chair without giving the hardcopy in Evan's hand a glance. "Why is that, Sir Evan, and where is Sir Dwayne?"

"It states that Ygerna is going to take custody of the Grimoire, Sir Kenneth. It even specifies where it will take place in two days." Evan already knew better than to refer to the former queen with any sort of title of respect. He'd seen what happened to those who forgot that simple rule and definitely didn't need a second reminder of the price of carelessness. "Dwayne was notified about it but I don't think he's responded to his message yet. Once I found out what the message held, I decided it couldn't wait for him."

Kenneth blinked and glanced at Kim. The Bondage Queen was watching Evan with a look of anticipation. "Down, girl." She grimaced and leaned back against the wall. "Let me have the message."

He read it quickly and then once again more slowly before looking up. "Thank you, Sir Evan, that will be all for now."

Sir Evan bowed formally. "Yes, sir." He turned on his heel and marched from the room.

Sir Kenneth rose and headed down the hall to the throne room. He stopped in front of the guard, one of Dragonesses that had died in the revolution. She'd been raised as some kind of undead creature and placed as one of the king's protectors. He didn't know what kind and frankly didn't care. She sniffed the air and growled. "Sir Kenneth for King Eoghan." He raised his arm and the pokegirl sniffed it. Her nose wrinkled and she stepped aside. If his scent hadn't been one she recognized, she would have torn the arm off and eaten it and then moved on to the rest of him.

Kenneth pushed the door open and entered the room, stopping just inside the entrance. Eoghan sat unmoving on the throne. Several minutes passed before the undead turned his head. "Sir Kenneth, advance."

The knight advanced to the edge of the carpet. "Your Majesty, I have a message from Agent Beta." He held out the sheet of paper as he continued. "Agent Beta has information that your queen will be taking possession of the Grimoire in two days. The tome is protected in a time locked spell and she will receive the Grimoire when the spell expires. She'll probably get it from that half breed warrior she ran to." He smiled thinly. "Agent Beta discovered where the transfer will take place."

The undead king held out his hand and the paper jumped to it. Red pinpoints in the eye sockets shifted slightly to regard it for a second. His voice filled the room with sibilants, yet strangely there was no echo. "Inform Germanicus that it is my will that he and two knights of his choice retrieve my bride and the Grimoire."

The man bowed deeply. "As you command, my king, so shall it be done." He turned to leave.

The king's voice stopped him. "Kenneth, you have served me well. When I am reborn, you will be one of the first to join me and your place will be at my right hand, second only to Germanicus."

Sir Kenneth smiled. "Thank you, my king."

(07/11/99 0600 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou perched on a rock a half a kilometer from Peacetown and watched the two figures approaching him. As they approached, it became clear that it was Ygerna and Morgan. The Sidhe looked distinctly upset as she stopped in front of him. "Would you like to explain to me what is going on?"

He eyed her for a second. "Wait just a moment. Team one, execute."

Ygerna jumped as Pythia appeared behind Morgan. She jabbed the unsuspecting Dragoness in the neck and there was a quiet hiss as the drug was forced into her system. Morgan's incredible vitality enabled her to knock Pythia away with her tail, but she collapsed as she tried to turn around. Stardust and Circe teleported in on either side of her and lifted her limp form into the air with telekinesis. Pythia quickly joined them.

The Sidhe woman suddenly winced and grabbed her head. "Make them stop, Shikarou." Abruptly, she relaxed. "Thank you." Anger flared in her eyes. "You didn't have to do that; I trust her with my life."

Circe turned to face them as the Dragoness landed carefully. "We didn't find anything. Should we wake her up?"

"No. Leave me the antidote and return to your posts." A second injector floated over to Shikarou. He took it as the pokegirls vanished.

"Sit, Ygerna." He waited for a moment as she stared at him. "Barbie had a spy spell planted in her before she came to you. I'm fairly sure she doesn't know about it. I don't think anyone else in your group has also been compromised. However, I had to check Morgan to make sure since I'm done taking chances."

The Sidhe's eyes widened. "I checked Barbie when we arrived here and I never felt anything. How did you find out?"

"It's a long story. Once I knew, I had a false message sent to our enemies using Barbie's message codes. They think you are going to take possession of the Grimoire today at noon. It also told them where you will do this."

"I take it I'm not going to get the Grimoire?"

"Not a chance. I'm setting this little affair up just to thin out the ranks of the Order and so I don't have to interrogate you as to the location of the Order's primary base."

She eyed him warily. "You wouldn't hurt me. I'm the last pureblood Sidhe and I'm going to be with your brother."

"Yes, but you're not with him right now. I don't care if you're the last female on the planet, I will know that location and if I have to torture you to get it, I will."

She blinked. "You might try asking me."

"You wouldn't tell Faelan when he asked, which means that I doubt you'd tell me." He turned to her. "However, just to settle the issue, will you tell me the location and layout of the headquarters of the Order of Pendragon, in sufficient detail for me to find it and enter it safely without being discovered by the current occupants?"

She smiled slightly. "I will tell Faelan when he becomes my husband. I will tell no others."

Shikarou nodded and rose to his feet to look into her eyes. "Then you'd better hope I find out what I need from the people who turn up to kidnap you and the book. If I don't, then we will have a much more serious version of this talk later. While I recognize your value and that means I will work not to kill you, I will not hesitate to eliminate your guard so we can talk without being disturbed."

Her eyes narrowed. "You mean murder."

"I mean murder." He agreed pleasantly. "I do indeed. I am going to destroy that lich and his servants. I won't let anything except family get in my way." He glanced at her. "Until you are married to Faelan, you are not family and not subject to its protections."

Ygerna put her hands on her hips. "Since we are such a burden upon you, should I and my court leave your island?"

"I haven't said anything about withdrawing my hospitality, but if you feel it's necessary, then go."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "You know I cannot do that."

"Then don't make the offer. Adolescent behavior will get you nothing from me, except possibly a very severe case of annoyance."

She took a deep breathe. "Do you hate me?"

Shikarou suppressed an urge to roll his eyes. "No, I don't and I've never hinted that I did. I know it's hard for you to be here, you've lost your Order and your authority in one instant, and now you're here and having to live off my sufferance. I know it grates and while I don't know how you feel about it, I know how I felt when I was helpless and at the whim of another."

Ygerna watched him suspiciously as he continued. "I'm not going to throw you out on a whim and I'm actually hopeful that you and Faelan and Svetlana can work out some kind of arrangement."  
"I sense a 'but'," she commented almost absently.

"Actually, it's a 'however'. However, you don't seem to be aware that we are engaged in fight to the death with a powerful and, presumably, undead mage. If my information is correct, with the exception of you, he's engineered the destruction of the entire Sidhe race and since Faelan and I carry that blood, we're in his crosshairs." His voice hardened slightly. "I will do whatever is needed to ensure that my family is protected. If doing so results in my having to perform acts that I find distasteful on people that I'd rather not do such things to, I will live with the consequences of those actions afterwards. That will not prevent me from carrying them out."

Shikarou settled back down on the rock and leaned backwards to look at the dawn sky. "In fact, the best possible place for you right now is back at the Order, at least from a standpoint of pure survival. We both know that their leader, whom I will not name out in the open air, intends for you to be his receptacle for rebuilding the Sidhe race. That means he has a very vested interest in keeping you alive and in good enough condition to bear the rigors of near constant pregnancy."

Ygerna blanched. "I've never heard someone put it so baldly. Yet I cannot see how he could succeed. He's undead, and they cannot reproduce using traditional methods."

He nodded. "While that's true in most cases and definitely true for a corporeal undead that's skeletal, I think I know exactly how he intends to do it. He wants to use the Grimoire to bring himself back to life and make him fully Sidhe."

The Sidhe woman abruptly sat down next to him. "That's not possible. He may have the strength to cast the spells to return life to the dead, but he cannot cast them on himself. And only a Sidhe with the full use of his powers could successfully cast the spell to make him Sidhe."

"Her."

"Her?" Ygerna looked puzzled for a moment before the light dawned. She gasped quietly. "He intends for me to do it. But I'd never agree to that."

"I'm sure he thinks he has a way to make you agree to what he wants." Shikarou stretched and yawned. "It's likely that he'll have you work the spell on someone else first, maybe his half brother. Then he can either have Germanicus cast the spell on him or Germanicus can force you to do it. Or maybe he'll tempt you with the chance at a pure blooded Sidhe male. Don't forget, at that point, Faelan will be dead and he has no information on the fact that I exist. Of course, as soon as he does find out about me, I'll be put on the same list Faelan is." He tapped a claw on the rock. "It could also be that he thinks he can control you with a spell of some kind."

He yawned again. "What it boils down to is, who do you want to sire children off of you, my brother or the man who murdered the Sidhe race so he could become one of them?"

Ygerna's belligerence faded as she thought for a moment. "You haven't stripped me of my kingdom or murdered my subjects, yet. Nor do you plan to make me a brood mare for your own ambitions. My lot stays with you."

"Even if Faelan isn't the king here?"

She laughed softly. "I became the Queen of the Order of Pendragon because there was no one else to do so. I was a mage and a musician before everyone else died. I think I'd like to do that again."

"I intend to be opening a school of magic for mortals. Well, my family's children will also be taught there. Would you consider a post as an instructor?"

Ygerna gave him a slightly haughty look. "I will consider it."

"That's all I can ask. I would be pleased if you accepted." Her eyes sparkled with pleasure at his quiet response.

She nodded. "So what is my role in all of this?"

"I wasn't aware I assigned you one," he gave her an odd look and handed her the injector. "Don't forget to wake Morgan up as you leave."

The Sidhe ignored the dismissal. "You have them believing that I will be there to receive the Grimoire. If they arrive and don't see me, then they are going to be very cautious."

He shrugged. "Once they arrive, it'll be too late for them to be much of anything other than busy."

"And if they arrive early? I need to be there to make your trap look authentic." She patted him on the knee. "I know you'll protect me and, even if I get captured, without the Grimoire they're back where they were before the rebellion."

"The Grimoire will be there. It's the only way to ensure they feel the proper energy patterns."

Her mouth dropped for a second. "You're willing to risk the Grimoire but you're not willing to risk me? I'm flattered."

Shikarou gave her an amused look. "The Grimoire, as you pointed out, is worthless to them without a Sidhe to perform the spells. Besides, I've memorized the whole thing already, so I can afford to lose it."

Ygerna sat stunned for a heartbeat. "That's impossible," she stated flatly. "I wrote the Grimoire and I couldn't memorize the whole thing."

"Chalk it up to hybrid vigor."

She stared at him. "Could Faelan memorize it as well?"

"If he applied himself to it, he could. He is the one who figured out how to open it. I hadn't mastered my Sidhe powers and did not have the faintest idea that's what was needed."

"What is he going to do now that he's retired?"

"Haven't the foggiest. You'll have to ask him."

She raised an eyebrow. "I will. Now, what will be my role in this little adventure?"

"You're determined to interfere, aren't you?"

"I'm going to help, not interfere."

"From where I sit, there's little difference." His ears flicked. "However, if you insist, I guess I can put you at ground zero."

She gave him a curious look. "What would you do if I just took the Grimoire and ran?"

"I'd watch you go." His lips curved in an amused smile. "They would chase you for a while and I'd have time to plan my defenses for after they caught you and finally came for me."

"You wouldn't rescue me?"

"No, I like to think that stupid is its own reward."

(07/11/99 0800 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Svetlana's wings faded into nonexistence as Dorothea flared to a landing next to her. "The area has been swept and we didn't find anyone," she reported to Shikarou. The Megami-sama gave the Seraph an annoyed glance. "And I'm not used to having a shadow. It kept trying to distract me from my scans of the area."

"Thou know it was necessary," Dorothea replied simply. "If thou were attacked, then we would know where our enemy was as well as where to retrieve thou or thy body if I was unable to effect rescue."

Svetlana's eyes narrowed. "If I might be allowed to finish, I was going to say that I now realize your decision not to split up the teams was sound. We just don't have enough experience working together for there not to be friction." She blinked suddenly. "Did you send her with me just to make me understand that?"

Shikarou smiled slightly. "You were questioning the whole concept, weren't you? I'm glad it only took a harmless scout of the area to realize what I've been saying all along makes sense." The smile vanished. "To your posts, ladies."

He turned to Nanu as the two Celestial pokegirls took off again. He dipped into a pocket and pulled out some items. "Take these."

She blinked as he dropped five softly glowing 25mm rounds into her hands. "What are these?"

"You remember that I've been so tired recently?" When she nodded, he smiled. "Over the last week, I've been pouring my life energy into those bullets. From what I understand, they should be just what you'll need if things go as planned." He sobered and gave her a very serious look. "You are not to fire until I specifically order it or until Faelan does if I'm down. Nobody else has authorization to order you to shoot, not Branwyn or Bellona or anyone else. Is that clear?"

The Mini-Top put the rounds away and glanced around quickly, her ears slapping against the backs of her legs gently. Reassured that no one else was in earshot she raised an eyebrow. "You rescued me from long term storage where it's likely I would have remained forever and let me have my revenge on my former Tamer." Her voice was quiet and even. "You've never belittled me or treated me any less than any other member of your harem, including your wife. Now you trust me enough to make me the primary backup in case you can't do the job." She touched his arm gently. "You can worry about whatever makes you happy, like Ygerna bailing when things get difficult, but you don't ever have to worry that I won't carry out your will." She pursed her lips. "I am yours, now and forever."

He looked surprised and then pleased. "And I am yours. Get to your nest, my precious little rabbit." She grinned and trotted off as he activated the com spell.

"It's time to take your places, people. Showtime is in four hours and our guests are more than inconsiderate enough to try to arrive early so they can get better seats than we're offering them." He smiled at the chuckles that came back to him. "Since we don't know how many opponents are coming, the teams we've set up will not engage until ordered, in order to avoid getting in each other's ways. If I go down, Faelan assumes overall tactical command. If I live through this, anyone who disobeys him on the battlefield will answer to me."

"Team leaders, report."

"Team one ready." That was Branwyn reporting for her, Circe and Pythia. They were the assault team. They were also among the most magically adept of his harem and had a special role when the battle first started.

"Team two ready," Dorothea reported calmly. That would be her, Yushiko and Lorelei. They composed a heavy assault unit capable of taking on anything short of a Widow with a good chance of success.

"Team three reports ready." That was Bellona for Helen and Roisin. The three of them were the support element and would move to at Bellona's discretion to help anyone who was having difficulties.

"Team four ready." Candace and Elizabeth comprised the medical retrieval unit. They were stationed about four kilometers away on a hilltop with a good line of sight and were equipped with powerful electronic binoculars. Shikarou hoped they wouldn't have anything to do, but optimism wouldn't keep anyone from getting hurt and he suspected they'd be busy. Along with Candace's healing powers, they had two PPHUs and several charged batteries, as well as everyone's pokeballs.

"Kami's sword is moving into position. Ready in three." That was Nanu and her silly call sign.

"Team Wolf ready." That was Faelan and his harem. "Maureen is more than ready to try out her new form." Maureen, Faelan's Amazonlee, had been working hard to increase her strength. When she'd informed her Tamer that she was ready to evolve, he'd taken her to his brother's shrine on the mountain in Edo and she'd been thrilled to become a Malakai. This would be her first real battle since that transformation.

There was a soft laugh. "I and my pokegirls are ready, husband." Kasumi waved from where she was on a nearby hilltop. "Be careful. I just became a wife, I am not ready to become a widow."

"I'll keep that in mind," he muttered dryly. "You'll be team six."

"We are ready too." Ygerna touched his arm. "Morgan and I know what we're supposed to be doing. We get the Grimoire and run, leading them wherever Faelan tells me to." Her voice dropped. "Thank you for trusting us enough to let us do this."

He shrugged. "You had a good point about them looking for you. Now, get to your position and, please, be patient."

Morgan stopped in front of him. "I don't like what you did, but I agree it had to be done. As soon as this is over, I want you to check everyone else in my Queen's forces to ensure we don't have any filthy traitors."

"I will. I'd like your help when I do." Shikarou saw no reason not offer her an olive branch. She'd likely be around for as long as Ygerna was and, if the Sidhe married Faelan, it would be for some time indeed.

He glanced at the rocks that marked the entrance to Alexandria and said a silent prayer for the safety of everyone involved in this. The remaining non-feral people on the island had been evacuated into Selene's care. It got them out of the line of fire in case some of the Order's forces went looking for hostages and had the added bonus of putting Barbie on ice without alerting her monitoring spell.

Calmly, he rose and headed for his assigned position.

The next four hours seemed to both drag and rush by as Shikarou sat quietly. Ygerna and Morgan were busy talking to each other not too far from where the book would reappear when the spell expired.

"Faelan," he muttered when about two hours had passed, "when the ball opens, I want you to keep an eye on Ygerna. If it looks like they are going to take her and the Grimoire, I want you to stop them. If you can't do that, kill her."

"I think we should let them take her." Faelan's voice was confident. "I gave her an anklet as a gift that's got a transponder the satellites can track. I made sure it has no magical signature at all and it uses a modern transmitter. Outside of us, nothing on this planet can find it. I checked and she's wearing it."

Shikarou chuckled briefly. "That does it. I'm finally willing to admit you are my brother. Good job."

Two hours later he stiffened slightly. "They're coming."

Faelan responded instantly. "How can you tell?"

"Ygerna showed me how to track ley line travel. The standard method won't work for undead and when Germanicus came last time he had to force it to accept him. It feels different from normal travel and that's what I feel coming this time."

"What's the ETA?" Branwyn asked.

"I put them maybe twenty minutes out, definitely not any less than that."

"Ok, girls, five minutes for any bathroom runs and Helen will be sending Elizabeth around with sandwiches." Branwyn announced. "Bathroom runs begin right now." There was a flurry of movement.

Ten minutes later, things were still once more.

A segment of ley line became visible in the noon light and a point within it started to pulsate slowly as the spell hiding the Grimoire of Danu started to end. Ygerna and Morgan moved that way in anticipation of recovering the tome.

Suddenly, another section of the line began to crackle with green lines of energy that radiated out from a green dot. Ygerna and Morgan broke into a run away from the area as it grew quickly to form a tear in the ley line and a skeletal form stepped out of it. Germanicus moved quickly to the side as two humans followed him out, each releasing two pokeballs as they did so.

**The lead knight has an Archmage and a Bramage. The following knight has a Cardian and a StarlightXpress already in her battle form.** Aggie whispered to everyone through either twee or com spell.

Faelan's voice whispered back. "Branwyn, the StarlightXpress could be a lot of trouble. I've got her. You'll have to take everyone else."

"Roger."

"Get her," the lich commanded, pointing at the fleeing Sidhe woman. He turned and moved quickly towards softly glowing marker for the Grimoire.

Forty meters away, Branwyn, Circe and Pythia completed their spell and a shimmering multicolored hemisphere appeared over the Grimoire and quickly expanded to fill the area around it. Germanicus plunged into it and halted suddenly as he felt the magic around him being drained by the hemisphere. His head swung, red pinpoints searching. He spotted team two as it broke cover and pointed to it. "JACOB, KILL THEM!"

The lead knight spun, his pokegirls moving in concert with him. Three simultaneous fireballs detonated on team two as they charged. In the middle of the explosion, Lorelei and Dorothea managed to teleport to safety. Yushiko's scream was cut off as she went down.

Faelan popped to his feet with his GunValkyrie, Tetsuyo. "Do it," he ordered. The pokegirl rotated her sniper rifle into position and expertly nailed the StarlightXpress, knocking her flying. She went into a hover and created a forcefield in front of her. Her eyes began to glow as power built.

"NOW!" Faelan yelled and Tetsuyo quickly folded her rifle into storage and rotated up both tribarrels onto her forearms. The weapons were already spinning up to speed as they locked into place.

Thunder roared as she opened fire, hosing twin streams of plasma across the force field before locking both weapons onto a single point. The startled StarlightXpress abandoned her attack and began pouring energy into the failing force field in an attempt to reinforce it. Energy bled from the force field in a multicolored display of coruscant light that outshined the sun.

The second knight spoke briefly to his Cardian and the two of them raced after Ygerna. The plant pokegirl began to glow as she started absorbing sunlight. Her solar beam took Morgan in the back and blasted her forward to summersault past her mistress.

Ygerna skidded to a halt next to the fallen Dragoness and spun. A line of fire suddenly connected her upraised hand and the Cardian. The plant pokegirl went down screaming as her body ignited.

Team three rushed from their hiding place and headed towards the smoldering Cardian, Bellona in the lead.

Elizabeth appeared on the battlefield, returned Yushiko to her pokeball and quickly teleported away to Candace for healing.

Bellona summoned her wings and took to the air, turning to head for the second knight as she screamed at Roisin. "PUT THE CARDIAN OUT!"

The Wet Elf pulled up short and cupped her hands together. A tremendous stream of water exploded from her palms and swept over the Cardian. The hydro pump sent the pokegirl tumbling into heavy rocks but did put out the flames licking at her body. Helen pounded by Roisin as the Wet Elf's face went slack in astonishment and she started to glow.

The StarlightXpress tried drifting sideways to escape the GunValkryie's attack, but to no avail as Tetsuyo tracked her unrelentingly. Faelan watched carefully. "Svetlana, go."

She and Derdekea vanished and reappeared behind the StarlightXpress, who was too busy to notice their arrival. That quickly changed when the Fallen Angel drove her dark blade into the center of her back. Svetlana split into three identical forms and each of them stabbed the StarlightXpress with an energy blade. The enemy pokegirl dropped so quickly that Tetsuyo almost shot her harem mates.

The GunValkyrie rotated her tribarrels into storage and her sniper rifle back to the ready as her missile ports snapped open and she began scanning for other targets.

Dorothea and Lorelei appeared in the air and whipped in a tight circle. The Seraph's ice beam smashed through the space occupied by the Bramage, who barely avoided the attack by frantically leaping out of the way. She used mimic to send the ice beam back to the Seraph, who casually flicked it out of the way with deflect as Lorelei folded her wings and plummeted towards her target.

Pythia appeared behind Sir Jacob and her jaws gaped wide as she used crunch on his shoulder. Bone snapped and blood sprayed as Jacob screamed in agony. Pythia shook him like a wolf with a rabbit before dropping him.

The Archmage reacted immediately by casting white wind. Her Tamer's shoulder instantly mended and he drew his sword as he rolled back to his feet. The Cardian and StarlightXpress also rose back into sight, now completely healed and ready to continue the battle.

"FUCK!" Derdekea's comment expressed everyone's reaction more than adequately.

Branwyn smashed into the Archmage with mach breaker as Circe hit the enemy pokegirl with a massive psychic attack. The Unicorn grabbed the unconscious Archmage by the arm and vanished. The Alaka-Wham lifted into a hover and rotated to face Sir Jacob.

Germanicus reached for the Grimoire and Shikarou boiled up out of the concealed pit he'd spent the last several hours in. Landing on the lich's back, he wrapped his legs around the skeletal waist and slammed a metal skullcap onto his head, quickly spinning setscrews to lock it in place on the bony skull.

Germanicus dropped the tome and drew a dagger with each hand. His arms rotated in their sockets until they faced to the back and he drove the daggers into Shikarou's sides. The kami shuddered but kept his grip as the daggers burrowed deeper, seeking vital organs.

**Initiating procedure. ** The transmitter on the skullcap screamed to life. Both Shikarou and Germanicus froze and toppled to the ground. Every muscle in Shikarou's body contracted and he tried to curl around his opponent. Blood poured from his mouth as he bit his tongue in two. Germanicus trembled like a leaf in a storm as energy cascaded through him.

**Procedure will not work as planned. Modifications are complete. Two phases will be required. Beginning phase one.**

The Cardian began to glow again but before she could unleash another solar beam, Helen hit her with ice beam from less than a meter away. The hapless plant type was frozen solid from the attack. Unable to stop herself, the angry Milktit smashed into her and sent her skidding along the ground.

Ygerna cast a healing spell on Morgan just as Elizabeth appeared. "Don't need a pickup?" the Vampire inquired. She whipped around as the second knight approached and reached to out to grab Ygerna and the Dragoness. All three of them faded from sight as she took them invisible.

The knight pulled up short, cursing in Gaelic. "TANDY!" The StarlightXpress lifted off and headed for him just as Bellona smashed into her Tamer. The DragonQueen quickly slapped the knight into unconsciousness.

"LELAND!" The StarlightXpress accelerated hard and suddenly went into an evasive pattern as Svetlana appeared nearby. Her force field appeared in a bubble around her and she slowed as Bellona hoisted her Tamer off the ground to use as a shield.

The Bramage again used mimic and her open palms spat bolts of plasma at Dorothea as she copied the GunValkyrie's rapid shot technique. A mystic bolt blasted into her back just before Lorelei hit her like a thunderbolt. The Dragon pokegirl was smashed to the ground with her opponent riding her down pummeling her with fury swipes the whole way.

Sir Jacob stabbed at Pythia, who knocked the blade harmlessly to the side with the flat of her hand. She had to take him prisoner without killing him and racked her brains as she deflected another flurry of swipes. With her enhanced speed, he seemed to be moving in slow motion and almost any blow with her nineteen times the maximum strength a human was capable of exerting could easily prove fatal.

Finally, she decided to use a technique she'd learned from Helen as a joke, since it was less than useless against another pokegirl except to piss them off.

She bitch slapped him.

The blow broke his jaw and lifted him from his feet to land unconscious a short distance away.

**Phase one complete.** Shikarou went into convulsions as Germanicus slowly peeled him off. The lich had an aura of exhaustion as it slowly clambered to its feet.

Faelan watched him carefully. "Branwyn, drop the spell."

The multicolored dome dissipated into smoke and faded from sight. Germanicus became more spry as the magic flowed back around him and he held out one hand as the Grimoire jumped at him. His other hand began to glow as he summoned energy to destroy these gnats that plagued him.

**Initiating phase two.** Shikarou screamed in a high thin voice as once more he lost control of his body.

"I see you, Sidhe warrior." Germanicus turned to face where Faelan stood a dozen meters away. "You lose."

**Shikarou is incapacitated. Primary battle plan will not work. Secondary battle plan alpha is now in effect. Command devolves to Faelan Wolf.**

Faelan took a deep breath. "Nanu, take the shot."

The ribbon that Shikarou had gotten from the oni on Kasumi's world worked as advertised, hiding its wearer from all detection. Nanu had it tied around her waist and Germanicus had no inkling that she was anywhere on the battlefield. The ribbon's magic was powerful enough to hide the 25mm sniper rifle and even the flash and noise when it fired.

The magical bullet drew a softly glowing line from the muzzle of her rifle to Germanicus's chest. Suddenly, he was lit from within by a blinding white light as the round released Shikarou's life energy inside his chest. A second glowing line started from the same place and intersected with his forehead as Nanu fired again. The light grew even brighter and for an instant there was a brilliant line that emanated from his chest and arched off to the southwest.

Germanicus disintegrated in a thunderclap and the released energy vaporized everything in a six meter radius except Shikarou and the Grimoire. Still screaming as fast as he could draw breath, he fell into the perfectly spherical depression.

"Everyone will focus on the StarlightXpress," Faelan ordered. "Ignore Shikarou until phase two is complete."

Branwyn appeared and gave him a look that was ugly with fury. "I hear and I obey," she snarled through gritted teeth. 'Harem, take down that pokegirl. I want her alive."

Bellona gripped the knight's jaw. "Surrender or I will kill him."

"If you kill him, I will kill you all," the StarlightXpress hissed back. "Release him and we will go." Her force field contracted until it was almost skintight. "You can't harm me with your puny attacks."

Roisin stomped up underneath the hovering pokegirl. Bugger this. She lifted her voice in song. The StarlightXpress sagged and fell as she succumbed to the effects of the sing attack and fell asleep. So fucking stupid. I bet he'll want to keep her. The newly evolved Wet Lass kicked the supine pokegirl hard in the side of the head. Idiot.

**Phase two complete.** Shikarou's screams faded away and he lay unmoving, staring at the sky.

(07/12/99 0430 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Shikarou's eyes snapped open and he lay motionless for a moment as his ears rotated. Silently, he sat up and looked around. His room looked like it had been gassed; members of his harem covered the floor in a haphazard sprawl. He blinked as he realized that they were asleep on light pallets. There was a single chair against the wall and Branwyn was curled up in it, snoring softly.

He watched her sleep for several minutes before slipping noiselessly from the bed and carefully picking his way across his pokegirls to the door. Slowly sliding it open, he stepped into the hallway before carefully closing it and making his way to the arena.

After telling it what he wanted, he went inside. The room had become a featureless box with a sandy floor and one entire wall that was a mirror.

He stopped in front of the mirror and slowly ran his hands down his chest, watching as he did so. He stopped and held up his left hand, peering closely at it as he slowly twisted it to and fro. He curled his fingers and smiled. He extended his claws and examined them next. Then he retracted all but the index claw and drove it into his right arm before withdrawing it and watching the flesh close.

He was licking the blood from his arm when the door to the arena opened and Branwyn came in. She looked angry. "What are you doing out of bed? Candace gave strict orders that you were not to move for at least another day. If you'd bothered to wake me, I'd have told you that before you got out of bed."

He glanced at her reflection in the mirror as he dragged his tongue up his arm a last time. "Come here."

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Enough." She blinked at his flat tone. "Come here."

The Unicorn gave him a brief glare before joining him in front of the mirror. "What is it?"

Shikarou took her hand. "I need to show you something." He opened his mind to her.

Branwyn turned white. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Call Poppet and Kasumi and ask them to join us in the hot tub in fifteen minutes. I'll explain then. Tell them it's important."

"It is." She nodded. "They'll be here. Anyone else?"

"No, not yet. My family first."

(07/12/99 0500 Caomh Sith, Blue Continent)

Poppet leaned back in the hot tub and watched her husband with narrowed eyes as she sipped at her tea. "Why can't I read you?"

"That would be because I'm shielding as hard as I can. I need to explain some things first."

Kasumi nodded slowly. "I was worried that you'd been badly injured when they couldn't wake you. When I realized that Candace looked worried, I knew that something was very wrong."

Shikarou took a slow swallow of wine, letting the liquid dribble down his throat. "All right, the idea we conceived was to use a scanner to read and download Germanicus's knowledge to Selene. Because of the sheer amount of data involved, it was determined that I would act as a buffer. The data would be downloaded to me in packets and then uploaded to Selene immediately."

"What happened? Aggie reported that modifications were needed and I lost track of things after that." Branwyn shifted restlessly. "Things were a little hectic."

"Selene had practiced on me and had determined that things should work perfectly well as planned." He swallowed more wine. "However, we didn't allow for one small fact."

When he was silent, Poppet splashed him gently. He blinked. "Sorry, I'm having some small fugue states right now."

"There was a small fact we didn't allow for?" Poppet reminded him.

"We didn't consider the fact that Germanicus is thirty three hundred years dead and lived another twenty six years before that." He gulped wine. "It meant that there was too much data to transfer as we'd planned. The only way to do it was to download all of Germanicus into my brain as a lump and then upload it to Selene. Any other way would have taken too long and the transmitter would have failed. Aggie and Selene designed a new process on the spot and I approved it."

Branwyn blinked. "I realize that there wasn't time to consult with us, but you really didn't have the right to make that decision unilaterally."

Shikarou shook his head. "I don't want to die, but in the scheme of things my life isn't too small a price to pay to destroy Eoghan. Make no mistake, he has to be destroyed. He will not stop until he achieves all of his goals." He turned to Kasumi. "That's even more important now that you're pregnant."

Kasumi looked slightly embarrassed. "I won't be ready to confirm that for another month and a half."

"Pregnant? I thought you weren't going to be fertile for another year?" Poppet looked at him accusingly. "What happened to your spell?"

"I married you and father blessed us. His blessing included the caveat that I am fertile to the women that want me to be and apparently his blessing is more powerful than my infertility spell." He smiled slowly. "I suspect only the fact that you want Jamie's child first has kept you from getting pregnant as well. Everyone else that wants my blood incorporated in their line gets put into a pokeball from time to time, which is why Kasumi is the first."

"I think from now on you are only going to cleave to your harem and your family." Branwyn exchanged a look with the other two women. "Anyone disagree?"

"Giselle and Ayame need a male from time to time." Kasumi cocked her head. "I would prefer they be able to use my husband since I know he won't try to steal them." She smiled at Branwyn. "You won't let him."

"That's different. They're family too." Poppet shifted to lean against Shikarou. "Now, what is this great mystery you pulled all of us out bed for and won't let you give me access to your mind?"

"I want to remind you that Selene had to rush the download because of the time crunch and the massive amount of data. We need all of his knowledge in order to be able to more accurately evaluate Eoghan's threat as well as to hopefully learn where the headquarters of the Order of Pendragon is located." He looked at his empty wineglass. "I really wish I could get drunk on this." With a flick of his wrist, he smashed it against the wall of the room.

Poppet wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not. Because of the rush, Selene wasn't able to properly sift the download. Instead of downloading just Germanicus's knowledge, she had to pull everything. I have his memories." He shuddered. "I have lived his life and his undeath."

Kasumi touched his knee. "What does that mean?"

"There were no safety cutouts in this download. It's like I've suddenly had another three thousand years of experiences added to my measly quarter millennium. I've lived as a Celt and a Druid. I've had three thousand years of undeath." His mouth twisted. "The mind of the dead is no place for the living. Three thousand years of no scents, no tastes, no sensation of feeling."

He paused for a long moment and Poppet shook him gently. "Shikarou. Husband."

He blinked. "Sorry. It's just that I get lost in the sensations. The feel of the water against my skin, the scents of all three of you, even the aftertaste of the wine in my mouth. It's all so vivid and in a way, intoxicating."

Branwyn swallowed hard. "You will never do that again," she said flatly. "I won't have it."

Shikarou regarded her with a thin smile. "You don't have to worry about that. I will kill myself before I'll subject myself to that once more." He shivered again. "Germanicus experienced so much more than I have. Sometimes I get lost in him." His ears went flat. "The whole time, alive and dead, Germanicus was Eoghan's errand boy. I, … um, … he was privy to most of his secrets yet sharing none of the celebrations." Another shiver. "He hated and loved his brother so much."

He made a slightly disgusted face. "I have memories of sleeping with Ygerna. Ick."

"How was she?" Branwyn's voice held only professional curiosity. "Tempted to go for a more personal experience?"

"You have nothing to worry about on that score. She was an arrogant bitch concerned with only her needs. I really hope she's changed, for Faelan's sake."

Poppet peered into his eyes. "You are you, right?"

Shikarou nodded slightly. "I think so. But I'm not the same as I was two days ago. I have all those memories and they won't go away. I'm going to have to integrate them somehow and it's probably going to change me. Maybe a lot." He looked around the tub. "I'm going to need your help with this to make sure that when I come out on the other side I'm still Shikarou and not Germanicus. I don't ever want to be that person if I can avoid it."

"Of course we'll help you." Kasumi smiled confidently. "Change is inevitable, but we can certainly make sure you remain yourself. Circe and Stardust have explored your mind extensively, I'm sure they can be of help. Dorothea too, she'll be able to see if you're becoming more evil."

Branwyn smiled. "We will all help. Each and every one of us will be more than happy to help you."

Poppet turned his head to face her and rested her horn against his forehead. "Let me in." She smiled when he raised an eyebrow. "Please?"

Shikarou nodded slowly and closed his eyes. Poppet's eyes widened as his shields fell to a more normal level. "My god!" She kissed him softly. "I'm glad you hid that from me before the explanation. I think I would have panicked if I'd seen all the changes."

Kasumi rested her hand on his leg. "Since you have his memories, did you learn anything that would be useful from them yet?" Branwyn and Poppet stared at her in shock.

Shikarou chuckled. "Whole reams of stuff. There are new spells and new magical techniques that Germanicus and Eoghan created whole cloth. A lot of it can't be used by the living, at least not without extensive modifications, but some of it will prove quite useful."

"What about the Order?"

"Oh, yes, them. I know where their base of operations is in Ireland and how to penetrate their defenses." He scowled. "It'll be tough, though. They kept a lot of their strength from before Ygerna's ouster. A lot of the knights are just trying to get by, but they will be loyal to the new order."

His eyes brightened. "I also know all of the plans Eoghan shared with Germanicus. Ygerna has no clue of what they were going to do. They intended to expunge the Blue Continent of all life that wasn't under their control. Granted, it would solve the whole feral pokegirl problem, but still, it'd be rather hard on everyone."

"Eoghan wants to create a new nation of Sidhe and their slaves. There would be no other classes except those two. You'll be pleased to know he didn't intend to exterminate pokegirls; he thought some of them could be used to make the Sidhe blood longer and already has a sophisticated breeding plan in place. All he needs are male Sidhe to go into production."

Branwyn frowned. "Could it be possible to lure Eoghan from his lair so we don't have to invade the Order?"

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "Definitely. We have the two things he absolutely has to have for his dreams to become reality. I'll need to think about the best way to do this, but I think we can bring him to us, which is a much better idea than a frontal assault on the Order's primary base."

Branwyn nodded. "The knights are being kept sedated as you instructed and all of the pokegirls are in stasis. When do you want to deal with them?"

"They can wait until this afternoon. First we need to decide who will be brought into what's happened to me. The harem will probably figure out something's changed, I don't have any stupid pokegirls. The question then becomes how much do we tell them?"

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 73

Unicorn Branwyn 67

Milktit Helen 64

G-Spliced Pythia 60

DragonQueen Bellona 60

NurseJoy Candace 58

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 57

Seraph Dorothea 57

Vampire Elizabeth 53

Sphinx Lorelei 53

Mini-Top Nanu 53

Wet Lass Roisin 44

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym

_**ARCHMAGE, the Sorceress Supreme Pokégirl**_

Type: Very Near Human

Element: Magic

Frequency: Extremely Rare

Diet: Human style diet, just lots of it.

Role: Grandmistress of the magical arts.

Libido: Average

Strong Vs: Ghost, Fighting

Weak Vs: Psychic

Special Weaknesses: Ticklish, requires large amounts of food.

Attacks: Mystic Bolt, Shield, Flight, Magic Absorption, various magic spells (white wind, fireball,

Enhancements: Magical Affinity, Mystic Senses

Evolves: None

Evolves From: Sorceress (E-Stone Ceremony)

Story this Pokégirl appears in: Slated to appear in Hopper Chronicles

An Archmage is the penultimate magic casting Pokégirl that is a more powerful form of the generalist Sorceress. These Pokégirls are beautiful magic-casters with another one or two increases in bust size and longer legs. Not only do they possess much higher magic reserves but they can also channel magical energy from ley lines or absorb the energy from spells cast at them from the lower level magic casters. They can cast far more powerful spells than any other normal magic casting Pokégirl and can cast lesser spells with almost no effort at all.

The number of spells they know are much greater than that of a Sorceress and the power, while not as powerful as an Elementalist, is nearly as great.

They can have a sense of how much magic is within other Pokégirls and of what type. As a powerful magic caster that can access all forms of magic they also have the ability to create magical items for themselves or for their Tamer's Pokégirls. This can make an Archmage's Tamer a very rich man.

Witches, Sorceresses, Enchantresses, and Elementalists will NOT fight an Archmage and will have a compulsion to obey them, domesticated Pokégirls will be able to resist to some degree but feral Pokégirls, being more primal in their use of magic, will not be able to.

Ceremony Description

Elemental Stones Needed: Mana Stone, Moon Stone, Fire Stone, Angel Stone, Water Stone, Diamond Stone

Area &amp; Time Conditions: The night of a full moon at midnight. Area can be anywhere.

Ceremony Itself: The means by which a Sorceress becomes an Archmage is every stone that can be used to create an Elementalist-in addition to the Moon Stone that creates an Enchantress—and a Mana Stone. The time this needs to be done is on the night of a full moon at midnight. The Sorceress, who is of high level, holds the Mana Stone in her hands as her Tamer sets the other five stones around her on a drawn pentagram, the Moon Stone at the highest point and pointing to the North. The order of the other stones is determined by the Tamer through the link they share with the Sorceress. If the order is incorrect it will require three months before this can be attempted again.

Once the stones are in place the Sorceress will be drawn to the middle of the pentagram and the stones will evolve her into an Archmage.

_**BRAMAGE, the Never-Forgets Pokégirl**_  
Type: Near Human

Element: Dragon/Magic

Frequency: Very Rare

Diet: Omnivore

Role: T2 encyclopedia, Teachers

Libido: High

Strong Vs: Fire, Water, Electric, Plant, Ground, Dark

Weak Vs: Rock, Ice, Dragon, Psychic

Attacks: Mimic, Dream Time

Enhancements: Perfect Recall, Longevity, Telepathy

Evolves: None

Evolves From: Bratini (Mana Crystal + Dream Stone)

A Pokégirl that is rather rare and kept secret by most companies that create T2 devices, the BraMage is a Dragon-type unlike all other Dragon types. Whereas most Dragon-type Pokégirls boast enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and things like that, Sukebe must have been thinking of the exact opposite things when he created this breed. It's been suggested by researchers that the BraMage was created as a Dragon-type prototype. No super strength, no armor, no scales... Only dark gray skin and pointed ears differentiate this Pokégirl from looking like the normal human girl. Although her skin barely deflected bullets, they couldn't do anything much better than a normal human girl. Also unlike the more widely known Dragon types, the BraMage cannot fly without using magic, as she has no wings or even a tail.

However, the techno-mage did give the BraMage several distinct signatures to be known and feared by. Mimic was the first, allowing the Pokégirl to learn any technique that she was exposed to. The second is Perfect Recall. This enhancement allows the BraMage to reproduce any attack she has used Mimic to recreate, allowing the Pokégirl to utilize almost any attack, as long as they have the physical capacity to do so. It was this enhancement that made them especially deadly, after watching only a few Pokégirl battles the BraMage could have access to well over two or three dozen attacks! These abilities, combined with their Telepathy enhancement and Dream Time, allow them to teach any number of techniques to other Pokégirls.

These abilities all added up to a single thing- the fact that they are living T2s, capable of replicating any technique seen and teaching it, either physically or telepathically, to a student.

Most of this breed were killed throughout the war. Their lack of defenses made them vulnerable, but their versatility were unrivaled. And with having elemental defenses that made the more common Pokégirl types less effective against them, it's no wonder that at least a few had survived. Now, most BraMage survive on Ranches that are dedicated to one company or another. It's said that the first of the BraMage breed still lives, although to this day no researcher knows for sure. Most BraMage are well-cared for by the corporations who use them to transfer Pokégirl Technique knowledge into T2 machines for use by other Pokégirls everywhere. 


	44. Chapter 44

All credit goes to Kerrik Wolf

Chapter 44

"You shouldn't be out of bed. Even you need some rest," Candace protested as she followed him down the hall of the clinic.

"Your concern is heartwarming, but I do have work to do." Shikarou paused briefly to catch her eye. "I realize that I'm not at 100%, but some things can't wait for me to pretend to take a nap."

She didn't back down. "Is the world going to end if you take a few hours to rest?"

"If Eoghan decides to drop in with all of his knights before we're ready, it just might."

She blinked at his words. "Oh." Suddenly her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure he might?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I wouldn't have said 'might' if I knew for sure. If you are right and nothing happens, eventually you and Branwyn will conspire to put me to bed, probably with company to make sure I stay there; and I'll eventually get the rest you want me to. If I'm right, then we may be in for a fight to the death in a few hours and there are some preparations that need to be done immediately." An ear flicked. "The sooner I get this stuff done, the sooner you and my alpha can complete your scheming."

The NurseJoy folded her arms. "Then you'll go to bed?"

"Then I'll move on to something else. If you and Branwyn can't figure out how to accelerate the process, I'll go to bed tonight."

Branwyn gave him an amused look. "Pythia says we are safe for the next few days. Kasumi agrees."

Shikarou looked from Candace to Branwyn and back. "I take it the fix is already in, isn't it?"

Candace took his hand and squeezed it gently. "We do care for you just a little bit. Since we know that Eoghan is a serious threat, we're helping as much as we can, too."

Shikarou winced at her chiding tone. "I suppose I deserve that. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about what could be coming."

Candace smiled and tugged on his hand. "Branwyn told me what happened and I would like you to spend some time with Circe and Stardust before you do anything else. I want to make sure you are still the man we all love."

Shikarou started to protest and stopped at the worry he saw in their eyes. "All right, I'll do it." They visibly relaxed. "Branwyn, I've told Aggie what needs to be done. Please get started making the necessary arrangements."

"I'll get on it right away." True to her word, she turned and headed off.

Candace squeezed his hand again. "Shall we go?" Without waiting for his answer, she headed off still holding onto his hand. It was rather obvious she had no intention of letting go, so he went along with her rather than be pulled.

Outside the exam room, Candace gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You be good and your nurse will reward you with a special present later." She winked and bustled off.

Shikarou watched her go until she turned the corner. He shook his head slowly. "I've known geisha with less alluring walks. How does she do that?" he muttered as he opened the door.

Circe smiled when he came into the exam room. She gestured to a solidly built chair in the middle of the room. It was surrounded by several overstuffed chairs. "Have a seat."

Shikarou eyed the restraints built into the central chair. "This seems a bit more kinky than normal."

The Alaka-Wham's smile broadened into a grin. "Before we're done you'll only wish that's what it's for." The smile vanished. "There is a concern that a portion of Germanicus may exist inside all that information that now sits inside your pretty head. The restraints are just in case he surfaces during our exam and tries to remove my pretty head."

"What about Stardust?" He looked around briefly but didn't see Circe's sister anywhere.

"She's going to be nearby but not with us." Circe shrugged. "I'm going to do double duty as both your primary investigator and as a tripwire. If I die, Stardust will warn everyone else that something bad has happened and that you are potentially dangerous."

"That's a good idea, but I'm fine." He eyed the chair warily. "Those restraints look pretty substantial."

Circe's eyes narrowed slightly and her antenna unfurled to their full length. "I'm here to guarantee that you are yourself. Shikarou, Germanicus has proven dangerous in the past and, if you are yourself, then you'll stop fighting me and help us prove you're still who we all want you to be."

Shikarou blinked in surprise at her tone and turned to give her an even look. "You are absolutely right." Without another word he settled into the chair and held still as Circe used telekinesis to put him into the restraints. They were too heavy for her to handle otherwise.

"Are you ready?" Circe curled up in a comfortable looking chair.

"Is there a way to say yes that wouldn't be a lie?"

She chuckled. "I guess you have a point. Here we go." Her eyes slid shut as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

An hour later she stirred and opened her eyes. "I've told Branwyn and Candace that we need to talk to them right away."

The restraints started loosening themselves as Stardust appeared in the room. "Talk about a good news/bad news situation."

Branwyn teleported into the room with the NurseJoy in her arms. She and Candace settled down as Stardust stood behind her Tamer and rested her hands on his shoulders. The Unicorn didn't look pleased. "What is it?"

Stardust was wearing one of the suits she used to wear when she had a practice. She felt it made her look more professional than the jumpers Circe had been wearing since the first visit to Kasumi's homeworld. She smoothed her blouse as she moved to stand beside Shikarou. "We examined his mind and while we couldn't find any remnants of Germanicus's presence, we did make some observations that you need to be appraised of."

Branwyn's annoyance was instantly replaced with worry. "What is it?"

"His mental architecture has undergone a profound change. Due to the way the memories were handled, they are present as if he actually lived them." Her antenna twitched. "It's as if he aged over three thousand years yesterday. In addition, most of that was spent as undead and all of it was spent as Eoghan's servant and guardian."

"While our Tamer's personality is unchanged in the main, these memories will effect changes in him that can't be anticipated." She pursed her lips. "Germanicus had a love – hate relationship with his half-brother and because of the implanted memories, so does Shikarou."

"Good and evil are defined by the moral structure that surrounds an individual. Most, if not all, criminals don't see themselves as evil. Germanicus did not and neither does Shikarou. However, both individuals have a tendency towards extreme practicality that isn't necessarily considered beneficial in today's society. In addition to that, Germanicus had a broad streak of sadism. It wasn't sexual sadism; he merely took pleasure in hurting others."

"In his defense, it must be remembered that during his life, people fell into two categories. Family and outsiders. Outsiders were people you could do anything to that you could get away with."

"It is possible that this sadism, along with other personality traits that belonged to Germanicus may manifest in Shikarou over the next couple of years. Some of these changes in his personality will be temporary, but others may prove more permanent. It will be up to us to look for changes in his behavior and thought patterns and to warn him or help him take other steps. If he can isolate the memories and limit his involvement with them, it would help to minimize their possible effects on him."

Candace leaned forward slightly, her eyes intent. "Is he a threat to us?"

"No." Circe answered confidently. "Because of Germanicus's loyalty to tribe and family, Shikarou's even less likely to hurt us. He is, however, more likely to admit his feelings for us or anyone else he has to interact with. For those he likes, this may prove to be a pleasant change." She smiled slightly as he raised an eyebrow. "For those he dislikes, it may prove to be a severe shock." Her smile faded. "We really need to watch him around those he severely dislikes. Germanicus tended to take care of them permanently and Shikarou has proven precipitous enough already."

Shikarou folded his hands in his lap. "What I want everyone to be aware of is that if I start showing unusual behavior, please let me know as well as each other."

Branwyn got up and hugged him. She smiled as she released him and straightened up. "I only hope we can spot it among all the other issues you have right now."

**You have a message from Thai Silvati.**

Shikarou glanced around the lunch table and put his empty bowl down. "Maybe that will prove a nice distraction. I'll take it in the briefing room." He pushed to his feet and watched Dorothea mirror his movements. "We're off to the briefing room. I've got some mail and would like a tiny bit of privacy." The Seraph nodded.

Once settled, he leaned back and clasped his hands behind his back. "Play message."

The hologram flickered and steadied as Aggie converted the two dimensional picture into three dimensions. Thai was seated with an oriental looking pokegirl.

**That is an Amazonwu.**

"Thank you."

The image ground back into motion. Thai looked steadily into the camera. "Hi, Shikarou. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you until now, but I've been a bit busy. Please let Branwyn and Bellona know that Nasya has been following their suggestions to the letter about training me." He glanced to the Amazonwu as she bowed slightly.

Shikarou raised an eyebrow at her formal posture. "She's probably from Edo."

Thai spoke again. "This is Shiori, an Amazonwu who decided to join me on Sadie Poken's Day." The Amazonwu looked surprised and the young Tamer smiled as he turned to face her. "Sorry, I just managed to think of a name that sounded good for you. I think it means Guide in Edo, and I think it fits this attractive pokegirl quite well." Shiori flushed and gave a tiny wave at the camera as Thai returned to his message. "I hope you and your harem are doing well and that life is letting you enjoy it. From what I gathered when we met, with the pokegirls that you have, I'm sure that every day winds up interesting."

"Well, there are a few things that I'd like to get off my chest... and no, I don't mean my shirt. Also, no shows this time around, the rest of the 'girls are still sleeping, for once."

Dorothea frowned. "Shows, my lord?"

"During his last communication, Thai was with most, if not all, of his harem and his Medra was busy marking her territory while he was trying to talk."

The Seraph's lips twisted into an odd smile. "She did not urinate on him, did she?"

"No, but she was definitely feeling friendly." Shikarou twisted in his seat to look at her. "If you're going to be asking questions, sit down."

Dorothea sighed and moved to settle down next to him. "As thou commands, my lord." She pulled off her helm and set it on the table before reaching behind him and grabbing his braid.

He grinned at her. "Aggie, please back up the recording to his last sentence where I was paying attention. Oh, and please pause it when Dorothea feels like more commentary." Dorothea tugged on his braid and gave him an amused look when he turned to see what she wanted.

**Very well.**

"Also, no shows this time around, the rest of the 'girls are still sleeping, for once." Thai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The first is, I'm heading back towards Hidden Bra now. I hope to be there within a month to a month and a half, if we can keep hiking at the rate we've been traveling. I think it's about time that my girls had a place to call home that isn't just where the tamer sleeps, or her pokeball. We'll be helping to rebuild this time, I think, and if we get the time, then I think we'll even get around to getting a foundation down for the house I'd like to have built. I also told all the new 'girls about, well, everything since I started my journey. I have to admit, it's been eating at me, and I was in the wrong to not tell them anything before now."

"Aggie, when was this message sent?"

**The timestamp indicates almost four weeks ago. He may be in Hidden Bra by now.**

Dorothea stirred. "This is the Tamer who was bonded to a Zeromer, correct?"

"Yes, he is."

"Could thou follow his example and tell us all?"

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" He frowned. "Besides, I've told you what you need to know."

"Only time will prove the truth of thy statement, my lord."

He sighed. "Aggie, the message?"

Thai gave a tiny shrug. "I saw your match at the gym on TV, very nicely done. I'm fairly certain it was you and your harem, although I think my 'girls are some of your biggest fans now." His Amazonwu gave him a puzzled look which he ignored. "That, ah... jumpsuit of yours is probably going to have just about every pokegirl wanting their tamer to wear one. You may have started a new trend; maybe not in the Ruby League, though. Didn't look too warm, although you obviously weren't cold, either." He shrugged again.

"Also, I think you might want to be on the look out for Janne. After last time and after I've finally been giving things a lot of thought, I think she liked you so much that she left with a Shrine Maiden on Sadie Poken's Day to try and make her way towards the Blue League. I don't know that for sure, but I figured it's a possibility that could happen." Another shrug. "That hurt to say, but there it is. I could be wrong. I also lost Lei, Orya, and Milena that day as well, and if you do ever happen to run across them, please say hello for me. Assuming that they are still themselves, that is." His eyes lightened slightly.

"My lord, was he fond of his lost pokegirls?"

Shikarou nodded. "Janne was the only surviving member of his original harem. Her leaving probably hurt him a lot more than he's willing to admit. He was fond of the others, too. It always hurts to be dumped. You spend time wondering if maybe there was something that you could have done to convince them to stay, but Sadie Poken's day is all about pokegirls getting to find a Tamer they think they want."

"Is Thai a good Tamer?"

"I think he is. He's a bit prone to melancholy, though."

"That is high praise from thee. I remember Janne. Apparently thou are still of interest to her."

"I guess so. I'm not interested in her, though." He sighed. "However, if she shows up here, I'll give her a fair evaluation. If I believe pokegirls get to choose things for themselves, their Tamers should top that list."

"Fair enough. Still, she will have to pass our inspection of her." Dorothea didn't sound confident about Janne's ability to do so.

Thai changed subjects abruptly. "Sierra's had some success with the blood test results, which I'm sending the compressed data file regarding. According to my original blood sample, I had the Recovery gift and nothing else. She hasn't been able to make heads or tails of the second one, though. After the incident, it seems as if I can keep my armor on for a little over 17 minutes a day, but every day seems to get a little longer according to the watch. I'm not entirely sure what that means yet, and neither is Sierra. I've actually accessed the CrossShield attack, according to my Pokedex. My metabolism's increased, too; according to her, it's by around 25% or so. I seem to be about two or three times stronger and faster than I was before when armored, and I still have Recovery as shown in the original blood sample."

Shikarou stirred. "See, he doesn't tell them everything unless it's pertinent."

Dorothea made an unhappy noise.

Shiori leaned against her Tamer and smiled softly. "Really, master? I hadn't heard that anywhere in your explanations last night."

Thai smiled back at her teasingly, as he slipped his arm around her waist. "True, but no one asked about it."

He turned back to the camera. "Anyway, if you have any time to spare to deal with some annoying DNA testing, I'd appreciate it if you could see what you can find in that second sample. I don't know if there's any more than what we've already learned, but if there's something else there, good or bad, I'd appreciate knowing about it. I nearly forgot, Sierra says that my mother was a strong magic-type pokegirl... she's thinking Megami or Megami-sama."

Thai blinked slowly and gave a soft groan. "I feel really bad about asking for help like this. I know that you asked for updates, but I'm not really that sure as to what else I can do without going to med school or something, or hiring some specialist. It's not really a high priority or anything, so don't worry about it too much." He paused for a few seconds and smiled. "Again, if there's anything I can do for you, within reason, let me know." He paused again and shook his head. "Take care, and may whatever or whoever you believe in smile upon you. And good hunting, too." He reached forward and the recording stopped.

**I have sent the blood sample information along to Selene and we will see what we can find in our spare time. A sample of his blood would prove to be of use as well with our new DNA sequencers.**

"Work with what you've got right now."

Dorothea frowned. "What do thou think of the changes that Thai mentioned seeing in himself?"

"It stands to reason that as he gets more experience, he'll be able to keep his new form for longer. I'm doing the same thing."

She nodded. "I suppose thou are. Will thou compose a message back?"

"I think that would be a good idea." Shikarou made himself comfortable. "Aggie, message for Thai Silvati, Ruby League."

**I know who he is.**

"Fine. Begin recording." Shikarou looked serious. "Thai, it's good to hear from you and you look like you're doing pretty good." He smiled slightly. "You're putting on muscle. I'm sure your harem can appreciate that."

Shikarou slid smoothly to his feet and bowed formally. Greetings to you, Silvati Shiori. I am Urufu Shikarou and I want to tell you that you've managed to find a good Tamer and a good man. He glanced at Dorothea. "Would you please introduce yourself?"

Dorothea had blinked when he started speaking Japanese but recovered quickly. "Greetings to thee, master Thai and Amazonwu Shidori. I am Dorothea and I am Shikarou's Seraph, charged with ensuring that the path he walks is righteous." She gave him an amused glance. "However, it is a job that truly needs three or four more Celestial pokegirls for any chance at success."

Shikarou sighed and dropped back into his chair. "You're backsliding."

"And thou are composing a message for a friend of yours, my lord. Perhaps that should be thy focus; not chiding me."

Shikarou's head shook slowly. "You're right." He turned back to the pickup. "Thai, I want to thank you for the request. My people will see what they can find from the data Sierra prepared and as soon as I know something I'll send it to you. If they don't find anything in a fortnight or so, I'll let you know that as well."

"I hope your busy has been better than mine. We got attacked here recently and are still evaluating the results of their attack. I'm pretty sure we won that one, but the fallout is still settling, something I'm sure you understand."

His ears flicked. "Hidden Bra should make a good base of operations for you. The place looked like it was coming along nicely according to the camera I'd left, at least until they chopped down the tree it was in." He shrugged. "The display died at that point, so I don't know too much about what's been happening since. I have been sending them money as part of an investment program for new businesses there. I don't know if I'll ever get my money back, but if not, I'm sure it is going to a good cause. I also know they expressed interest in the makeup of the Caomh Sith Guard for a while. They weren't specific, but I do know they're still talking to Samantha, the commander, from time to time." He frowned slightly. "I do know they were looking for a new badge design, and I think some of the people here are helping with something along those lines."

A chuckle bubbled up and his eyes glittered with laughter. "Yes, that was us that fought Rory. You don't have to tell your other pokegirls if you don't want to; just in case knowing who that person actually is somehow makes them feel awkward. I had a good time battling Rory, but I don't think I'd want to put on that kind of a show on a regular basis."

He sobered. "I know that losing Janne and the others hurts. You tried to do everything you could for them and they still abandoned you. I lost one pokegirl at the Sadie Poken's day festival I attended earlier this year. I didn't really like her all that much, but her loss still aches a little even now." He grimaced. "Of course, she was a bitch about it, but still it hurts." His eyes narrowed. "In fact, I just may look her up for old time's sake."

Dorothea gave him slightly worried look. "My lord, no killing."

"That's not your call," he replied curtly. "That would be up to Helen."

The Seraph blinked and nodded slowly. "Thou are right. Helen is the injured party in this case."

Shikarou took a deep breath and turned back to the pickup. "Sorry, my temper has been frayed a bit, recently. Anyway, Thai, I want you to know I think you are a good Tamer and you treat your harem the best you can. You also have a tendency to beat yourself up over stuff that's not your fault and you need to realize that their leaving isn't something you can control, at least not without resorting to illegal restraints. Worry about the girls who want to be with you, not the ones that don't. However, should I run across any of your former pokegirls, I'll tell them hello and not that they are idiots for leaving you."

"Congratulations, I hear you've become an official hero of the Ruby League for dealing with and surviving those Mantis pokegirls. I've been lead to understand there are some perks that go along with that and I hope they are the good kind. Enjoy it while it lasts. Memories for that sort of thing tend to be short."

He chuckled again. "Sorry, my natural pessimism is vying against my ingrained paranoia. I hope you're having a good time and I hope to hear from you again, soon. I'll pass along your message to Branwyn and Bellona about Nasya treating you right." He grinned. "Hopefully, Sierra is keeping your hurts tended to properly."

"My lord! Thou are assuming much in the relationship between a Tamer and his pokegirl."

"They're both adults and it's obvious Sierra's fond of him." His grin appeared again. "Farewell and good hunting, good pokegirls and good friends. Shikarou clear."

**Message complete. **

"Send it."

Dorothea tugged on his braid. "What do thou see our adversary doing next?"

Shikarou blinked. "I have no idea."

"But thou should."

He raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Dorothea regarded him solemnly. "My heart, is it not true that thou carry the complete memories of Germanicus inside thee?"

Shikarou frowned. When she used her private pet name for him, he knew he'd better pay attention to what she was saying. "It is."

"Is it not also true that thou must carry these memories for the rest of thy life?"

He nodded slowly. "It is."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him against her breastplate. She smiled and released him. "I am sorry to hear that thou must bear that burden and yet, good may come of it."

"Oh?"

"My heart, thou carry the memories of someone who has observed our foe for three millennia. By examining those memories, thou may know him better then he knows himself."

Shikarou gave her a curious look. "I've been warned not to immerse myself too deeply into his memories at any time. Stardust thinks it might not be healthy."

Dorothea nodded. "Yet, what price needs to be paid for the security of thy family and home?"

"I really think you're backsliding."

She smiled gently. "My lord, my heart quails at the thought of losing thee. Thou have become the cornerstone of my life and I fear trying to continue on without thee. I do not give this counsel lightly."

He folded his arms. "I want to hear you say that like you mean it."

"My lord, I am quite serious." The Seraph looked slightly nervous.

"Say it."

She flushed crimson and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Must I?"

"I'd like it, but no. You don't have to."

Dorothea took a deep breath. Her voice was barely audible. "Shikarou, I think thou must do this."

He smiled. "Thank you. I'd like to disagree, but you're right. I've been too cowardly to use them properly and if they're a part of me now, I have to deal with them."

Taking a deep breath, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. His eyes unfocussed and his breathing became slow and even. The minutes began to spin by.

When he blinked and looked down, Branwyn and Candace were sitting in the room and watching him intently. His wife sighed. "You couldn't wait, could you?"

"Relax." Shikarou stretched and glanced at Dorothea. "How long?"

"An hour, my lord."

He smiled slowly. "Ok, right now it's a good news/good news situation. I'm not Germanicus and Eoghan won't be attacking us for a while, probably not for a month or so."

Candace raised an eyebrow. "And you know this how?"

"I've just relieved all of Germanicus's memories and Eoghan is a physical and moral coward. It's the source of all of his issues, including the first one that started all of our troubles. He was afraid that accessing his Sidhe powers would change him so much that he used his druid magic instead of even trying."

Branwyn frowned. "Then why on earth did he even attempt to become Sidhe?"

"He's greedy, ambitious and power hungry," Shikarou replied. "He's also got a superiority complex about a kilometer wide and the humans living at the time considered the Sidhe to be vastly superior to the mortals. He aspired to that superiority." His ears flicked. "He didn't understand the vast mental and physical repercussions of becoming undead or it's likely he would not have gone that route either."

He shivered slightly. "I don't think anyone can understand what's coming until they do it and then it's too late. Maybe becoming an undead vampire would be different, but becoming a lich?" His voice broke off and he took a deep breath. "You're trapped inside your skull. You have no sensations other than sight and sound. No taste or touch or olfactory sense."

His eyes closed and he took a moment to compose himself. "Taking or destroying all of the attack force Germanicus led was absolutely perfect. Their complete disappearance will rattle Eoghan severely and he'll dither about what to do for weeks if not months. It's also very likely he'll send some kind of scout to see if Germanicus betrayed him or we all destroyed each other. We need to keep our eyes open for it and take or destroy it as soon as it appears."

Dorothea's eyes widened. "My lord, are thou saying that Eoghan destroyed the Sidhe because he feared them and coveted their place?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

"Do you realize that you just took the major threat we're facing and made him pathetic?" Stardust stood in the doorway to the briefing room. "You just said he's a loser who has to have things his own way." The Alaka-Wham sauntered in and settled down in a chair next to her Tamer.

Shikarou cocked his head. "While not in so many words, I did say that, didn't I? It's true enough."

Branwyn clasped her hand and leaned forward. "What if you're wrong? If he's that unbalanced, he's likely to be unpredictable."

"After three thousand years of direct observation, nobody is unpredictable. He'll wait."

"Good." Stardust smiled and grabbed his hand. "So we've got time to go back to the exam room and make sure you just didn't unleash another foe for us to contend with inside your skull."

**I have found something interesting in the Misty Continent. It's probably in the Mountain League.**

Shikarou was idly rolling four pokeballs around on the tabletop with a finger. They belonged to the pokegirls they'd captured the previous day. He looked up. "Probably?"

**The system is proving difficult to locate. I suspect they have an intermittent connection. It's doubtful they are technologically sophisticated enough to hide this well from me deliberately.**

"Your humility is astounding."

**I speak only the truth.**

He sat up and dropped the pokeballs into the bag he'd pulled them out of. "All right, since you are determined to distract me from dealing with our captives, what's so damned interesting?" His eyes narrowed. "You aren't stalling for Branwyn to get here beforehand, are you?"

**No. She'll be here before you can deal with them in any case.**

Shikarou growled deep in the back of his throat. "You had something you wanted me to know about?"

**This connection goes to an old computer system with a storage module. Interestingly enough, it isn't associated with a town or a pokegirl center. It's sent out a request for owners of the pokegirls stored in it to get their pokegirls out before it is taken offline permanently.**

"I'm not sure why this is important. Are you looking for permission to poach some of them for here, or do you have some nefarious purpose of your own?"

**Neither. The ID numbers of the owners are listed for each pokegirl and three of them register as belonging to the father of Thai Silvati.**

"So, send him a message about them."

**He has no public email available. All his correspondence is private and he has not communicated with his son, so I cannot track his base of operations. If I were physically present in the Ruby League systems, it would be possible. I am not and I was designed for a system that allows for much faster rates of data transfer. It's like wading through wet concrete.**

"Something you know nothing about."

**Fuck you.**

The table cracked under Shikarou's hands. He took a deep breath. "I suppose I deserved that. I apologize for being an ass. Assuming that these pokegirls did belong to Thai's father, what can we do?"

**Your apology is accepted. I can arrange for them to be transferred to Hidden Bra and held for him. I'll change the ownership records to reflect him as their owner so he can pull them from storage. Will you send him a message explaining what's happened?**

Shikarou nodded. "Give me the pertinent information and start the transfer."

**There are three pokegirls. All are approaching the change over to full adulthood. There is a Galem named Brenda, a Kunoichi named Eren and Phaenine named Selene. The three of them match with names and types of pokegirls lost to Thai's father in a transfer accident.**

"What the fuck have they been doing for so long?"

**Unknown. The computer is not accepting requests for further data and strangely enough, lists all of the pokegirls as arriving only two days ago.**

"That's pretty screwed up. What about any other pokegirls?"

**There are an additional seventeen pokegirls available.**

"Try tracking down their original owners and get them transferred to them. Any extras need to go to the Mountain League administrators."

**Do you want any?**

"My plate is full right now and I have no bowl. No thanks."

**I'm working on the transfer right now.**

Shikarou looked down at the broken table and grimaced. With a convulsive heave, he hurled it against the far wall of the room where it shattered. A brief smile appeared and he made himself comfortable in his chair again, dropping the bag next to him. "Edit out the broken table and begin recording."

**Ready.**

"Thai, I know this is going to sound odd, but this isn't a social message." Shikarou smiled grimly. "I've got some news for you and you will want to be alone with only your most trusted advisors with you. I'm going to wait here so you can pause this message and get someplace private. I repeat. Do not listen to this in public or with anyone you do not trust completely."

He waited for a full minute. "All right, I'm sorry, but I'm probably not going to make your life easier, although the long term results could be intriguing. We've found an anomaly that apparently involves your father. There is an old computer that is going to be pulled from the net somewhere on the Mist Continent. That should mean it's inside the Mountain League. It has tried to contact your father, but he's not taking public messages."

"Normally I'd just let you know so you could contact your father, but apparently time is of the essence. The connection is bad and theoretically could fail at any moment; here's what I'm doing. There are three pokegirls that are registered as belonging to your father. I'm going to transfer ownership to you and have the pokeballs sent to the Hidden Bra pokegirl center to await pickup. That's where you were last. Once there, they should be safe."

"No, I don't know how pokegirls that belong to your father got there. In fact, I'm telling you what I know."

"By the time you get this, the pokeballs will be waiting for you. I'd recommend picking them up as soon as you can."

His ears flattened against his skull instinctively. "I'm not sure how to tell you this delicately, so I'm not going to try. You might want to take a deep breath right now. Like I said, these pokegirls are listed as belonging to your father. Apparently, they belonged to him quite some time ago. There is a Galem, a Kunoichi and a Phaenine. I don't know if that means anything to you, but they appear to be harem members of your father's that disappeared before he retired. Their names are Brenda, Eren and Selene. They may have known you when you were a child. Good or bad, the names and types match those in your father's harem."

A tiny smile appeared. "I'll pause here while you go throw up. At least, that's what I'd do if some of my dead mothers appeared suddenly and were alive."

"I hope you have good fortune with whatever is going on, Thai, and I hope that you'll eventually forgive me for dumping this on you; it wouldn't feel right to just keep them or dump them in the Mountain League."

He stood and formally bowed. "If I can be of help in this, do not hesitate to call me. I'll do what I can and I'll continue to try and find out what the hell is going on."

He stared into the pickup. "Shikarou clear."

**Message ended.**

Shikarou nodded. "I want you to hand carry this damned thing straight to him, stuff it into his pokedex, phone, laptop, and whatever else communication system he has and then I want you to hit every alarm on it until he reads this message promptly. If he lays it aside, set off the alarms again. I want him to have read this yesterday at the latest."

**I cannot time travel, so I hope that was sarcasm.**

"Just do it."

**I will.**

"Thank you." Shikarou scooped up the bag and left the room. "Please inform Branwyn that I'm on my way to Alexandria to visit our prisoners. If she's available, I'd like transportation. Oh, and she can be my guard."

**She is on her way.**

Shikarou traced a claw tip along the jaw of the knight. "So, kill or convert?" The knight's eyes widened in fear as Shikarou's emotionless expression sank in.

"We need more males." Branwyn raised an eyebrow when he didn't respond. "Husband?"

He blinked and looked up. "You're sure?" He sounded slightly disappointed. "Very well." His hand sank into the knight's chest and the man screamed in agony.

"Shikarou!" Branwyn glared at him as he looked over at her. "Stop hurting him!"

He ignored the screams, only raising his voice slightly. "There's always pain involved. Either they get it or I do. They're prisoners and only deserve whatever mercy we choose to give them. Today, I'm not feeling merciful." The screaming suddenly stopped. "All done." He pulled his hand free and stepped away.

The Unicorn grabbed his arm. "Is that true?"

"I can't lie, remember. I'm done with him."

"That's not what I was asking about. There is always pain for someone?" Branwyn stared into his eyes. "Answer me."

Shikarou nodded. "Yes. I learned how to take that pain into myself so I could convert slaves without others knowing. After a while, it became something of a badge of pride. Silly, really, but that's what you're like when you're young."

"How much does it hurt?"

He shrugged. "You heard, um, what is your name?"

"Leland, my lord." The knight's face was white and his breathing was still fast and shallow.

"You heard Leland. While he was a little high pitched, that sounded fairly typical." Shikarou moved down to the other knight, who was struggling in his restraints. "Hi." The knight blanched and his struggles grew more violent.

"My love, we don't torture them unnecessarily. You are not Germanicus. Do not act like him."

He paused and turned back to Branwyn. "You'd rather I hurt than them?" His hand slid into the knight's chest. "As you wish." The knight froze but made no sound until Shikarou pulled his hand free. Then he slumped and began breathing once more.

"I didn't feel anything." Branwyn gave him a puzzled look. "I thought you said it hurts."

"I'm shielding you. I do love you and wouldn't want you to hurt if it can be avoided."

Branwyn stepped in front of him. "Let me feel it."

"No."

"That wasn't a request." Her eyes snapped at him. "I want to know what you just went through."

Shikarou's ears went completely still. "The fact that I want this to be a marriage of equals does not make you in any way my superior. I've acquiesced to your demands up to this point in an attempt to keep you happy. Perhaps that was a mistake." He glanced at the knight as Branwyn went white. "Name."

"I am Jacob, my lord."

Branwyn slipped her hand into his. "You're right. I'm sorry that I've been treating you that way."

The kami chuckled warmly. "You have my best interests at heart, Branwyn. I know that and for the most part I agree with the restrictions you've placed on my life." A broad smile appeared. "If I didn't, I'd have found a way around them." He patted her hand with his free one. "You're worried that the way Germanicus behaves will come to dominate my thoughts. I can see why you'd be worried about this, but the truth is that all it's really done is made me less likely to make an effort for my enemies."

"I am not nor have I ever been a threat to those whom I love." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I upset you."

"It's ok," Branwyn said quietly. "Can you forgive me for being a bitch?"

He kissed her on the cheek. "To be a good alpha to our band of misfits, you have to be. And, sometimes, I'm the worst person for you to deal with."

He looked down. "Can I have my hand for a few minutes? I would like to let Jacob free so he can free Leland."

She nodded and let him go. As he began releasing the knight, she frowned. "What do you want to do with the pokegirls?"

"Does anyone want them?" He began humming to himself as he unshackled Jacob.

"Kasumi would like the Archmage. She thinks that the pokegirl would be useful at the school she's planning. Your brother wants the Bramage." She hesitated briefly. "I thought we might take the StarlightXpress. What do you think?"

"I think my harem is full."

"She has the potential to be very useful."

"Not good enough. All of my ladies are very useful. I still think my harem is full."

Branwyn gave him an exasperated look. "Shikarou, we're going to need a way to go into space. You want to investigate the conditions around the earth and this would give us a way to get to the moon in case Ming Die and her sisters become troublesome."

"Is Circe or Stardust willing to give up the location of their secret base?" The last of the restraints fell away. "Jacob, free Leland and then the two of you wait outside."

"Yes, my lord."

He turned back to his wife. "Well?"

"Circe already has. She's worried that if she and Stardust start reproducing that the Pleiades will consider us some kind of threat, especially once their true power becomes known."

"I would consider that something to be concerned about." Shikarou sighed and settled into the chair Jacob had just vacated. "You really think she needs to join my harem?"

"Yes, I do. I wouldn't be arguing with you about her otherwise."

"Then we take her. What about the Cardian?"

"She's Infernal. We've got too many Celestials here for her to work out. Eventually, someone would get hurt."

Shikarou cocked his head. "What if I converted her?"

"Unless you make her an automaton like Happosai was, she'll probably get mouthy to Dorothea at the wrong time. Face it, my love, if you're like this, your Seraph will be touchy too. We'll have to sell her."

"No. I said they all must vanish. The choices available are: I convert her, she goes into the harem of someone I trust, or she dies." He leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "I'll convert her and send her to Tomakomai. She can work in my temple and help me keep an eye on the whole operation down there."

Branwyn didn't resist when he pulled her into his lap, but she didn't look particularly happy. "Are you really going to go looking for Ruiling?"

"That depends on what Helen wants to do."

His alpha nodded to herself. "She may be hard to find. You might be looking for quite some time."

"No, she won't." He smirked when she gave him a curious look. "All of you have been implanted with a tracer so I can find you if you get pokenapped. I know exactly where she is."

"Were you going to tell me about this? I don't remember any surgical procedure."

"It happened while you were asleep and involved no surgery. And, as for telling you, I just did."

Branwyn smacked him with her braid. "When did it happen?"

"It didn't take place until after Alexandria became operational. I needed the satellite web up and working in order to be able to locate you all. The implants don't transmit on a frequency that can be detected by anything on this world except Selene and Aggie."

"Where does this tracer put Ruiling?"

Shikarou snickered. "For a while she traveled around the Blue League, but eventually she returned to Tomakomai. Apparently it's her home."

Branwyn sighed. "Have you talked to Helen about it?"

"Not yet. Any idea if she'll want a match?"

"I don't know," Branwyn admitted. "She enjoys fighting, but I'm unsure if she holds a grudge against Ruiling or not. Coming here was the best thing that's ever happened to her and she knows it."

"I'll talk to her." He shrugged. "I really don't know how she'll feel about it, but I hope she wants to pummel Ruiling for a while."

Branwyn favored him with a broad smile. "I want a high quality video of the battle." Her smile widened. "For training purposes only, I wouldn't want it just to gloat."

"I take it you harbor some negative feelings about our wayward Neo Iczel?"

"No, I don't. I just think she needs a thrashing over the way she treated us. And also for the way she treated Helen. And I want to see it. Preferably several times."

"I want to have a word with you, Shikarou." Ygerna stood in the doorway to his office. "About the two knights you've purloined from me."

Yushiko glanced at her Tamer, who was looking blandly at the Sidhe woman. A slight smile crossed her face and vanished almost instantly at his careful non-expression.

"Purloined? I didn't purloin anyone, but come in." Shikarou motioned to the chair on the other side of his desk. "Please, be seated."

Ygerna perched on the edge of the chair, her body stiffly erect. Morgan slipped into the room and settled against the wall. The Dragoness folded her arms and watched alertly.

The Sidhe didn't hesitate. "You captured two knights from Germanicus. I want them and their pokegirls." Her tone brooked no argument.

"That's not going to be possible." Shikarou glanced at Yushiko and jerked his head at the door. The Armsmistress nodded and moved to close it. She settled next to Morgan and went back into an alert posture.

Ygerna's voice rose. "I've seen them around here. I know Leland and I want both of them turned over to me immediately."

"I said no." Nothing changed in his tone or posture, but Morgan stiffened slightly.

Ygerna's voice rose to a yell. "THEY ARE MINE AND I WANT THEM RETURNED TO ME!"

Papers and knickknacks exploded away from the desktop as Shikarou came out of his chair like a spring and over the desk at Ygerna. He landed on top of her and the chair shattered beneath the sudden impact. Shikarou rode her to the ground, slamming her head into the floor.

Morgan started to lurch forward and came to a sudden halt when Yushiko drove the tip of her sword into the Dragoness's throat. The Armsmistress gave her a warning look. "Wait."

Ygerna coughed around the claws clenching her throat as Shikarou leaned into her face. His voice was a hiss. "You will not speak to me that way ever again or we will find out if you are strong enough to survive without your throat." His hands tightened. "Do you understand me?"

Ygerna tried to speak but could only gasp for air. Shikarou loosened his grip and she wheezed as she swallowed a lungful. Her eyes were wide with anger. "No one treats me this way."

Shikarou bared his teeth in a snarl. "You are not the queen here and you will not treat me like one of your servants." Blood trickled down her throat as his claws dug in. "I've put up with your attitude up to this point, but it no longer amuses me. You want to be a bitch to your people, fine. Don't you ever make the mistake of presuming that I am yours to command. I am not." His nose touched hers as he glared into her eyes. "My people captured two knights. My people captured four pokegirls." His voice dropped as the menace in it grew. "My people killed Germanicus. All you've managed to do so far is lose your kingdom and your people." Ygerna jerked as if stabbed. Shikarou continued relentlessly. "All of the prisoners my people took will be disposed of as I see fit."

He released her so suddenly that her head hit the floor again as he rose smoothly to his feet. "Feel free to do what you want with the prisoners your people took."

Ygerna sat up as he sank back into his chair. Her eyes blazed with fury. "Am I being expelled from your kingdom?" She kept her voice as calm as possible but anger pulsed beneath her words.

"You are not." Shikarou placed his palms flat on the table and leaned slightly forward. "You still have business with my brother." He gave her a wintry smile. "Should we continue this conversation through seconds?"

The Sidhe woman blinked in surprise. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You would cross blades with me? I am a Sidhe mage and warrior."

"I would, if you feel insulted." He cocked his head, a thread of amusement entering his voice. "You may be older than dirt, but I don't think you've kept up your weapons training. That means I will not settle for a battle of champions, or in this case, pokegirls."

"You presume too much." Morgan snarled at him. Yushiko's eyes lit up at the prospect of a fight.

The Malakai looked disappointed when Ygerna waved her bodyguard down. "No, he's right. This isn't my kingdom and I'm wrong to act like it is." She rose gracefully. "Do I need to swear an oath of loyalty to you, my king?"

Shikarou looked startled, and for the first time, faintly worried. "That's not necessary right now." He licked his lips. "I want you and Faelan to see what you can work out before that happens. If you can't develop some kind of a relationship with him, you might want to leave and return when some of our children are grown to try again."

It was Ygerna's turn to look surprised. "I hadn't considered that." She gave him a curious frown. "You believe you can defeat Eoghan."

"I think we can." Shikarou's corrected her firmly. "I'm not sure I could have taken Germanicus, much less his master."

"You have a plan." It wasn't a question.

"I do. No, I'm not willing to share. Not yet, anyway. Germanicus knew some spells to pull knowledge from the minds of the unwary and Eoghan taught him some of them. We're going to be practicing opsec as much as possible."

"Opsec? What is that?"

"Operational security."

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her tousled hair. "You spend too much time with the mortals."

He chuckled. "I don't think you spend enough. They have a lot to teach."

"How? Their lives are gone in an instant."

"I would counter that they live a whole life. Immortals tend to live to a certain point and stop. That's been my experience and the experience of Germanicus as well." He began organizing the things that remained on his desk. "They don't see things the way we do, which also means we don't see some things that they do."

"You don't understand," Ygerna said dismissively. "You are still much too young."

Shikarou laughed out loud. "Thanks to Germanicus, I'm not that much younger than you are. Oh, my body is, but my mind is filled with the passage of millennia. You know what? No matter how long you live, each day is just as long and just as filled with potential." He shook his head slowly. "That potential, by the way, is usually wasted by the immortal."

Ygerna's eyes widened suddenly. "Do you know everything that Germanicus did?"

He gave her a cautious look. "Due to the way things unfolded, I lived his entire life except for the last minute or so."

"So you know the truth. I've heard it said here that it's suspected that Eoghan wiped out the Sidhe. Did he?"

Shikarou took a deep breath. "He ordered it. Germanicus was the one who carried out the orders."

"How?"

"I don't really want to discuss it." Shikarou looked distant for a moment. "It was very effective and only available to the undead. I'm not sure if I can adapt it to a spell the living can cast or if I even want to try."

"You're not interested in a spell that will slay your enemies at a distance?"

"Not another one. If I want someone dead that badly, I've already got a whole plethora of options to chose from. Some of them are magical while others are technological in nature." His ears rotated slowly. "And I've always believed that taking care of that sort of thing personally is better anyway. It reminds you that killing should only be used when necessary. If you are ordering others to do it or doing it so far away that you can't see the one you're killing, then it is just too easy to forget that rule."

"Is that a commentary on me?"

He looked startled. "Not at all. I understand that rulers don't often have the luxuries of the line troops. Orders have to be given and obeyed."

"If you intend to be king, you'll have to remember that."

Shikarou nodded. "I will."

The StarlightXpress looked around with a disgusted expression as she appeared. Shikarou put the pokeball on the table next to the bed. She noticed the motion and turned. "Oh, you." She sighed and lay down on the bed. "Ok, let's get this over with."

Shikarou blinked. He'd seen little since coming to this world that appealed to him less. "I wanted to talk to you first."

She sat up and shrugged. "It's not going to work, you know. I don't want you for a Tamer and there's not a whole lot you can do about that."

He nodded briefly. "I'd suspected that something like that might be the case. You want to be with your Tamer. Ok, I don't see a problem with that."

She looked shocked. "You're serious."

"I am indeed." He leaned against the wall. "Tandy, if you're determined to be with Leland, so be it."

Her eyes widened and suddenly she barked a laugh. "That fool? He's not my Tamer. My Tamer is Roderick Thibodaux. I was taken by Leland as salvage."

"Thibodaux?" Shikarou frowned. "Leland didn't kill him?"

Tandy shook her head. "He was afraid I'd suicide if he did."

"Is that likely?"

She nodded. "A lot of times when a Tamer dies, any pokegirls he's delta bonded to will often lose the will to live. Sometimes they stop eating, other times they suicide."

Shikarou frowned. "I'd heard they could die. I figured it was due to the trauma of the link being severed."

Tandy smiled. "I've heard that too, but what I've seen is suicide or starvation."

"That could bear some investigation. However, my earlier comment stands. If you want to be with your bonded partner then, as far as I'm concerned, you can. Is Roderick in the Blue League?"

The StarlightXpress hugged herself. "No. And I'm not sure where he is anymore. We were in the Indigo League when I was taken." She looked up. "They've got bases in every League for spying."

"Do they have any contact with Sanctuary?"

"Where is that? I've never heard of it."

Shikarou made a mental note to ask Ygerna if she had any knowledge of the Sanctuary Goths. "Do they have a base on the Dark Continent?"

"Not that I know of. That place is scary and nobody wants to go there." She hugged herself tighter. "Are you serious about me and Roderick?"

"I have some pokegirls who are delta bonded to me and I would move heaven and earth to get them back. I'd also expect anyone to help them get back to me. I'll do no less for you." He picked up his com. "Aggie, find me anything you can on a Tamer named Roderick Thibodaux. He was last known to be in the Indigo League and at one time had a StarlightXpress." Shikarou looked up. "Is Tandy the name you had then?"

"Yes." A faint look of hope crossed her face. "I wouldn't change it after Leland took me and he couldn't afford to force the issue."

"I'll see what I can do, but it may take some time," Aggie responded through the com.

Shikarou put the com away. "We'll see about getting you a room at the inn, if you're willing to wait to see if we can find him. In the meantime," he tossed her the pokeball, "you keep that. If you need to be tamed, talk to the pokegirls staying at the inn."

Tandy stared at the round ball she clutched. "Thank you," she whispered.

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 73

Unicorn Branwyn 67

Milktit Helen 64

G-Spliced Pythia 60

DragonQueen Bellona 60

NurseJoy Candace 58

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 57

Seraph Dorothea 57

Vampire Elizabeth 53

Sphinx Lorelei 53

Mini-Top Nanu 53

Wet Lass Roisin 44

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village


	45. Chapter 45

Written by Kerrik Wolf

Chapter 45

Branwyn sighed dramatically. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"

Shikarou grinned. "You just like hearing me say I'm stupid, don't you?"

She looked innocently at him. "Me? Hear you say something like that?" A smile appeared. "Perhaps you're right. So, tell me again why you're doing this?"

He gave her an amused look. "This morning we went to Leticia's birthday party, and I did a very stupid thing."

"How stupid was it?"

"I think you're hoping I'll say it was incredibly stupid. Well, in retrospect, it was. Because Katherine didn't invite us until last night, we didn't have anything nice to give her. Therefore, I told Leticia that I'd get her anything she requested, as long as it was under 3000 credits and didn't involve me marrying or getting anyone pregnant."

Yushiko giggled.

Shikarou ignored her. "She asked for the complete Mineko and the Pussycats Fun-Pack of dolls and associated clothing. The retail value is 3200 SLC, but I decided that was close enough. However, you cannot find one anywhere since it became an instant collector's item. The stores around the Blue League and the ones in Indigo are backordered for the next six weeks. Then, Helen came up with the bright idea of dimension hopping to find one. I'm only going to shift one step on the d-axis, so Mineko should be popular there and we can wait the six weeks if necessary. Once we're ready to return, I'll adjust the coordinates to ensure we come back about an hour after we left."

His ears flicked. "You thought it a wonderful idea since it gives you and the rest of the harem six weeks of shopping if we have to wait."

The Unicorn looked surprised. "What? Six weeks of shopping and resting with my husband and family with no responsibilities? Wait, you're absolutely right. I hadn't considered that fact, but it does sound splendid."

Yushiko giggled again.

Branwyn glanced at her. "You can stop that at any time."

The Armsmistress smiled broadly. "You were trying to be funny and I don't understand why you're upset since I thought it was."

"She's got you there."

Branwyn chuckled and took his arm. "She is right. You have my apologies, Yushiko. When do we leave?"

"As soon as the tent is packed and put away."

"Well now, I'll see about expediting that." She headed off purposefully.

Yushiko watched her leave. "The rest will do you well, my lord. Candace is still concerned about the aftereffects of your meshing with Germanicus." She gave him a cautious look. "We all are."

He nodded slowly. "I think you just might be right about me needing some rest. A few days relaxing and sipping plum wine might be nice for a change."

"You'll be drinking plum wine? You will share, won't you?" She kissed his cheek. "After all, you are a good lord and you don't forget your loyal servants."

"I'll keep that in mind."

An hour later, he shrugged on his pack as Branwyn put the rest of his harem into their pokeballs. He glanced over at her as she moved behind him. "I'm surprised everyone wants to go."

She grimaced as she loaded pokeballs into his pack. "I'm pissed about it. I wanted more personal time with you than I'm going to get now. How about I drop some of them on the ground and we pick them up when we return?"

Yushiko cocked her head. "While I'd like more time with him too, it wouldn't be fair to the others." She brightened. "We'll just have to stay long enough to make sure everyone gets to spend enough time with him."

Branwyn snorted. "That would probably take decades and I don't want to raise children away from the island."

"I suppose you're right. Still, we can stay the six weeks everyone is anticipating even if we find the toys right away."

The Unicorn gave Shikarou a curious look. "Well?" She returned Yushiko without taking her attention away from him.

"I don't see why not," he replied. "We've earned the time off."

"I knew I agreed to marry you for some reason." She took his arm and the view changed as they teleported to just outside of Glasgow. She released Yushiko.

The Armsmistress looked around as she checked her swords. "I have him, Branwyn."

"Good." The Unicorn handed him her pokeball. "I guess it's my turn. Yushiko, watch him closely."

"Yes, my alpha." She watched him put Branwyn's now full pokeball in his belt. "Is Kasumi coming?"

"No, she just bought a lot of clothes when she was last in Edo and isn't all that impressed with Blue League furnishings. She wants to focus on the school right now, and if that makes her happy, then so be it." He chuckled. "And before you ask, I sent Poppet a note and she told me to have fun, but not too much. She's busy getting everything ready to turn the Conservatory over to Devon."

"Yes sir." She watched as he checked some notes before casting the spell to open a portal.

He emerged in the same place, but now it was night. A full moon shined brightly overhead and in the distance he could see fireworks detonating over the central part of the city. The faint explosions drifted over them in counterpoint to the flashes of light.

Yushiko checked her swords again as the portal closed and they headed towards the town. "What do we do now?"

"We find a policeman and ask if we can camp or if we need to get a hotel room. I hope we can camp, but I really don't want to break the law. I suspect that being arrested is more than slightly counterproductive to that whole concept of relaxing and having a good time."

The Armsmistress chuckled. "Yes, I would think so, my lord. Is that an OfficerJenny across the street?"

Shikarou looked. It looked like one, except for the fact that she had bright red hair.

**The OfficerJennys of this world have red hair. I'm updating your pokedex with the appropriate files. The access codes are also different but they pose no problems. I'm also giving you a provisionary identity and setting up the protocols necessary to use the money in your pokedex accounts. Please remember, when that is gone, you will be broke since you have no bank accounts here.**

"Thank you, Aggie. Yes, it is. Let's go say hi."

The police pokegirl watched them cross the street. "Good evening, citizen. Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Good evening, officer. We're new in town and I wanted to know if it was acceptable to camp or if I have to get a hotel room for the night."

She smiled. "It's perfectly legal to camp in the designated camping zones, but they're all full for the fair."

"Um, what fair?"

"There's a magic fair starting tomorrow. It's being put on by some mages from Vale in order to showcase magic and its development for the last three hundred years." She gave him a curious look. "You must have been far from anywhere not to have heard about it."

That was definitely a question to avoid. "It sounds impressive. I take it that's what the fireworks are for?"

"Yes, they're demonstrating some of the more exotic spells before the opening parade starts the official fair. It'll be at nine tomorrow morning." She frowned. "Most of the hotels are full. I'd suggest trying some of the cheaper places. The mages tend to conglomerate in the most expensive ones."

Shikarou had been planning on staying at one of the most expensive. They were supposed to be resting, after all. He sighed. "Any you'd care to suggest?"

"The Come On Inn isn't that far from here and its vacancy light was still lit an hour ago." She pointed. "It's down there about seven blocks. Look for the digital Milktit trying to entice passersby."

"I'll do that." He read her nametag. "Should I tell them that Officer Pauline recommended it?"

Her teeth flashed briefly in the streetlights. "If you do they'll only tell you to shove off. We raid them fairly regularly since they like to have illegal gambling in some of the rooms."

"Is that likely to happen tonight?"

Her smile widened. "No, we're all out on street duty tonight. The powers that be wouldn't want anything bad to happen during the festival. They're hoping it'll become an annual event."

"Ah, I sense the power of the almighty credit at work."

She nodded. "Yes. We on the force don't particularly like it, but it's those credits that help to keep more Jennies on the streets. Good evening, Tamer."

"And I wish a good evening to you, Officer Pauline."

The display was just as garish as he'd been led to believe. An anime Milktit thrust her breasts out towards the street before turning around and wriggling her rump. A sign below her announced that they had vacancies and that taming rooms were available.

Yushiko blinked when the display reset and the Milktit squirted milk from her nipples. "Tasteful," she murmured dryly.

"I suppose that's one word for it." He headed inside.

The place was seedily decorated and there was a faint smell of something sour. The desk clerk was a young man who gave off an aura of unhealthiness. He was reading a magazine and glanced up at both of them when they entered. "Our taming room is occupied and if you wreck one of the other rooms you'll be billed for the damages."

Yushiko looked offended. "Good evening to you too."

Shikarou made a motion with one hand and she took a deep breath before stepping closer to him as he spoke. "I want a room for the night."

The desk clerk nodded. "We've got a room available for 25,000 SLC for the night. If you don't like it, go somewhere else."

"I take it the fair has made it a seller's market?"

The man looked confused. "What?"

"Never mind. One room, one night." They'd find something better in the morning or camp far enough out of town to avoid being fined.

The clerk transferred the funds and handed him a keycard. "Checkout is at 10 am. If you're a minute late, you'll automatically be billed for another day. If you keep the keycard, you'll be billed for another day and the replacement cost of the key whether or not you check out on time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Yushiko smiled slightly as the elevator rose towards the top floor. "Branwyn is going to love this place."

"Yeah, I think you're right on that score. In the morning we'll find someplace else if we have to fly halfway to Caomh Sith and teleport back and forth every day."

She looked startled at a thought. "Caomh Sith. I wonder if it exists here. Do you think there are versions of us on this world?"

"I have no plans to find out." He chuckled. "I don't need to meet another me and especially not another Dorothea."

**I have no indications of a beacon claiming possession of this world for any Tirsuli clan. Since Faelan set up the beacon immediately upon his arrival, it's unlikely any analogs of you exist here.**

Yushiko had a second question. "What if there is another Kebi?"

His face froze and his ears went flat. "No." The Armsmistress bowed her head obediently at the finality in his tone. They were silent for the rest of the ride.

The room was tiny, with a single twin bed, a television and a small bathroom with a shower. There was a faint scent of cleansers that didn't cover a musty odor. Shikarou smiled slightly. "It's a good thing I had no expectations or I would surely have been disappointed."

As soon as he released her, Branwyn summed it up for everyone. "This is a dump. The place smells and the walls are paper thin." She gestured at one wall where the loud sounds of sexual activity could be heard coming from beyond it.

Shikarou pulled out his wand and made the room soundproof. "There, that at least, we can control. In the morning, we'll find someplace else to stay."

Branwyn poked the mattress experimentally. "I think my pokeball is more comfortable than this bed. I'll let someone else have tonight with you." She smiled. "It would have to be someone who deserves a night in a place like this."

"Svetlana's not here. That and she's not my pokegirl."

Branwyn and Yushiko both stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Shikarou shrugged into his shirt and glanced around the room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He'd been assigned Nanu as his bodyguard for the night but had refused to make her stay in this room and had put everyone into their pokeballs. Instead of lying in that nasty bed, he'd spent the night reading the Grimoire of Danu, studying it try to find a way to deal with Eoghan. It had been a productive night; he now had the bare bones of a plan and only time would tell if it would work properly. Still, at this point he was pleased to have any kind of hope of ending this; hopefully, without a bloodbath that would cost him more of his family.

He checked the room one last time and released Yushiko. She looked around and frowned. "Where is Nanu?"

"Resting." His eyes narrowed at the look she gave him. "It was my decision to spend the night alone. There was no reason to inflict this place on anyone else."

For an instant she looked like she wanted to argue with him, but didn't. "I hope you had a quiet night."

"I did. The soundproofing saw to that." He grimaced. "Let's get out here and find someplace to set up camp. I've gotten too used to Helen's cooking."

The Armsmistress nodded and followed him out.

He paused in the hallway and frowned. "I smell blood."

"I'm not surprised in this place." Yushiko muttered. "I doubt that's all you smell, too. Do you think there is a threat to us?"

He shrugged. "It's not our blood. I do think that this is an odd place and I'm not going to recommend it to my friends." He took a deep breath. "I also smell corruption, which means that the blood must be a couple of days old. I'm surprised I missed it last night."

She touched his shoulder. "My lord, you were busy dealing with memories that I should not have stirred up." She blinked and drew her sword in a smooth motion. "My lord, up ahead!"

The door to the hotel room closest to the elevator was partially open and fresh blood decorated the carpet in front of it.

Shikarou and Yushiko eased forward until they were even with the door. He made a motion and she nodded and took position to one side of the doorway as he summoned his sword. His other hand drifted to his belt and traced along his pokeballs before selecting one.

With a sudden move, she smacked the door open and darted into the room. "Clear!"

Shikarou walked in slowly. More blood specked the bed, carpet, walls and a few red dots glistened on the ceiling, but other than that, the room was empty.

Yushiko didn't look happy. "What do you think happened here?"

"I'm not sure. I smell the same odd scent as in the hall, but it is stronger here." He looked thoughtful for a heartbeat. "Maybe the situation has already been dealt with. We'll go downstairs and let the desk clerk know about it. I don't want to get caught without an identity if I can avoid it and the awkward questions it usually causes."

The front desk was unattended and Shikarou leaned over the counter. "Hello?" He raised his voice and tried again. "Hey!"

After a couple of minutes, he frowned and dropped the keycard on the desk. "Since it is six am, if they charge me for a second day I'm going to come back and be very upset." He sighed. "I guess we'll have to find a policeman and tell them something odd is going on here."

Yushiko touched his arm. "I think you should have more security. Dorothea is next on the protective detail rotation. Please release her."

He nodded as he reached for his belt. "You are absolutely right."

Yushiko looked surprised enough for Dorothea to draw her sword. "What is it, Yushiko?" She looked around alertly as she spoke.

"He didn't argue with me over more security."

Dorothea blinked and smiled. "Are thou sure it is him? Perhaps our lord was spirited away in the night and replaced with a doppelganger."

"That's very funny." Shikarou shook his head. "Put your weapon away. We've got a problem. Something odd is going on here and I don't understand any of it. That sounds like a good reason for more security. Yushiko, brief her while we look for some police."

"Thou are seeking out the police, my lord? This is a strange situation indeed." Dorothea sheathed her sword and took up position with Yushiko as they followed Shikarou outside.

The street was quiet in the early morning light. A group of people were clustered in a circle a few blocks away, looking at something in their midst while a lone figure waited idly across the street from the hotel, looking in the window of a convenience store. Shikarou recognized her uniform and, a moment later, her red hair. "Hey, there's an OfficerJenny."

"My lord, her hair is the wrong color." Yushiko whispered briefly to Dorothea. "Ah. My apologies, my lord, I did not know."

"None are necessary. I wonder if it's Pauline. Hey! Officer!" He started across the street when she turned around.

It was Officer Pauline, and yet it wasn't, he realized as he ground to a halt. Her eyes were empty and dried blood ran in a sheet down her uniform, from her bloody mouth to the end of her short skirt, and continued down her legs to her knees. She made a lurching motion and started towards them.

**What the? Crap. ZOMBABE! DO NOT APPROACH HER!** Data filled his mind as Aggie fed him information on Zombabes.

"That's a Zombabe!" He backpedaled and pulled his guards with him. "Stay away from her." A glance up the street showed the crowd had turned and was slowly headed their way, leaving behind something on the ground. It was shapeless and surrounded by a pool of dark liquid. "Oh, shit. I think I'd like to be airborne right now. Rooftop, ladies. Please make it an empty one." He hit the oncoming group with a fireball as Yushiko's wings shimmered into existence and she wrapped her arms around him.

The advancing pokegirls made no sound as the fireball detonated in their midst, sending charred bodies flying in all directions. Dorothea climbed rapidly and circled overhead as Yushiko headed upwards with her charge. The rooftop of the convenience store was empty and they landed there. Yushiko frowned as she let him go. "What's a Zombabe?"

"They are contagious undead." Dorothea was scanning the roof and surrounding areas. "Their bite will turn pokegirls and human females into Zombabes and if they are destroyed by anything other than fire or holy power from a powerful enough Celestial, they release a mist that does the same thing. A human male dies a slow and agonizing death that lasts for days. Other than fire or holy might, they can only be destroyed by destroying the brain or decapitation."

Yushiko turned slightly green and Shikarou remembered the Japanese dislike of death or the dead. "Are they evil spirits?"

"No," Dorothea replied. "They are pathetic souls who would make the world in their image, but they are not evil." She turned to Shikarou. "My lord, they must be destroyed or they will be a blight on the Blue League."

"First, we need to find out how widespread the infection is. Aggie, use my com to contact the police and inform them of the situation." He looked around. "This roof is too cluttered to set up the tent, so we'll be moving to a different one in a bit."

"Why is that important?" Yushiko had edged away from the edge of the roof and was scanning diligently. Her swords were now in her hands.

"Melee combat is a losing proposition and I want to get to Nanu's armory so she's not the only one with firearms. We'll all want them." He frowned. "They won't be enough, we'll have to acquire more weapons eventually, but that's a problem for another time."

**I have only gotten voicemail systems at the police stations I've tried. I'll try accessing security cameras across the city to locate any police.** There was a pause. **I am seeing only Zombabes everywhere. Perhaps Circe can locate surviving police forces by looking for their minds. Satellite access is being blocked so completely it's like they aren't there at all. If I hadn't detected them yesterday I would presume there were none.**

**What happens if you get bitten? I have nowhere to go if you are killed. **

"I'll endeavor not to have that happen, but you can always retreat to my pokedex before seeking out Branwyn or another member of the harem. They'll honor our agreement." He released Circe and Pythia. "Ladies, we've got a Zombabe problem here in Glasgow. Circe, scan outwards and find me someone we can tell about this problem. Pythia, overflight."

He turned and looked down in the street where the Zombabe that had been Pauline watched them with infinite patience. "There's no saving her, is there?" His voice was even, but still a thread of sorrow ran through his words.

Dorothea shook her head. "No, my lord. Thou cannot save her life, for she has none. She is dead and undead. Only true death will release her soul. Was she important to thee?"

He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say something like that. No, she isn't really important, but so far I've met two people here and she's the only one who was polite." He obliterated the Zombabe with another fireball. "Rest well, Pauline."

Circe was looking less and less happy. Finally, she gave him a grim look. "I have found someone on the outskirts of the city, that way. They feel like mages." She pointed in their direction. "I can detect nothing else, not even rats. We are the only living beings in Glasgow."

**At the last census, the population of Glasgow was over a hundred and ninety thousand people.**

Shikarou stood for a moment as those words sank in. "Aggie says the population of Glasgow was about two hundred thousand. Depending on what happened, most of them may be Zombabes. In any case, they are either fled or dead."

"My lord!" Yushiko pointed as a crowd of Zombabes slowly made their way down the street and began to fan out around the store. They stretched up the street, apparently without end.

There was the hiss of pneumatics and cheerful music sprang up as the automatic doors of the store opened when one of the undead tripped the detection beam. Zombabes began to stream into the store beneath them.

Shikarou activated his com. "Pythia, find us a police station or something similar with a good field of fire. We'll want to fort up somewhere secure. It doesn't matter if there are Zombabes in it, we'll have to clear the building anyway." He reached for the pokeballs holding Branwyn and Bellona. "Circe, brief everyone before we leave. Branwyn," he began as she appeared, "listen to Circe and don't ask any questions until she's done. Dorothea, Yushiko, overflight. Bellona, you've got me for the moment." He began casting a spell.

There was silence for a long moment as Circe briefed her alpha and beta. Finally Branwyn shook herself. "We need to warn the people on the edge of town."

"I think they already know." Shikarou rubbed his cheek hard enough to leave a red mark. "I just tried to open the portal back home so we could run if we had to. The whole place has been sealed. Teleport, gates, any form of hyperdimensional travel has been blocked. I suspect we'll find forcefields on the city's edge. There have to be mages nearby who are keeping this place bottled up and Circe said the people she located are probably mages."

"That means we can't use teleport for travel throughout the city." Circe looked even unhappier than earlier. "There goes a lot of our mobility. What are our plans?"

"We find a base and then we see if we can leave the city. I'd rather have a stronghold set up if we can't and something happens while we're finding out. Pythia will let us know when she finds something suitable." He sighed. "Aggie, I want you to start keeping a count of our kills. There is a bounty on Zombabes and we might as well collect it. Also, start checking your map of the city. I'll want to know the location of every Tamer supply shop, police station, jail, and anywhere else there might be firearms or ammunition."

**I'm on it.**

Branwyn nodded. "We'll also want to know the location of all the pokegirl centers and hospitals. We'll clear them and block access so they can become refuges if they're strongly built. Some of them also have armories for pokegirls and police."

She broke off when there was a flicker and a human appeared, standing in front of Shikarou. He smiled. "Your telepathic pokegirl alerted us to your presence and I've cast a spell to communicate with you by sending this illusion of myself. We didn't know anyone was still alive here."

"I think we're the only ones. What happened?"

"There was a disruption at the fair last night. Some anti-magic demonstrators tried to stop a mage who was casting a spell. He was interrupted and something happened which intensified the spell effect beyond anything we've seen before. He was casting the spell Zombie and somehow it turned every pokegirl in the city not in a pokeball into a Zombabe. They quickly killed their Tamers or owners. Even we had losses." He cocked his head. "How is it that your pokegirls were not affected?"

"They were in their pokeballs. How can we get out of here?"

A slight frown appeared. "You cannot. We will not lower the barriers surrounding this city until the menace is destroyed and we can't make small openings to let you out. We think it will pass on its own accord in about six months, so find a place and make yourself comfortable until then, if you can survive."

"So we're on our own?" Branwyn looked stunned. "You're actually leaving us to die?"

"While it is correct that we cannot aid you, we accept no responsibility if you are unable to survive. What happened is not our fault."

"You cast the spell that caused it and it's not your fault?" Bellona murmured quietly.

If he heard, the mage ignored her. "The Blue League is adamant that this infection be contained. Tamers won't be sent in for at least six months to assess the situation. If you can speed the process along, we would, of course, be grateful." He didn't sound hopeful. "The illusion spell wanes," he warned as he began to flicker. "I will come when I can to see if you still live. Good luck." His image suddenly popped like a soap bubble.

Shikarou said a bad word in Japanese. "I've known oni with more compassion than that human," he dragged out the word as if it were an insult, "has got." He grimaced. "We'll definitely need that base now."

Branwyn's lips thinned in anger. "Shikarou, I want you to set up some protective spells so he doesn't appear in our bedrooms or in the tent anywhere."

Bellona gave the Unicorn a worried look. "We've possibly got other problems. If pokegirls in their pokeballs weren't changed into Zombabes, then there's a city full of pokeballs that contain pokegirls who are going to go feral. If they're powerful enough, they may be able to escape from their pokeballs at that point. A couple of powerful Dark Lady's or Neo Iczel on the rampage who happen to be trapped inside the city with us may make us remember the Zombabes with nostalgia."

Shikarou's ears flicked. "Not to mention the question of where we'd go if someone fired the city."

Branwyn paled as that thought sank in. "There's an Underground here. The Zombabes in there would survive if the city burned and we can flee to it if we have too. We'll have to make a base there just in case and we'll have to make sure that any buildings we decide to use don't have an access to it that the Zombabes can use to get to us."

"I have no plans to burn the city." He frowned as his mind worked. "Six months is a long time. We will have to presume that the power will be lost eventually." Shikarou glanced upwards at Yushiko and Dorothea. "We'll need food, water, weapons, and anything else we can think of. Everyone travels in at least pairs and we try to plan only to be out during the day. This is going to be hazardous enough as it is. I do not want accidents and too few of you can see in the dark."

Bellona looked thoughtful. "We'll need to see if the tent will work. It works by accessing a hyperdimensional space and we don't know if that will function under their restrictions."

"My backpack works under the same principle and it is fine, but you're right. Besides, I want it set up so we have some comforts. And its power can't be lost."

Pythia took up an orbit as Circe did a slow inspection of the roof of the police station. "It looks clear." She did one last check and landed. Below them, a few scattered Zombabes began heading their way.

The Dire Wolf landed and let Shikarou go before lifting off again and casting fireball on the closest group. Dorothea and Yushiko landed, their wings vanishing. Bellona hovered for a moment before folding her wings and landing lightly next to her Tamer.

He released Branwyn. "Branwyn, Yushiko, cover the back of the building. Pythia, Dorothea, you've got the front. Bellona, Circe, let's clear the top floor."

"Be careful, husband." Branwyn launched a fireball at another group that was getting close to the building. "Keep them away. Since they won't run, incinerate them all."

The roof access was a hatch and it appeared to be locked. Circe glanced up. "I can open it but I'm not sure if it's going to rain through that shield they've got up."

"I hope so; we'll catch water in tubs on the roof if it does. Tear it open. We can seal it later if we need to.

The roof hatch peeled open with a shriek as metal tore. Bellona frowned. "We can't reconnoiter by fire or the building will go up. It's a good thing they're not subtle." She looked at Circe. "There's not enough room for me to fly if something happens, so you should go first before he jumps down there." She glared at her Tamer as he moved toward the hatch. "Where do you think you're going?"

Shikarou looked innocent. "Down?"

"Not first, you aren't." Circe lifted off and slowly dropped down the hatch opening. "Move out of the way!" Suddenly a Zombabe came shooting out the hatch. She arced over the building and smashed into the ground below. More quickly followed. Soon there was a small pile of Zombabe goo surrounded by a pale purple mist at the base of the building. _I have eliminated the Zombabes in the hallway. It's safe to come down._

Shikarou dropped down, closely followed by Bellona. He checked Circe over quickly. "I'm fine," she snapped. "They never touched me. We'll have to search room by room. Zombabes came out of some of the rooms, but I can't tell if there are any left. I don't suppose you have a spell that will find undead?"

"Yeah, I do. It's in my spellbooks, which are in the tent. I never bothered to learn it."

"Maybe you should." Bellona gave him an amused look as she furled her wings.

He snorted. "Hindsight, huh?" She chuckled as he continued. "All right, back to business. Let's get this floor cleared out so we can control the access points. Circe, you open doors and Bell and I'll stand by." He glanced at Bellona. "I wish you could have learned ice beam."

She shrugged. "DragonQueens are weak to ice and you know it's almost impossible for me to learn an attack I'm weak against." Her eyes flicked in his direction. "You won't make our home out of flammable materials, will you?"

"That would be silly. All right, you use gust and wind to keep the mist away while Circe and I deal with our opponents." He held up his hand. "Tanto." A Japanese dagger appeared. "Circe?"

"I'm ready." She moved to the closest door. "I recommend checking all the rooms, not just the ones with closed doors."

"Pretty and smart," Shikarou smiled. "That's one of the many things I like about you." His smile faded. "Let's do this."

Circe nodded. Shikarou moved to the side of the doorway and glanced at the Alaka-Wham. She nodded again and he turned the knob and shoved. The door swung open and banged against something in the room.

When a couple of minutes passed with no movement she glanced at him. "You or me?"

"Ladies first, of course, otherwise our dragon over there will probably tattle to my wife and alpha."

"Damned right I will."

Circe nodded. "Very well." She lifted off the ground and darted into the room. Her voice drifted out into the hall. "Males won't become Zombabes, will they?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Then the room is clear, disgusting, but clear."

Shikarou poked his head inside the room. A man lay awkwardly draped over the desk that dominated the room. His shirt was torn open and his belly had been eaten out. Bits of intestine littered the floor and blood was everywhere. "Apparently, they prefer the soft tissues," he observed clinically.

Circe turned and threw up. Shikarou grabbed her and held her while she emptied her stomach before helping her to clean up. She threw a baleful look in his direction. "I was managing to do quite well without your comments."

"I'm sorry; I forgot you haven't been as intimate with deaths of this nature as I have." He shrugged. "I developed gallows humor to compensate."

"Please keep your humor to yourself for now." She took a deep breath and gagged.

Shikarou pulled her face against his chest. "Take shallow breaths and think about how I smell. Focus on how I smell. Nothing else."

Slowly, she relaxed as he eased her out into the hall. He started to shut the door, but Bellona shook her head. "Leave it open so we know it's been checked. We'll just have to live with the stench until we can clean up."

Circe pushed away from his chest. "I think I'm ok now. Thanks."

"We help each other. That's our greatest strength." He pulled his canteen from his belt and offered it to the Alaka-Wham. "Rinse and spit before you drink." He watched her closely as he took his canteen back. "Do you need to switch out with someone else?"

She was pale, but looked determined. "No. I'll be fine. If we're going to be here for six months, I'll be seeing that, and worse, a lot more before it's done."

The next three offices were empty. When the door to the fourth was opened, two Zombabes came staggering out of the room. One had been an OfficerJenny while the other had been a Tigress. Circe plucked them off the ground with telekinesis and lofted them out the roof hatch like she'd done to the others.

When they made it to the elevator, Shikarou pushed the call button. "I want to clear this one too, and then we'll use the emergency stop to keep it here."

"Won't the sound of the bell call the Zombabes from other floors?" Bellona asked wryly. "Of course, they're likely to mass outside the elevator door on their floors. How smart are Zombabes?"

Circe positioned herself where she could see inside the elevator when it opened. "They're supposed to respond only on an instinctive level, but there are some indications that they may be able to somehow detect their prey. Nobody is sure, but they tend to show up in the area where the living just happens to be, even if nobody is doing anything to draw them. Statistically, it happens too often to be mere coincidence. Other indications are that some Zombabes show a higher level of cunning and can open doors or windows. Others have been reported sneaking up on people, but that could be just the fact that they are naturally quiet combined with someone being inattentive. There are also a few reports of fast moving Zombabes but those are considered anecdotal in nature."

"If any of that is true, the ones that find the stairs will be trying to come up here. We'll need to barricade those doors until we can finish this floor." Shikarou broke off as the elevator chimed and the doors slid open.

The elevator was crammed full of Zombabes who poured out like a slow motion avalanche. Bellona instantly responded with gust just as Shikarou hurled his tanto into the forehead of the lead Zombabe. Mist blew back through the others and down the elevator shaft. Necks snapped audibly as Circe used her telekinesis to twist heads in a quick circle and more mist was blown away by an alert Bellona as Shikarou summoned more tantos and hurled them.

Suddenly, it was over. As the last body fell to the ground, Circe blew air through her cheeks. "They look like living people and I'm not trained to kill like this. Will it get easier?"

"Yes." Bellona nodded slowly. "I learned to kill easily with Team Viper. You'll learn here. I'm sorry to say that we all will." She touched Shikarou's arm. "If we train to routinely kill, it may make us useless for battling. You may want to replace some of us after this is over."

"If it does, I'll retire. I'm comfortable with my harem the way it is." He gave a slight smile. "I'll become a Tradesman if I have to, although I'll have to decide what profession will allow me to keep my current harem."

Circe snickered. "You could be a pokegirl mage."

"I've never heard of that one."

"I'm not surprised since it won't exist until you create it. All your spellcasting pokegirls will be your primaries and anyone else will be security."

Shikarou suddenly looked thoughtful until Bellona nudged him. "Woolgathering isn't going to help us survive here; which, I need to point out, we have to do before you can retire."

"You're right." He gave her an apologetic smile. "Let's finish clearing this floor. Then we'll block the doors to the stairs and rest before moving on."

"What are the final results?"

Nanu pushed a piece of paper at him. "There are the scores. We were fortunate to find a small firing range in the basement." She took a deep breath. "You are an excellent shot, but you already knew that. I am an excellent shot and you already knew that as well."

"And the others?"

"Don't rush me. I'm building suspense." She smiled and pushed his chair back before settling into his lap. "Out of the other eleven members of your harem, results were mixed. Surprisingly enough, Candace is almost as good as I am. She said that in Wick, all the civil service pokegirls are expected to qualify with firearms. I think that's a great idea and one we should adopt."

"The others." Shikarou doggedly refused to let her change the subject.

"Spoilsport. It turns out that Armsmistresses can learn about firearms and other ranged weapons just as easily as they can learn any melee weapon they use. Yushiko and Dorothea are crack shots, although Dorothea does not like using guns and instinctively tries to use her powers instead. Helen isn't bad, but she's going to need a lot more practice before I'd trust her to routinely take down Zombabes with headshots at a distance. Still, she shows a lot of potential."

The Mini-Top snuggled against him. "Circe is an incredible shot, or I thought she was, until I realized she was changing the bullet's trajectory in mid flight with her telekinesis. I can't get her to stop doing that, so I'm not sure just how good she really is."

"I'm not sure I'd worry about it. If it works for her, then I don't see why she can't continue to do it."

Nanu nodded. "Yessir. To continue, Lorelei and Bellona have the same problem, hands that aren't exactly human. I removed the trigger guards from a couple of pistols and we tried that with mixed results. They're more likely to have accidental discharges and those get people hurt."

"I'll keep that in mind. Please continue."

"Pythia, Branwyn and Roisin are hopeless. Pythia flinches every time she pulls the trigger and Roisin keeps dropping the pistol when it goes off." She snickered. "I've watched Branwyn closely. I know she does everything right, but still she's a crappy shot. I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite so bad. I think she's got some kind of mental block about it." Her mouth twitched. "It's comforting to know that there's at least one thing I do better than her."

"You do many things better than her."

She grinned. "Feel free to keep the compliments coming."

"I think I do. Your report?"

"Elizabeth has as much potential as Helen, at least with rifles. She's a lousy pistol shot." She kissed his cheek. "She is a natural with a long gun and I'd like to train her as a sniper. But, for a backup weapon, I'd suggest a shotgun instead of a pistol."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I want you and Circe to take everyone, including me, into dreamtime and we'll work on everyone's issues. If we can't teach someone firearms, we'll see what they can learn. If nothing else, I can give Lorelei and Bellona halberds or spears to use for some kind of standoff capability."

"Anything's better than nothing." Nanu agreed as she draped his arms around her. "I want to look for a military depot. Glasgow is the capital of the Scotland region, it's got to have at least one. They'll have heavy weapons and many of us are strong enough to use them."

"We'll see what we can find." He kissed the back of her neck and she purred before twisting around to kiss him back.

Multiple fireballs detonated in a calculated pattern, scattering suddenly dead Zombabes around the area like leaves. Lorelei dropped Nanu at fifteen feet and landed, swinging her battleaxe loosely as she waited for signs of movement. "All clear!"

Pythia landed and let Candace go. The NurseJoy hurried into the building, closely followed by the Mini-Top. Pythia's ears flicked as she glanced at Lorelei. The Sphinx was staring into an alley. "What is it?"

"Something odd. I could swear I saw a Zombabe headed away from us." She frowned. "I think it was running."

"I really hope you're wrong. They're not supposed to run and they always head straight for us."

The Sphinx nodded. "I hope I'm wrong too. We're having enough problems with the sheer numbers of them. If they start to get crafty, things are going to get a lot more difficult."

The Dire Wolf kept scanning the area as she spoke, a thoughtful tone in her voice. Shadows were starting to move in the distance as Zombabes became aware of their presence. "Branwyn and Circe were worried about something like this happening. We're acting like an evolutionary force on them, weeding out the dumbest ones first. I'm just glad they can't breed. There's really nothing we can do if it is happening, except deal with it when it affects us."

"We can be ready," the Sphinx disagreed.

"We will."

Candace bounded up the stairs, her pistol ready. She stopped on the second floor. "Where are you," she yelled as Nanu came up behind her.

"Down here!"

Shikarou was holding Helen down as she convulsed while Elizabeth watched warily, her assault rifle ready. Candace knelt next to him and immediately started healing the Milktit. Helen went limp.

Candace looked at Shikarou. "I got here in time. She's going to be ok. Where and when was she bitten?"

"She wasn't." Elizabeth looked unnerved. "We haven't been in close combat all day. She just suddenly went into convulsions."

Candace made a decision. "Pokeball her. I want to take her back to Inverness and run her through a healing cycle." They'd stripped a pokegirl center of all its healing and storage equipment and put it in their base at the police station. Every full pokeball they'd found went into storage until they could sort them out. Although Branwyn and Candace wanted to release some of the police pokegirls and NurseJoy, they were still unwilling to let Shikarou tame them. Nanu had called the place Castle Inverness at some point and the name had stuck. Later, someone had painted the name above the door lintel. "It has diagnostic equipment that will help me pinpoint where the infection came from. I'll also have Circe examine her and see if she got injured and didn't know it."

"We're all going back." Shikarou's tone was final as Helen disappeared in the capture beam. "I'm not leaving her until I know she's going to be all right and how this happened."

The NurseJoy gave him a wink. "At least you didn't lop any pieces off anyone this time."

Nanu chuckled as Shikarou groaned. "How many times do I have to remind you that Branwyn had been bitten on the arm? I think I responded appropriately."

"I think you panicked, but that's ok, it shows you love us. I'm just glad I was able to regenerate it."

Elizabeth smothered a laugh. "I'm just glad she forgave you."

He ignored her. "Let's get back to Inverness. I want to know what happened and how to keep it from happening again."

Helen caught him looking away quickly when she glanced at him. "Candace says I'm perfectly recovered, so please relax."

He looked embarrassed. "I heard her, too; it's just I was pretty worried about you."

She nodded as Candace smiled. "It's good to see you're so concerned about us. Now the question is how to work that to our advantage."

Lorelei wrinkled her muzzle in a grin. "The answer to that is obvious: as much as we possibly can."

Shikarou shook his head. "I'm still surprised that you were infected by ingesting something, but that's why we're here," he gestured out over Mugdock Reservoir's gently rolling waves. "We need to see if the water supply is contaminated and this is the supply for Glasgow, at least while the power lasts. Circe says the only thing you ate or drank while we were out was some water from the tap."

Helen's ears flicked. "How could the water become infectious?"

"That's why Roisin is down there." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "I don't like her being alone."

"You can't go with her and nobody else is as good a swimmer as she is." The NurseJoy patted his shoulder. "She volunteered."

"That just makes her stupid for volunteering and me for agreeing. I don't want to lose anyone else." He frowned when he realized Helen was staring at him. "What?"

"Stop that. You know as well as I do that she had to do this and that you had to let her. Trust me; I doubt she wants to be down there any more than you want her to. That's why she has your pokedex and you have Aggie monitoring her."

He blinked and smiled slightly. "Maybe you should be the Tamer."

"I'm missing some necessary equipment for that and you won't fit in a pokeball."

Several people, including Shikarou, laughed.

**Roisin is in trouble. She's under attack and is trapped.** The air was suddenly thick with tension. **Her attackers are Zombabes. They were various water types. Undoubtedly, there were ferals living in the Reservoir before the mishap and they must have been affected by the spell.**

"Mishap?" Helen sounded outraged. "That was no mishap. That was a screw-up of monumental proportions."

"Fuckup," Lorelei grunted. "Call it what it is."

**Roisin has managed to work her way free.** There was silence for a second. **Oh. That's certainly different.**

"What?" Shikarou glared at the water. "What is it?"

**Roisin has evolved to Wet Queen. Don't attack her when she comes out of the water. She's being pursued by the water Zombabes. Her ETA is thirty seconds.**

Shikarou glanced behind them at Elizabeth and Yushiko, who were watching for surprises from the land side. "We're pulling back. Lorelei, be ready to grab Roisin with your telekinesis and get her to Candace for healing if she needs help. Yushiko, you're with us. Elizabeth, you've got the land side alone. Be careful."

"I will," she muttered. "I went from human to Vampire and, frankly, I'll pass on any more changes."

Roisin exploded from the water in a dead run. They're behind me and there are a lot of the bastards!

"Over here!" Candace yelled and the Wet Queen changed direction without losing stride. She'd gained a handful of centimeters in her evolution and her hair was now bright yellow flecked with long streaks of red.

Before she could reach the NurseJoy, the first Zombabe followed her out of the lake. Helen shot it in the head before it made it onto land. The next one was hammered by Lorelei's feather shuriken and blasted back out into the water, where it sank from view.

More appeared and Shikarou realized that Roisin had been right. There must have been hundreds of feral pokegirls living in the reservoir, mostly Boobfins. Guns roared and bodies began to pile up along the water's edge.

"We're getting attention from the edge of the city!" Elizabeth fired her assault rifle a couple of times. She kept it in single shot mode most of the time to conserve ammo. "A lot of attention."

Shikarou slapped a fresh magazine into his pistol. "Candace?"

"She's in bad shape but she's stable. The water must be poisoned; she's absorbed Mega-Zombie poison through the skin of her entire body. She's also got a lot of bite marks." There was a flash of red. "I've put her up." The NurseJoy drew her pistol as she slid to her feet. "We're done here."

"Lorelei, get Candace out of here. Elizabeth, you've got me." Pull out."

Helen cast a new spell and a cylinder of fire burst from her hands and smashed through the advancing Zombabe ranks as Yushiko grabbed her and took off.

As Elizabeth lifted off with her Tamer, Shikarou turned in her arms. "Put me next to Helen." He gave his Milktit an unhappy stare when close enough. "What the hell was that last spell?"

She blushed and looked down at the city passing beneath them. "Firaga."

Elizabeth gasped. "How long have you known how to cast that?"

"I only learned how to right before we left and I hadn't pulled it off successfully before. Hatsumi taught me the night of the birthday party."

"How'd you manage that," Shikarou asked incredulously.

"I fed her." She grinned. "I'd made some food for the birthday party and since Katherine insisted on taking care of all the cooking at the Conservatory, when Hatsumi dropped by I offered it to her instead of letting it go to waste."

"I noticed she wasn't around. I figured it was because she's not the most social sort."

"I knew she'd be there, so I'd made a new curry recipe I got from Kasumi. Hatsumi loves it and swears it's the best she ever had, so she wanted to make a deal for the recipe. She gets the recipe and I get every spell she knows. I learned fire, fira and firaga that night, but I'll have to go back for the rest."

Shikarou rubbed his eyes. "You just became an instructor. You'll be teaching the rest of us what you learned."

"You think I have something to offer? That's wonderful!" Helen beamed the rest of the flight back.

Pythia went into a hover as Yushiko and Lorelei went into action. Fire bloomed in rapid succession around the building. The density of Zombabes in the area was low and it didn't take long to destroy the ones in the streets.

Branwyn nudged her transport. "It's clear." Pythia landed easily and let her go. The Unicorn pulled four pokeballs from the Tamer belt that graced her waist and released Candace, Roisin, Nanu and Elizabeth. "Ladies, our overwatch is in position. Candace, you've got Roisin and Pythia. Will you need anyone else?"

The NurseJoy shook her head. "They'll be fine. Do you think Shikarou will be safe back at Inverness?"

"He's got the rest of the harem keeping him company and we've blocked all the openings in the walls for the first three floors. He should be fine. Now, get going and don't waste any time. Elizabeth, Nanu, let's clear the first floor." Pulling her wand from a pocket, she followed the Vampire and Mini-Top inside.

"This is what I was talking about, my lord." Dorothea thrust the door open. This particular room was one of several that Shikarou had added to the tent in response to a request from Branwyn for some extra rooms that were "for future use", as she'd put it.

He blinked. "That is rather impressive. Where did all of this come from?"

The room was full of stuff. Clothing hung from racks along the walls, electronic gear lay still sealed in boxes and he could see other items neatly stacked throughout.

"Branwyn and the others have been looting Tamer supply shops, police stations and anyplace else that's of value. I thought thou should know." She drew him into the room. "Much of this stuff is of no use in fighting the Zombabes. What will thou do?"

He frowned and then abruptly nodded. "I'm not going to do anything. It's good for morale to have this and the Blue League abandoned the city. As far as I'm concerned, this is salvage and ours for the taking."

"But, my lord, all of this has owners who would not willingly give it to thee."

"We've circled the city borders and I haven't seen hordes of people outside the forcefield clamoring to get in and fight the Zombabes. Just those idiots from Vale who started this whole mess; they're only out there because, if they keep the city isolated, the Blue League won't be upset at them for what's happened. As far as I'm concerned, we're the only owners of anything in Glasgow that we choose to want." He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we can get anything close to a significant percentage of the valuables of the city in here."

"But, my lord, this is theft. What will Samantha think of thee?"

"She's not here. Leave it alone." He turned and headed off, looking thoughtful.

Dorothea waited until he was gone before shutting the door to the room. The corner of the room seemed to waver before Branwyn and Elizabeth appeared. The Unicorn smiled. "Nicely done, Dorothea."

The Seraph nodded. "Thou are welcome my alpha. I'm surprised that my lord wouldn't realize that minor larceny wouldn't really bother me, not compared to the threat that exists outside our door. Still, thou have his permission to take whatever thou can carry."

Elizabeth grinned. "Considering the strength of some of us, we can carry quite a bit."

Roisin chuckled as she watched her latest victims smolder in the street below. It is an interesting life you lead, Sidhe. I have had many adventures since joining your harem. She glanced up at him. I'm also glad you live somewhere besides that accursed Ruby League. My home is the Blue League, not some icy hell.

Shikarou nodded and checked his watch. "We've got about half an hour before fireball fun starts. Why did you want to talk to me alone?"

I wished you to know that I will not, at this time, challenge Branwyn for the right to rule the harem. I find her leadership tolerable.

"Are you ever going to speak English?"

Why should I? Gaelic is a good language and I've managed to get everyone in the harem to learn it. You can use it as a battle language now.

He sighed. "Whatever. I'm glad you think Branwyn is 'tolerable', because I choose who is to be the alpha in this harem and not you or anyone else."

She nodded. I understand this, which is why I wanted you to know that I was not going to cause trouble within the harem. I wanted to ask you to begin formal lessons in the spells that you have not taught your harem. I've looked through your spell books along with Bellona and there are many that you have never exposed us to.

He eyed her for a moment. "I'll look through them and decide if any are useful here. Anything else will have to wait until we're home and things aren't quite so hectic."

I will hold you at your word.

"I'll keep it. Now, go get ready for the afternoon's festivities."

Yes, my king.

He watched her go and glared at the hordes of Zombabes around the base of the building. As the days crawled by, they seemed to mass around the police station, just standing and staring at them. It was unnerving to say the least, which is why he'd instituted fireball fun.

A little while later, everyone gathered on the roof and began raining fireballs down on the Zombabes below. Shikarou, who was not participating in order to evaluate how much damage they were doing, was also watching for anything out of the ordinary. He'd been concerned about Lorelei's report of a possibly running Zombabe. The idea that it had been running away from them had been even more disquieting. If they were developing some kind of survival instinct, they would become far more dangerous than before. In this particular circumstance, any change other than all the Zombabes spontaneously disintegrating was bad.

He knew that if some advanced form of Zombabe existed, there would be researchers who would want to capture specimens for study. He'd feel bad about knocking them on the head and tying them up until that urge passed. Only a little, but still he'd feel bad about it, so all in all he was glad they didn't have any of that sort around.

After a bit, he waved Branwyn over. "Roisin just told me that she's not going to challenge you for the harem and that she wants magic lessons to become a regular occurrence. Is this another one of yours?"

She frowned. "What do you mean another one of mine?"

"I know you and Elizabeth were in the room when Dorothea ratted out your loot. That was a check to see how I'd respond to it, wasn't it?"

She sighed. "How did you know?"

His ears canted sideways. "I'm a wolf spirit. What kind of one would I be if I couldn't recognize that your and Elizabeth's scent was so fresh that you had to be in the room?"

"I didn't wear my perfume."

He gave her a surprised look. "I love you, Branwyn. I could pick your scent out of that of a thousand different Unicorns and know it was yours. I know your scent as well as or better than my own."

Suddenly, she looked pleased. "Really? That's sweet."

"Was she another put-up job?"

"What? Oh, no, she wasn't. If I wanted to know that, I'd find out myself." She winked at him. "I sent Dorothea about the salvage because I figured that if she couldn't get you upset about it, then no one could."

"Actually, you gave me a couple of ideas about places I want to visit before we leave here."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

He chuckled. "I'll be taking out the team tomorrow. You'll get to stay here and coordinate the defenses." Early on they'd decided that one or the other had to stay and protect Inverness. While the chances of anything breaking into the building were slim, they weren't going to take the chance. Facing Zombabes in combat was one thing, having them waiting for you at your base, when you were tired and possibly injured from previous combat was something entirely different. It was also something they were determined to avoid.

Pythia slowed to a hover as Dorothea sped ahead. Shikarou looked up at her. "I want a good view of what she's going to attempt. I've never seen it before."

"Don't worry, I haven't either, and I want to see this even more than you, since it's something I may be able to do." She drifted forward as Dorothea pulled up over the grandstands.

This was where the mages had been showing off when everything had gone wrong. Acting under Shikarou's orders, they'd avoided the place up to this point. He'd been worried about the magical residue that could sometimes infest the area of a major tragedy.

The area was packed with Zombabes, all of whom had been facing the arena where the spellcasting had been taken place. Now, they began to turn towards Dorothea and Pythia as they sensed the presence of life. The stench was incredible as the slowly rotting corpses turned toward potential food.

Dorothea suddenly began to glow as she summoned her Celestial aura. The glow grew until it was almost blinding and then shot away from her in an ever growing sphere. Shikarou's skin prickled as it swept over Pythia and him. The Dire Wolf shivered in response to the power released by the Seraph.

When the energy touched the Zombabes, they collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut, making an ever expanding circle of true death. In an eye blink, nothing within sight moved.

"Can you do that?"

Pythia moved towards the grandstands. "I'm more powerful than she is, but I've never tried to do that. I will, though, as soon as I can."

Dorothea joined landed heavily next to them. "My lord, that was more tiring than I anticipated. I hope thou will not require that again this day."

"I hope not." He stepped away from the two pokegirls and cast a spell. Various things around the grandstand began to glow a soft magenta. "Gather everything that's glowing, ladies. After that, we'll hit the displays inside the hall and see what other magic Vale was kind enough to leave for us."

Suddenly a figure appeared, flickered, and steadied. "You are not to touch the property of the mages of Vale. It is forbidden."

Shikarou gave him a cocky look. "Well, now, if you don't want us to, then you just feel free to come here and gather it up yourself."

"This is the property of Vale!" The mage looked almost apoplectic. His face was red and his eyes bulged.

Shikarou snapped his fingers and the illusion popped. "Go fuck yourself." He glanced at the two Celestial pokegirls. "Hop to it, ladies, the Zombabes won't give us much time." He looked down the street. "Speak of the devils, here they come. Get busy."

Shikarou blinked in surprise when Vincent McMahon stomped across the table and glared at him. He spread his arms wide and growled. "You suck, you bastard, and I'm going to kick your ass." He growled again and stomped away until he tripped over the edge of Shikarou's plate and fell into his pancakes.

"What the hell?" Helen picked up the toy and turned to give Elizabeth a glare. The Vampire looked at Vince dripping syrup and dissolved into giggles. "I do not want your toys disrupting breakfast." She wiped Vince off on her apron and looked him over. "If I catch you playing with this again at meal times, I swear I'll keep him next time."

Elizabeth's giggles became laughter. "Go ahead and keep him, I've got twelve more of them!"

Shikarou turned to Branwyn, who tried to smother her smile. "Where did you go yesterday, a toy store? Is that your big secret?"

She kissed his nose. "Actually, dear, we visited almost every toy and miniature store in town. You are the proud owner of fifteen of the Mineko and the Pussycats Fun Packs."

He blinked. "I'd forgotten all about that." He pulled Vince out of Helen's hand. "I'll take care of this."

She nodded and flicked her ears uncertainly. "I don't think they belong at the table during meals."

He chuckled. "I don't know about that, but I do know they have no place on my plate." He glanced at Elizabeth and bit Vincent's head off. She gasped as he chewed and swallowed.

"Shikarou, don't kill Vince! He's my hero!"

He bit off another piece. "He's maple flavored, he's on my plate and that makes him breakfast."

Helen frowned. "And just for the record, if any of you is considering the silly idea of covering herself in maple syrup and getting on his plate in the hopes that he'll eat you, first you'll get to help clean up the mess afterwards and second, if he doesn't eat you, that makes you a leftover and I get to toss you to the Zombabes."

Everyone started laughing, and even Helen joined in after a brief moment.

Shikarou dropped the remains of the toy on his plate. "Vince is too bony." He turned to Branwyn. "We've got a full schedule today, I want to start here and spiral out, destroying as many Zombabes as we can. If we do this every day, hopefully we can reduce their numbers enough to start lowering the density throughout the city."

She nodded. "I'm not sure if we can keep it up long enough to see a real difference, but we'll do it. If nothing else, I'd like to not smell them so strongly whenever I leave the tent."

She frowned at her toast and abruptly pushed her plate away. "I want to start having battle practice once a day again. Battling Zombabes isn't all that physical most of the time and we're getting out of shape. It will cut into our foraging, though, not to mention our hunting."

He nodded. "Go ahead. I did an inventory of our supplies yesterday and if we stopped foraging right now, we could fort up here for over a year. If we're still here after that, we'll put in some crops and I'll get serious about trying to penetrate Vale's forcefields."

"I know you've been trying to do that already. How much more serious can you get?"

He smiled. "I haven't been trying that, I've been working on drawing a ley line to Glasgow. The Grimoire says that they can sometimes be moved and we could use the power boost."

"Can we help?"

"Yes, you could. However, you're my alter ego here and right now you're too busy. I've got Roisin helping me. She's a natural at spellcasting and she's been a lot of help."

"Should I be jealous?"

"I don't think so. I'm not married to her."

The Unicorn smiled. "That's right." Her smile vanished. "Don't."

Without warning, the lights went out. Helen summoned a light and looked around. "Is everyone ok?"

Yushiko nodded. "Yes. Let's get to the roof and see how widespread the power outage is."

Helen loosened her pistol in its holster. "That and on the roof they can only come at us from one direction if they've broken into Inverness."

"That too."

Light spells lit up the roof when they arrived. Shikarou glanced at them. "Report to Branwyn. Both of you are with her." He nodded to Pythia. "Let's go."

Helen made her way over to her alpha. "What happened?"

"The power plant is on fire." She pointed in the direction of a distant glow. "Shikarou is going with a team to see if it can be put out.

"What about us?"

"We get to keep the home fires burning," she laughed, "just not a brightly as the ones at the power plant.

Yushiko frowned. "We'll have to sweep the building again to make sure we're safe."

"That can wait until sunrise. Shikarou was right, not enough of us are trained in night combat." The Unicorn grimaced. "I hate it when he's right like that."

"I take it we'll be addressing the situation during training for a while?"

"Yushiko, you are absolutely right. We will train until Bellona and I are perfectly satisfied."

Helen nodded. "We need to clear the roof of anything we don't need, like those air conditioning units. They'll just provide cover for the Zombabes if they do get up here." She looked around. "We can set up the tent over there. Moving it to the roof is worth the risk of sending someone to get it."

Branwyn regarded her for a moment. "Shikarou was right. You would have made a good alpha. Take Bellona and do it. Stay in contact."

The Milktit chuckled. "The problem is, Branwyn, before I came here, I wouldn't have and now that I might, too many others would make good alphas as well."

"Yes, but if we do have to start releasing some of the OfficerJenny and NurseJoy we've collected, you'll be a team leader."

Helen nodded. "Hopefully, it won't come to that. He's spread thin enough as it is." She looked around. "Where is Bellona? Oh, wait, I see her."

A short time later, the two of them stood in front of the tent. "There's something else we need to do before we pack up." Helen turned towards the DragonQueen. "I'll need your help. I want to disconnect the healing machine and the storage unit and move them inside the tent. We can connect them to the tent's power supply later."

Bellona frowned. "Can the tent supply power to something like that? I know we have wall current, but those are power hogs."

Helen nodded. "Some of my ovens are technological and they use the same power that those units require. I just hope the tent can provide enough or we may have to schedule healing around meals."

"It's really that important for you to provide food for him, isn't it?"

The Milktit met her gaze squarely. "It is. You weren't here when I joined the harem. I'd been rejected by every Tamer I've had before I came here. Shikarou not only accepted me into his harem when he had no reason to, he was ready to fight Ruiling over me. I'd go through hell for him and if he wants me to give him hot meals, I'll be happy to do so."

She flicked her ears. "He's let me fight because I wanted to and not evolve because I didn't want to. Me. He let my opinion as to what happens to me matter. It's as free as we can ever be, Bellona, and nobody is ever going to take that away from me again."

Bellona gave her a curious look. "Does he know how you feel?"

"He does. He said that if I wanted to stay with him for the rest of my life that he would be honored by my choice." She frowned. "We should be working more and talking less before Branwyn gets upset at our tardiness."

Once back on the roof, Bellona left Helen to set up the tent and went looking for Branwyn. "We're back."

"That certainly took long enough. Were there any problems?"

"No, Helen wanted to scavenge the healing and storage equipment. She thinks we can set it up in the tent. It's a good idea and I think we should keep them permanently." She glanced at the Unicorn. "We might want to collect another set of them. If they're compatible with the ones in our world, it would give Caomh Sidhe transport capability."

"That sounds nice, but the Blue League would want to know where it came from." Branwyn shook her head. "One for the tent is a good idea and we'll do that if Shikarou agrees."

"What is the story behind Helen?"

Branwyn blinked. "I'd have thought you'd heard it by now."

The DragonQueen gave her an odd look. "I really haven't been here that long and in many ways, you and the others still treat me like an outsider. That and being your beta puts me at a distance from the rest of the harem. I'm their instructor, not their friend."

Branwyn looked startled. "You're right and I owe you an apology. Roisin probably needs one as well." She leaned against an air conditioning unit. "I need to think of something to welcome you and her into the harem."

"Thanks, but that's not really necessary. Shikarou's been good to me and that's been enough. I am curious about the loyalty that he seems to elicit in most of his harem."

The Unicorn smiled. "Most?"

"I'm still learning. It could be all."

"Most of it comes from him being good to everyone here. Helen came to us on Sadie Pokens. I believe you've heard about Ruiling?"

"Just that she's a bitch and everyone is glad she's gone."

"That pretty much sums her up. Ruiling is a Neo Iczel who was salvage from a member of the Yakuza in Tomakomai. Circe was the one who won her. She never really fit in with what Shikarou and I saw as a proper harem and we expected her to leave on Sadie Pokens. However, for some reason, she felt that she needed to make a statement and found a Tamer who wanted her who also had a pokegirl that he felt he could be rid of."

"Helen?"

"Helen. Ruiling beat her up pretty badly and tried to drop her onto Shikarou. He healed her up and stood down Ruiling over her. She's been an integral part of the harem ever since."

Bellona blinked. "He stood down a Neo Iczel over a Milktit? That sounds insane." Her lips pursed. "It also sounds like him."

The Unicorn smiled. "It does, doesn't it? All of us have a story about him that paints him in a fairly good light, kind of like how he somehow knew that you were unhappy in Devon's harem."

"I know how he knew. You told him."

"No, I didn't. I mentioned that you were my contact, but not that you were unhappy. I'm not sure how he knew." They shared a puzzled look.

"How did you join his harem?"

"Poppet was looking for someone to unload me on and he seemed like a good choice. If she'd have known what kind of relationship she was going to have with him, I'd still be in stasis." She smirked at Bellona's look of disbelief. "I'd have done it to her if the situation was reversed. I don't want to share him, and especially not with my own mother."

"Has he tried for anything perverse? I mean, with the two of you?"

"He's much smarter than that. I think that he was as uncomfortable as we were when this all started happening." She cocked her head. "And I must ask, what could be considered perverse if it involves pokegirls? Brothers tame sisters with disturbing regularity."

Bellona decided to avoid that line of thought to pursue another. "How did you feel about him taming Poppet?"

She shrugged. "I knew about it from the beginning. He actually slept with her before he met me and he was very up front about the fact that he wasn't going to stop on my account. I thought I could convince him that one Unicorn was enough, but I was wrong."

"Will it be awkward when he's the father of some of your half siblings?"

"I don't think so. I'll be much older than them and Poppet and I have agreed that I'll be their mother, just like she'll mother my children." She grinned. "And yours and Helen's and everyone else's."

"How many children do you think there will be?"

She gave the DragonQueen an amused look. "Christopher is a handful by himself and, while I don't think we'll have so many at any given time that we'll be numbering them for convenience, I suspect that occasionally it will feel like we should."

Bellona snorted. "Perhaps instead of being a Tradesman, he should be a Breeder and start a pokegirl ranch."

"He's already a Breeder. I'm not sure about the ranch, though. I think he's hoping his daughters won't have to be tamed." Her braid shivered as she shook her head. "He's an optimist. I think any pokegirl children will have the same problem no matter whose loins they come from. He wants to work on what causes pokegirls to go feral, but such research will take time and may not produce fruit during your lifetime or even mine."

"Perhaps we should set up the ranch and then tell him."

"That is an interesting idea and one we need to look at more carefully when things are quieter." Branwyn gave Bellona a direct look. "But let's not discuss it for now. Somehow, he gets word of things like that and that is a very good thing to consider without him trying to stop us."

"Yes, my alpha."

Shikarou looked over from where he was tending the barbeque grill. "Just for the record, I would like to point out that what you are doing is more than a little grotesque."

Pythia twisted her head around to look at him. "Are you ordering us to stop?" Yushiko and Elizabeth watched quietly.

He snorted. "We're on the roof of a building surrounded by Zombabes and I'm grilling steaks. I don't think I have much room to speak. However, make sure your games don't interfere with the rest of the party."

"We will." She glanced at Lorelei. "Are you ready?" The Sphinx grunted her assent. "Yushiko, we're ready when you are."

The Armsmistress nodded and raised her rifle. "Pull!" Two Zombabes shot straight up out of the crowd below and she and Elizabeth fired. Purple mist flew from one Zombabe.

"Point for Elizabeth." Lorelei wrinkled her muzzle in a grin as both Zombabes crashed back into the group and more purple mist sprang up. "That makes Yushiko forty two, Elizabeth thirty four."

Bellona leaned against her Tamer, watching Nanu, Candace, Circe and Branwyn as they danced to the music pounding from the stereo. "Helen wants to know if she can bring out the rest of dinner."

He eyed the steaks critically. "I think that would be a good idea. These will be ready soon. "

"You still don't understand, do you?"

"Bell, I understand that you Europeans think thirteen is unlucky and that's why we're celebrating the start of the fourteenth week. But if you look at the numbers emotionlessly, last week wasn't any worse than the previous twelve."

The DragonQueen chuckled. "Yes, and unlike our big, bad, kami Tamer, we've never gone a straight thirteen weeks of continuous combat. We all needed a chance to decompress and a roof party is a perfect way to do that."

"Ok. Don't forget the watch rotation." He nodded to where Roisin and Dorothea were standing alertly as they scanned for threats.

"I won't. They get off in half an hour."

The steaks were on the tables and Helen was setting the last of the baked potatoes out when Dorothea stiffened. "My lord?"

He jogged over to her. "What is it?" Thirteen weeks of combat had proven each and every member of his harem and he knew that Dorothea wouldn't call him unless it was important. "Do you have another running Zombabe report?" They'd seen a couple of them so far and had made an effort to hunt down and destroy them. Unusual was bad in this situation. Except for that first one that Lorelei had seen, none had escaped them.

She handed him her binoculars. "No, my lord, but thou should see what is on the roof of the building at the end of the street. I would tell thee what I saw, but I do not believe my eyes."

He glanced at her and raised the glasses to peer down the street. A frown appeared. "It's a human male."

"That is what I thought I saw, my lord."

He nodded. "Circe."

The Alaka-Wham looked over at him and there was a burst of mental communication. She nodded and unfurled her antenna. After a moment she shrugged. "I don't sense anything. Maybe Vale has finally reappeared."

"It's possible." After he'd collected the magic items Vale had left lying around, the mages had ignored them. He wasn't sure he wanted them back.

He frowned and handed the glasses back the Seraph. "He's gone now. Tell your relief to keep an eye out for them."

"Yes, my lord."

The next morning Roisin burst into the tent in the middle of breakfast. The mage is back and he's on our roof. He wants to talk to you.

Shikarou nodded and rose as Roisin raced back to her post. Branwyn and Bellona followed him.

This mage was wearing camouflaged body armor and helmet. "You are Shikarou? Your pokegirls identified you."

"I am."

The mage looked around. "I'm Lieutenant Carter. Nice harem you've got here."

"All of them were mine before things went to hell here."

The mage nodded. "We'll have to verify that later, but that's fine by me. We didn't know that anyone was still alive in here."

"The other magi didn't tell you? I'm somehow not surprised."

"What other magi? You mean the Valers? They left two weeks ago when we took over. I'm with the Blue League Security Force."

Shikarou nodded. "They knew about us. They've known about us since the first day."

Carter looked surprised. "They told us that they'd surveyed the city and everyone had died in the accident or been killed by Zombabes in the initial attacks."

"I'm afraid we're the only survivors we know about, besides a whole raft of pokegirls who were in their pokeballs when the spell went bad."

Carter nodded. "Maybe you can help us then. We'll be entering the city in four days and we could use your help in clearing the opening we're going to make."

Shikarou frowned. "Vale said they couldn't make selective openings in the shield. You can?"

"Yes. It's a simple spell." He frowned. "I'd have thought Vale knew it. I'll pass along what you've told me." His image rippled. "I've got to go. I'll be back to discuss the details of when we're going to come in and coordinate with you."

"We'll be here."

On the outside of the shield, the commando team of Tamers watched intently as Dorothea hovered over the roadway inside the shield. Below her, Zombabes watched her hungrily as her white wings flashed in the morning sun. Nearby, Pythia and Yushiko provided backup.

The Seraph had gotten a lot stronger than that first time and she summoned and released her Celestial aura in the same instant. It exploded away from her and ripped the unlife from all Zombabes within sight. When it hit the shield a shower of multicolored lights appeared and the forcefield seemed to ripple for a heartbeat.

Pythia glanced at the Armsmistress. "That's interesting."

"Yes, it is. Academic though, if they let us out."

"We have to be their guides first," the Dire Wolf reminded her. She snorted as red light flashed on the other side of the shield. "Now, they release their pokegirls. That should have happened before Dorothea opened the ball." She cocked her head and frowned. _Shikarou, they have nothing but combat pokegirls. No medical or other types in sight. Request Candace is released as support until I get a chance to evaluate how good they are._

Shikarou's mind touched hers. _I'll send her to you with Lorelei. Try to keep the BLSF personnel safe, but don't put your life in danger to save them. After all, they're supposed to be the experts. Ah, they do have fliers right?_

_Yes, I see at least two flight capable pokegirls in each harem._

_Good. Keep me updated. Shikarou clear._

Pythia moved to stand with Dorothea as Yushiko began an irregular racetrack pattern overhead. An entrance spun open in the shield and the first pokegirls raced through and spread out. They froze as Yushiko twisted in midair and a shot rang out. A window shattered and a body dropped five floors to smash on the ground. Purple mist settled around it in a pale cloud.

"KEEP MOVING!" Pythia roared. "TO STOP IS TO DIE!" The pokegirls stared at her for an instant before finishing their deployment.

Dorothea sighed. "We are going to have a long day, aren't we?"

"No, I fear it will last far longer than a day. They should put up their ground combatants and fly with us, but it looks like they intend to walk the whole way. I've already sent for Candace and Lorelei will be joining us as well."

"Thou are the ranking officer, but I agree with your assessment."

The Dire Wolf nodded. "Our orders are to protect them, but not get killed doing it." She glanced up the street. "Here come our playmates." Zombabes moved on the edge of view, moving towards them as always.

"Do our orders include keeping them from being killed?"

"Only if it doesn't jeopardize our lives."

The Seraph looked thoughtful for a moment. "The loss of any of my lord's harem might cost him his chance to defeat Eoghan. We cannot allow that to happen. They are more expendable than we are."

Pythia nodded. "I agree. We will not explain that to them, it would probably take until nightfall until they understood and then they wouldn't appreciate our position."

Shikarou looked around the command post briefly. "Did you figure out what happened to the Tigress?"

Carter grimaced. "It was as your NurseJoy figured. She received a scratch and didn't report it. I'm sorry about your Armsmistress."

"We got to her in plenty of time after the Tigress attacked her. She'll be fine. She was more upset about what happened than anything else."

Upset was an understatement. Yushiko had been in a frothing rage once they returned to the tent. She'd managed to avoid being infected the whole time they were alone and then one of her erstwhile allies had turned and bitten her, spoiling her perfect record. Now the prize for being uninjured the longest was down to Candace and Elizabeth, neither of whom had been infected so far. Helen was still arguing that her infection hadn't been the result of injury and that she was still eligible, but Shikarou had ruled against her. Still, she complained about it from time to tome.

Yushiko blamed the Tamer of the Tigress for what happened and had been bent on shooting the woman. Only Branwyn's intervention had prevented the murder from happening. He sighed. Candace was right; it was a classic case of shell shock, or post traumatic stress disorder. The NurseJoy suspected they all had it to some degree, but as long as everyone remained functional, there was nothing that could be done about it.

Yushiko had a couple of days off and was currently doing the cooking, which was eliciting complaints from the rest of the harem. They didn't feel they should be punished for her behavior.

"Beverly McDonnell arrived last night. She's the undersecretary to the Minister of Pokegirl Affairs and she wants to talk to you about returning the pokegirls you found."

"Is she likely to say anything I want to hear?"

Carter looked surprised at the acid in Shikarou's voice. "Those are the property of the Blue League."

"Many of them belonged to private Tamers and I think they're all salvage. I found them, without Tamers, and rescued them. It was a lack of time that prevented me from taming them into my harem. Granted, I probably couldn't have kept all of them, but I do have storage rights and they should be mine to sell."

Carter's eyes bulged slightly. "We're talking about over five thousand pokegirls! Nobody has that much storage, Shikarou."

He nodded. "True, but I'm going to explain to Ms. McDonnell that I should be paid for them. And we have to discuss my bounty for the Zombabes we killed."

The BLSF mage sighed. "I'm glad I'm not going to be negotiating with you."

"I'm happy about that myself. You seem to be a decent sort, Carter, and I wouldn't want you to sully yourself by having to associate with politicians."

"Bitter, are we?"

"Let's just say my experiences to date with them have not been uniformly positive."

Branwyn looked incredulous. "They are paying us how much?"

"We're getting nine hundred million credits. It's the bounty they pay for Widows. Ms. McDonnell isn't authorized to pay us more. She's not going to be, either."

Bellona glared at nothing in particular. "We're getting robbed. We have confirmed kills on over fifty thousand Zombabes. That's over four billion credits. Can we do anything about it?"

"Smile and hope they don't shove it farther up our bums out of spite?"

Branwyn fought a smile. "What about the pokeballed girls we collected?" She sighed when he just raised an eyebrow and shook his head slightly. "Oh."

"Yeah. We have to give them back."

"All of them?"

"Yes. My current Tamer rank is barely sufficient to let me have twelve pokegirls, which I already have. I'm not going to be allowed an exception to that."

"What about the gear we collected?"

His eyes glittered. "We have records indicating that we expended most of it. The amount of shell casings they've found around the city tends to confirm our story. They've chosen not to push their request to search our tent, which I have categorically denied."

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "We get what they offer or we get nothing. We did save over five thousand pokegirls. Granted, they'll probably never know it, but such is the adventurer's lot."

"We should have let Yushiko shoot some of them." Bellona looked bitter.

He chuckled. "Speaking of which, now that the Zombabe threat is ended we're supposed to lay down our arms, at least those of us who don't normally carry them."

"Ended? We destroyed another fifty or so yesterday."

"Ah, but the Blue League has declared the threat over, so the rest of the Zombabes should dissolve. Sadly, they're too stupid to realize that. We, however, are smart enough to understand what it means and we're expected to follow their rules."

Branwyn took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "We're not going to get that decompress, are we?"

"I know we talked about staying here for a month and just resting before going home, but the Blue League is going to hound us the whole time we are here." He shrugged. "It won't be much of a vacation."

"How long before we can collect our bounty?"

"They'll process the paperwork in a few more days, a week at the most. We'll cash it out and leave right after that."

"What happens when we return home?"

He smiled, this time with a bit of humor. "As soon as we get back, we'll invest the money and then the three of us will fill out the paperwork to license the entire harem to carry firearms, even Roisin."

"Are you going to stay a Tamer?"

'I don't think so. I've been looking at becoming a Tradesman. The Blue League doesn't have any homegrown mages per se, so pokegirl mage might be a good occupation for me and Kasumi. It'll let us have teachers for the academy and Molly can shoot the idiots who try to take anyone from us."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "That would work for Faelan too. That way we don't have to worry about him or Svetlana."

"What about hunting ferals?" Bellona looked curious.

"I don't see why we can't keep doing that. Other Tradesman classes do." He grinned briefly. "The good think about creating your own occupational class is that you get to define it as you go along. Being the first, we're automatically the experts."

The DragonQueen nodded. "That sounds pretty good. Um, one question: Who is going to tell Nanu she can't carry that rocket launcher anymore?"

Shikarou sighed. "I guess that's my job, unless my alpha or her beta wants to do it for me." There was a profound silence for over a minute as both pokegirls looked blandly back at him. "Fine. I'll take care of it."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name Level

Alaka-Wham Circe 78

Unicorn Branwyn 72

Milktit Helen 69

G-Spliced Pythia 67

DragonQueen Bellona 65

NurseJoy Candace 65

Seraph Dorothea 63

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko 62

Vampire Elizabeth 60

Mini-Top Nanu 59

Sphinx Lorelei 58

Wet Queen Roisin 52

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass gym


	46. Chapter 46

Written by Kerrik Wolf

**Chapter 46**

Celaboner City, Indigo League

The young man looked the pokegirl up and down with a hungry expression. "Where is your Tamer?"

Pythia smiled and bobbed her head politely. "My master is outside, on the other side of town."

The Tamer stared at her bare breasts for a moment before speaking, still staring at her bosom. "What is his name?"

"Sir, his name is Shikarou Urufu." Her ears flicked as he grabbed up his pack and almost ran out of the pokegirl center.

An older Tamer watched him go and picked up his own pack before ambling after the departed Tamer. Clearly, he intended to challenge the winner of the upcoming bout.

Pythia smirked to herself as she plugged the hand comp into the pokedex update station. "Go to the other side of town and then another three thousand kilometers," she muttered. "Once you get to Caomh Sith, feel free to ask any of the guard for directions."

The handheld chirped very quietly and the display lit up as its software defeated the pokegirl center security and invaded the Tamer records. It wasn't smart enough to do much else, but what it could do, it did well. The Dire Wolf flipped through screen after screen until she found the section she wanted. She made a happy noise and unplugged the handheld, wrapping the cable around it as she headed outside. It was considered extremely rude to teleport inside a pokegirl center and she wasn't rude.

An hour later, she reappeared and let Shikarou go. "Tamer Thibodaux healed a pokegirl here yesterday and spent the night in the center before leaving this morning." He stretched slowly. "I sent him a message asking for a meeting and hinting that he really wanted to meet with me. Aggie is tracking the message and, if nothing else, we should be able to find him from his pokedex once it's delivered."

"YOU THERE! POKEBOY!" It was the young man from earlier. "I challenge you to a pokegirl battle for salvage." He pointed at Pythia. "I want her and I'm going to take her from you, you pokeboy freak!"

Shikarou rubbed his chin slowly. "She's delta bonded to me. You can't take her."

"I don't care about that. A good conditioning cycle will take care of any bonds." He smirked as Pythia's ears went flat. "It looks like she needs a couple of those anyway; she's got a bad attitude. She lied to me."

Shikarou glanced at Pythia, who nodded grimly. He verified his pokedex was recording. "Delta bonds aren't that easy to break; but, very well, I accept your challenge. It will be one pokegirl against one pokegirl, no time limit. Since you've chosen a particular pokegirl, if I win I get to choose one from among yours after inspecting them to see which I might want."

"Duh, you moron." He grabbed a pokeball from his belt. "Are you going to fight with her?"

Shikarou glanced at the Dire Wolf, who gave a slight shake of her head and mouthed the word "beta". "No, I'm not." Shikarou returned Pythia and chose a different pokeball. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" The young man released a Charamanda. "Let's do this!"

"Before we begin, I am Shikarou Urufu. And you are?"

"Levi Aaronson. Now, let's fight!" Shikarou shrugged and released Bellona. Levi stared and paled. "You've got a Draco? Damn. Maybe I don't want your Hoarfox now."

Bellona blinked. "Draco? You think I'm a puny Draco? You must be new at this." She summoned her wings and spread them proudly. "I am a DragonQueen and, after that remark, you are toast." She glanced over her shoulder as Levi whipped out his pokedex. "What Hoarfox is he talking about?"

"Pythia."

"This one is as green as grass, isn't he?" She chuckled as Levi read the entry on the DragonQueen and gasped audibly. "I'd enjoy this, but I don't think it's going to take long."

Shikarou snorted. "Not as long as the posturing. Are you ready to fight, Tamer Aaronson?"

The young man pulled himself together. "We can do this, Clarissa. Use flamethrower!" The Charamanda set herself and fire bloomed from her mouth.

Bellona used her enhanced speed and stepped aside, dodging the attack. Shikarou yelled when he found himself facing the jet of flame and threw himself flat as it roared overhead. He smelled the stench of burning hair and leather and quickly rolled to put himself out.

Armor raced up the DragonQueen's body as she charged forward, putting all of her strength in an uppercut which lifted Clarissa off the ground. She spun and slapped the hapless Charamanda in the head with her tail, smashing the unconscious pokegirl sideways in a thin mist of blood as her armored scales razored through her opponent's skin.

Bellona used the spin to turn 180 degrees and raced back to her Tamer. "Are you ok?" She jerked him to his feet roughly and patted him down quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was going to attack without warning and reacted instinctively."

He batted her hands free and hugged her. "I'm just a bit singed. You acted properly; it was I who should have been paying better attention." He chuckled. "I'm sure it was a good battle; but, unfortunately, I was a bit too busy to notice."

"Sir?" It was Levi. He stiffly held out a pokeball. "You defeated me and here is your prize." His eyes glittered with unshed tears. "Her name is Clarissa and she's my only pokegirl."

Shikarou accepted the proffered ball formally. "Thank you. If I may, you made two mistakes. First, you didn't find out who I was or what my harem is like before challenging me. Second, you were blinded to Pythia's charms so much, you didn't think. I'd recommend that next time you consider your prospective opponent before issuing a challenge. I should note, however, that your surprise attack was within the rules of battling and rather crafty."

"Sir, my days as a Tamer are over. Clarissa was my only pokegirl."

"Nonsense." Levi blinked in surprise as Shikarou continued. "This is only a temporary setback. You can make a deal with someone else for another pokegirl, get an abandoned one at the pokegirl center, if there are any, or try a ranch. I know that if you can make your way to the Tendo ranch, he's rebuilding and is paying for labor in pokegirls. He might even be willing to help with travel costs."

Aaronson nodded slowly as he shook off some of his shock. "Thank you, sir. Paying in pokegirls? I'll call him right away." He hurried inside the pokegirl center.

Bellona sighed. "I guess you can't tell them all to pack it in and go home. For an Indigo, he seemed normal enough."

"He wanted you and Pythia. That shows he's got good taste; he just needs to get some experience before he can take on Tamers of my level. I was pleased to see he was willing to be upset at losing Clarissa instead of losing his Charamanda. That shows he's on a track we can approve of." Shikarou nodded to himself. "My harem is full so we'll sell Clarissa to Poppet."

Bellona nodded. "Does Aggie have any information on Thibodaux after his visit here?"

**No, I do not. He left the pokegirl center this morning and the data trail ends at that point. I have flagged his credit balance and, when he uses it, I'll inform you. Shikarou also sent him an email that I have a trace on.**

Shikarou shrugged. "Let's send Clarissa on her way and then we'll let Tandy out and see if she can give us a direction with what's left of her delta bond."

He was headed into the pokegirl center when a young woman came out. "You're the Tamer with a DragonQueen? I challenge you to a salvage battle for her." She released a light blue pokegirl Shikarou had never seen before.

**That is a Glace, the ice evolution of Eva. I've accessed her pokedex. The Tamer's name is Lydia Stephens and her harem is Snowflake, Glace; Rose, Rosebreasts; Spray, Whoretortle; and Genie, Ria.**

Shikarou recalled Bellona. "Attacking a Tamer right after a battle is considered very rude in the Blue League and I suspect it's rude here as well, Ms. Stephens, but I accept. You've chosen your pokegirl, now it's my turn." He released Pythia. The Dire Wolf cocked her head as she faced the ice pokegirl. "Another challenger?"

"Yes. Ready, Ms. Stephens?"

"How do you know my name?" She sounded faintly rattled.

"I know many things. Can we begin?"

Lydia's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Snowflake, ice beam."

The beam took Pythia in the midsection and she grunted from the impact. Her eyes flashed as she used hypnosis and the Glace staggered as she fought off the attack, shaking her head muzzily.

The Dire Wolf dashed forward, her energy blade shimmering into existence. "MIRROR COAT!" Snowflake glittered as she responded automatically. She screamed as the blade took her in the chest but the mirror coat blunted most of the damage.

"Quick attack away!" The Glace blurred as she raced away from Pythia, opening up room to maneuver. Pythia hit her with thunderbolt, knocking Snowflake off her feet. The Glace rolled to her feet only to meet another thunderbolt. Her cry of pain was cut short as she collapsed.

A crowd had formed to watch the battle. A man lunged forward and grabbed Shikarou's arm. "Dibs! I challenge you for her!" His free hand pointed at Pythia.

Shikarou's fists clenched. "I have to finish this battle first; but, rest assured, I will give you satisfaction." He shook the hand away and turned to Lydia. "I'll take your Glace, Snowflake."

She glared and tossed him the pokeball she'd just used to retrieve her pokegirl. "Here."

**Your newest challenger is Brad Dawkins. Pokegirls are Death, Dark Lady; Umbrea; WaspQueen; Succubus; Ladyba and Milktit. None have registered names except for the one Dark Lady.**

"Death? Oh, he's a charmer." Shikarou's ears flicked backwards. "Mr. Dawkins, you issued challenge for Pythia. Are you ready?"

"Damn right, I am. You're going to go down this time." He reached for a pokeball as Shikarou retrieved Pythia.

"HOLD IT!" It was an OfficerJenny. "Stop this fight!"

Shikarou's ears rotated to focus on her, but otherwise he didn't take his attention from his latest opponent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a NurseJoy come out of the pokegirl center and speak briefly to the police pokegirl. The OfficerJenny put her hands on her hips and glared at the crowd. "I hear you're up to your usual tactics of ganging up on an out of town Tamer. Well, you lot, this is coming to a halt right now. Give him back his pokegirls."

"He's got two of ours! Make him give them back!"

The OfficerJenny looked stunned. "Is this true, Tamer?"

"My name is Shikarou and, yes, I've been challenged by three Tamers so far and taken two pokegirls in salvage. So far, the battles haven't been all that challenging." He nodded towards Brad. "We haven't started, much less concluded our battle yet."

She whirled to face Dawkins. "Bradley? I should have expected you to be involved in this. Well, you're not going to beat up another Tamer on my watch."

"Officer?" She frowned and turned back to Shikarou. "I want to fight this individual." He made the word 'individual' sound vaguely insulting.

"Why on earth for?"

His eyes focused on Dawkins. "I'm not sure how to explain this, but that man laid hands on me without my permission. I'd like to thrash him personally, but I know these things are settled with pokegirls here."

"He's got some powerful pokegirls," the OfficerJenny began.

Shikarou interrupted her. "With all due respect, officer, I have to do this. This man needs to learn humility."

"You think you can defeat him?"

"I think I have to try."

The policewoman eyed him for a moment before backing away. "I'd like to see someone do that to him. He needs taken down a peg."

Dawkins snickered. "Polly, you need to shut up and let me cream this guy."

Shikarou rolled his eyes. "Officer, um, Polly was it?" She nodded. "Would you be willing to officiate for this match?"

The OfficerJenny looked startled for a moment and then smiled slowly. "I think that would be just fine. I'm not needed anywhere else right now." She moved to stand to the side, midway between the two Tamers. "Tamer Dawkins, are you ready to battle?"

"Let's get this over with," he replied with a bored expression.

Polly glared at him for a second before turning to Shikarou. "Tamer, um."

"Urufu."

"Thanks. Tamer Urufu, are you ready to battle?"

"I am."

"Then begin." She clapped her hands together and stepped back as both Tamers released pokegirls.

Death was raven haired with dark brown eyes. She hissed as Dorothea materialized. Her eyes widened when she realized what she faced, and her scream of fury echoed as the Seraph drew her weapons with a steely rasp.

"Dorothea, combo one defense mode." The Seraph glowed briefly as the Dark Lady screamed and launched a force bolt. She had to dodge as Dorothea deflected it neatly back at her.

"Death, void aura!" Shadowy wisps began to gather around the Dark Lady as Dorothea glowed again, this time using speed storm instead of focus energy. "You're fucked, pokeboy! Death eats Celestials for breakfast! Your Seraph is dead, do you hear me, dead!"

"Well then, how about we raise the stakes? Say three pokegirls?" The crowd gasped.

"You're on! Death, door to the abyss!"

"Dorothea, combo six, finish her!"

The Dark Lady dashed forward, infernal energy beginning to swirl around her as the vortex began to build; but she was too slow, as Dorothea teleported, appearing directly behind her opponent. Her master blow ripped down the Dark Lady's back, cleaving the spine in a shower of blood and smashing Death forward to lie motionless in a rapidly growing pool of crimson.

There was a stunned silence.

Shikarou gave a tiny smile. "I'd appreciate it if you'd recover her before she dies, since she's one of the three I want."

Bradley recovered his pokegirl and turned to the OfficerJenny. "FOUL! HE USED A LETHAL ATTACK!"

"First of all, any attack is technically lethal. Second, you threatened to kill my Seraph. I was only protecting her." Shikarou glanced at Dorothea as she moved next to him, her weapons still ready. "Do you think that's really necessary?"

She shrugged and put the dagger away. "A Tamer with a Dark Lady is not going to be used to losing and will not take this loss to thee calmly. He may even attack thee."

He just grunted in acknowledgement as he turned back to the OfficerJenny. "My pokegirl isn't dead, so there's no harm done. My new pokegirl, I mean."

Polly looked a little green around the edges. Not even police pokegirls were necessarily ready for sudden violence on that scale. "You do know that you can't keep a Dark Lady in your harem if you have a Seraph."

"I'm not keeping her, or the Umbrea or even the Milktit, officer. I've got a friend who runs a ranch for rare pokegirls and she'll be happy to take them for breeding stock. The Milktit I'm sure I can find a home for."

Dorothea gave him an odd look and whispered. "You want two of them? Helen won't like that."

"No, but Kasumi intends to open the doors of the school in a couple of years. There's no reason not to acquire staff for the grounds and buildings when we come across likely ones. If nothing else, the students will have to be fed."

Polly pulled her com off her belt and made a quick call. "My supervisor is on the way. You two heal your pokegirls and return here in five minutes." She glanced at the NurseJoy who was hovering near the door of the pokegirl center. "May, give them priority; and you," she turned to Dorothea, "put that sword away this instant."

Dorothea glanced at her Tamer and sheathed the weapon at his slight nod. "My lord, thou will need a bodyguard before I will go for healing."

He sighed. "Nanu's out, since she'd be borderline on that rule about armed pokegirls."

The Seraph nodded. "How about thy w-, um, thy alpha, my lord."

"I was really hoping for someone that nobody else would want." He handed her a pokeball. "Take Nanu off and relieve her of her guns, then bring her back. Be quick about it."

The Seraph vanished and returned in under a minute, handing him Nanu's pokeball. He released the Mini-Top, who looked pissed. She glared around the area and cracked her knuckles. "I'm not happy about this," she growled, "and the first person who gives us any shit is going to get my foot up their arse."

Polly grabbed her com and quietly called for backup as Dorothea was retrieved and Shikarou and Nanu headed into the pokegirl center.

Everyone gave him and Nanu a wide berth and even Brad looked a little nervous at the sight of her. Maybe it was the knives, Shikarou mused to himself, or maybe it was the fact that Nanu was quietly growling. "I want my guns," she muttered, "but his liver will do for a substitute."

He cocked his head curiously. "What did Dorothea tell you?"

"That he tried to break up the only place I've been happy." The look she gave Brad should have inflicted physical damage, and he backed up without even realizing he'd done so. "He even looks at us wrong and I'll write a new chapter of mayhem to add to the Mini-Top pokedex entry."

Once his three pokeballs had been cycled through, Shikarou went back outside to find a number of new police had arrived, several humans as well as the expected pokegirls. Most of them tensed when Nanu followed him out.

The supervisor was a human woman with an OfficerJenny of her own in close attendance. Her nametag identified her as R. Callahan. She looked between Bradley and Shikarou with an expression of distaste that put his teeth on edge. "Which of you almost killed a pokegirl?"

"That would be my Seraph, but I gave the order after he threatened the life of my pokegirl." Shikarou kept his tone polite and distantly respectful, absently patting Nanu on the arm when she started growling again. She stopped, but didn't look any happier.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Bradley looked offended.

"Yes, he did," Polly countered. "I don't remember his exact wording but I heard him quite clearly."

Callahan glanced at Shikarou. "Do you have any evidence that he threatened your pokegirl?"

He nodded. "I have a video record of the entire event. It's standard policy in the Blue League to record all legal battles."

The human looked around at the still growing crowd and made a decision. "Bring them both down to the station for questioning. I'll be along shortly and I'll want to review your video." She hurried to a ground car and was gone.

A Growlie turned to him. "You'll have to put your pokegirl up." She gave Nanu a hard look.

"Am I under arrest?"

"No, you're not, sir." The Growlie smiled charmingly at him. "We just need to take you to the station for a few questions."

Shikarou glanced at Nanu. "Then, either she stays out or you can ask them here."

The Growlie's smile frayed a little. "Sir, the sergeant was quite specific about you going to the station."

"Yes, I heard her, too. I'm willing to go, as long as one of my pokegirls stays out as my bodyguard. The last time I was left alone with police, someone stuck me in a cell with a feral Vampire as a joke and left me there for a couple of days."

The Growlie looked shocked but recovered quickly. "Sir, then you'll have to choose a different member of your harem. She's a dangerous and violent pokegirl and we won't let her in the station."

Shikarou raised an eyebrow. "I would counter with the fact that all pokegirls are potentially dangerous and that you are prejudiced against the Mini-Top breed's reputation. Nanu, as an individual, has proven trustworthy and honorable in my harem. You have nothing to fear from her." He folded his arms. "I've chosen my bodyguard. You can accept her as such, question me here, or open yourselves to ridicule and a possible lawsuit by arresting me without cause."

The Growlie chose a fourth option. She went for her radio and called for instruction.

He glanced at Nanu to find her staring at him with a surprised expression. "Yes?"

She flushed and looked away. "Nothing," she muttered. Then she turned back to him. "Nobody's ever said anything like that about me before, not even when I was a Moonbunny. Thank you."

"If I didn't feel that way about you, you wouldn't be here right now." She flashed him a warm smile at his words before returning to her guard role.

The Growlie put the radio away. "Sir, she'll be acceptable as long as you assume responsibility for her actions."

He decided not to point out that the law required him to do so, no matter what, and merely nodded. "Then lead on, officer."

It was an hour later when sergeant Callahan showed up again. Shikarou was in an interrogation room with Nanu. The sergeant heard voices which broke off as soon as she turned the doorknob.

She smiled at him, turning on the human charm that often got a male to admit to things he never would otherwise. "Having a nice day?"

He didn't smile back. "I'm one step short of being under arrest. My only words to you at this point should be 'lawyer'." His tone was polite, but cool.

Her smile vanished. "You aren't under arrest, Tamer Urufu."

"No, I just can't leave."

"Oh, do you have something important you need to be doing?"

"Yes, I do."

She waited for a moment before giving him a slightly annoyed look. "What?"

Nanu touched his shoulder. "Sir, you're baiting her."

He blinked. "You are absolutely right. Sorry, sergeant. I recently came into possession of a StarlightXpress who was taken from the Tamer who evolved her. I'm trying to get her to him."

He got an incredulous look in response to his statement. "You're not keeping her for yourself?"

"I am delta bonded myself and I would move heaven and earth to get her back if I lost her. I know the StarlightXpress wants to be with him, and so I'm returning her. If he wants to reward me, I won't refuse; but if he can't, I'll take goodwill instead." He put his pokedex on the table. "I'd love to chat, but I'm still trying to find the Tamer and sitting here isn't helping. Here's the recording I made of the battle. I've got a compilation of the records ready for viewing; if you want to see the raw footage, it's available too."

Sergeant Callahan smiled slightly and sat down on the other side of the table. "Records?"

"I carry a recording head in the straps of my backpack and each of my pokegirls wears one. So I compiled the footage into one scene that makes more sense than the jumping viewpoint as we all danced around; even me, when Aaron accidentally set me on fire."

She blinked and keyed up the recording. Aggie had cleaned up the feeds and compiled a third person viewpoint from where the crowd had been. The picture was crisp and clear and the sound excellent. When the third battle finished, she leaned back and gave him a suspicious look. "Who are you?"

"My name is Shikarou Urufu."

"I know that. I checked your file before I came in here. What I want to know is: who do you work for?" She flicked the pokedex with a finger. "You've got a very sophisticated piece of electronics for a Tamer from out in the sticks of the Blue League. I can't remember seeing anything this fancy in a long time."

Shikarou thought fast. "My brother recently retired from being an agent for the Planetary League Council. He's given me some gifts."

"Should you have something like this?"

He shrugged. "I'm friends with a couple of OfficerJennys and, I think that if it were illegal to have, they'd have done something about it. Both of them work for the Caomh Sith Guard."

She eyed him consideringly for a long moment before nodding. "Yes, they would have done something if they'd known about it. Do they?"

"They do. Samantha, the guard commander, has used it before and wants something like it for her people."

"What do you mean?"

"Caomh Sith is a privately owned island and the owner has put in a server hub to run the pokedex software. He's getting the licenses now and, when it's all set up, he's going to give the guardsmen stripped down pokedexes with satellite communication capability for the city and surrounding environs."

She looked startled. "That's better than we have here." A grin appeared. "I don't suppose they are hiring?"

"The last time I spoke with Samantha, she mentioned something to effect that they are. The town isn't that big, but she intends aggressive patrols all over the island since the owner has proscribed hunting anywhere on it. You can talk to her."

"Wow, this guy must be rich."

Shikarou smiled slightly. "I understand that his budget will handle everything that's planned for at least a couple of decades. Would you like Samantha's com number?"

"I'm happy where I am, but I'll take it and post it, if you don't mind." She pushed the pokedex in his direction. "What's the owner's stance on pokegirls?"

"He thinks they're people. They're given a lot of freedom and held accountable for their actions."

"That's pretty liberal for the Blue League."

"Yeah, that's what he's being told. So far, however, considering his location out in the wilderness and the league's desire for some kind of support network in that location for passing Tamers, they appear to be willing to overlook that. There's a gym out there that will be easier to get to, with Caomh Sith in operation."

"That should be interesting." She pushed to her feet. "You're free to go. Stop at property to pickup your three new pokegirls."

**Roderick Thibodaux has responded to your message. He's interested in meeting with you but remains cautious. He'll meet you if you travel to where he is on route 3.**

Shikarou pulled up a map of the Indigo league on his pokedex. "How did he get all the way up there?"

**I would theorize that he rode a vehicle down route 16 to the Stone Town entrance and crossed through Stone Town to route 3. That would account for the speed of his travel. He could also have a flying pokegirl or a teleporter. His insistence that you meet him there might indicate his increased mobility was temporary, lending credence the vehicle theory.**

"What do we know about Stone Town?"

**It is almost violently anti-pokegirl. Security has been tightened recently in the whole town after a mysterious set of fires at the Kuno estate destroyed some buildings. Part of that crackdown has included turning the whole community into a no fly zone. Rumors on the net hint at some kind of terrorist attack, but there is no public evidence to substantiate this. Do you wish me to crack the police systems to investigate?**

"I don't really care what happened." Shikarou frowned for a moment. "I think I'll use Branwyn to travel to Stone Town and then put everyone up for the trek through the city. She'll enjoy the run, but I doubt she'll like Stone Town, considering its reputation."

**She'll like you not having a bodyguard even less.**

"I'll keep my head down and my mouth shut. That should keep me out of trouble."

**She is unlikely to believe that.**

"I know. Still, I'll try my best."

"I can't believe you made it through Stone Town without any problems." Branwyn gave him an amused look over her shoulder as she trotted down route 3.

"I almost didn't. They've posted guards at the city gates to interrogate visitors and one of them didn't like the way I look. She suggested I get a full body cavity search, I suspect for her own entertainment. If her partner hadn't overruled that idea, things might have gotten ugly. After that, once I got to a store, I bought a big orange floppy hat and coiled my braid on top of my head. It hid my ears and hair nicely and I kept my head down. Other than a couple of comments about how I could use a nice purse along with it, I was left alone after that."

She laughed. "What happened to the hat?"

"When I reached the edge of town, some elderly woman complimented me on it and I gave it to her." He zoomed the map display. "The campsite should be about five kilometers ahead."

The Unicorn shifted smoothly to a gallop and the terrain began to blur by. Suddenly, he winced and his ears flattened. "I hear ultrasonics. We're close." Branwyn slowed as the camp marker appeared.

Shikarou hopped from her back as she shifted to her bipedal form. The campsite was a broad clearing off to side of the road. Circles of stone marked places where fires had been set in the past and the solar powered ultrasonic repellers were mounted on posts set in concrete to minimize vandalism. There was a well with a windlass, but Tamers had to provide their own bucket and rope.

"Do you think the Blue League will do anything like this for Tamers?"

His ears were still flat. "I certainly hope not. Blues tend to make fun of this sort of thing, so I doubt it." He shrugged. "Blues make fun of everybody who does this and, in return, they say Blues are stupid for not doing it too."

"Don't you mean we make fun of everyone who does it?"

"I'm not a Blue. I've looked at the statistics and fewer Tamers are killed at campsites that have repellers but, overall, the mortality rate is almost identical." He looked around. "We'll set up over there. Roderick should be arriving around sundown."

The sun was almost gone when a burly young man showed up. His green eyes gleamed against his swarthy skin and a long braid of black hair dangled down his back. He eyed Shikarou's tent warily and glanced at the brown feathered pokegirl next to him before calling out. "Hello the camp!" When he rose to his feet, the pokegirl fixed Shikarou with a hungry gaze.

**He has Roderick Thibodaux's pokedex. **

Shikarou glanced at Branwyn as she moved to stand next to him. "I am Shikarou."

Roderick relaxed slightly. "Thibodaux." He glanced again at the flying type as she stared eagerly at Shikarou. "Stand down, Peggy." He turned back to Shikarou as the Falcongentle stopped staring quite so predatorily. "Campsites can be friendly, or you can have to fight for the right to camp; so an occupied one can be an exercise in frustration as you try to decide which is more likely. Is it like that where you come from?"

Branwyn snorted. "You get the occasional jerk who doesn't know the rules about campsites, but otherwise, most Tamers are glad for a bit of company. It makes the camp's defenses stronger."

Roderick's eyes darkened. "You're a Blue. His accent I don't recognize, but you're a Scot. I traveled with one for a few months, before he stole something from me."

"The Tamer would have been Leland and he stole Tandy, right?"

Roderick paled, and then flushed with anger. "How did you know that?"

Shikarou smiled. "I've encountered Leland, recently, and that's why I contacted you." He produced a pokeball.

Roderick's eyes widened. "That's Tandy's ball." He turned a sallow yellow as the blood drained from his face. "I know the delta bond has been weakening, but I never felt her die. How did it happen?"

"She's not dead."

Shikarou activated the pokeball and the StarlightXpress appeared. She stared at her Tamer for a heartbeat, and then was in his arms. The Falcongentle tried to stop her but was knocked flying.

Shikarou laid the pokeball on the ground and turned to Branwyn. "I think our tent is a good place to be right now." She glanced at the reunited couple and nodded.

About an hour later, Helen led a stunned looking Roderick and Tandy into the main living area of the tent. He stared at Shikarou. "This place is incredible. So, this is roughing it in the Blue League?"

Shikarou chuckled. "No, this is roughing it for us." He gestured at the other side of the table. "Sit. Would you two like some tea?"

"Um, sure." Roderick frowned as he settled down. "You know, my father is a woodworker. I could get you a good deal on some chairs."

"It's supposed to be this way." Shikarou smiled to Helen as she put a tray of tea and snacks down. "Thank you." She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

"I wanted to thank you for returning Tandy to me, but I don't have enough money to pay for her." Roderick stared at the tabletop. "Could I pay you in installments?"

"If I'd wanted you to give me something for her, I'd still have Tandy in my possession. I'm delta bonded to my alpha and I know I'd want her back. Tandy wanted to come back to you and it was within my power to make her wish happen."

Roderick nodded. "I'm in your debt. If you ever need anything, call me." He frowned. "By the way, what happened to Leland?"

"He'll never bother you again," Shikarou reassured him.

Ygerna looked up when Morgan moved. It was Svetlana. "Good morning."

Svetlana nodded. "Good morning to you. I have some errands to run and I was hoping you would come with me. It would give us a chance to talk about Faelan and the future."

The Sidhe raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to have this talk without someone to referee?"

"Actually, I've asked Kasumi to come along just for that reason. She's as neutral as we're likely to find here."

Ygerna glanced at Morgan and then back to the Megami-sama. "There is something about that woman that disturbs me. I'm not sure what it is, but I do know she makes me uneasy."

Svetlana blinked. "Really? I thought I was the only one who is uncomfortable around her. None of the others feel it."

"Still, she is likely to be impartial in this discussion." Ygerna slid to her feet. "Where will we be going?"

"I've got a couple of stops, but I thought we'd finish up in Tomakomai for lunch." She smiled brightly. "We'll leave in half an hour, if that's ok."

"Will Faelan be coming along?"

Svetlana shook her head briskly. "No. Right now, I think we need to talk without him. In any case, he's watching the island while Shikarou is off returning Tandy."

Morgan frowned. "Why did he not keep her? She is strong and his harem could use her."

Svetlana eyed her briefly. "Shikarou understands that Tandy would not be happy here and he believes that, if a pokegirl won't be happy in his harem, she won't give her all. In that case, it's easiest to get rid of her entirely instead of deal with half efforts."

Ygerna looked surprised. "That's not the reasoning that I heard from Branwyn. She told me that it was the right thing to do."

"That is a good reason to return her, but I'm not sure that was the only reason Shikarou did it. He's gotten rid of pokegirls that had problems fitting in before, and I don't doubt he'd do it again." Svetlana shrugged. "He's more than willing to let others think he's completely altruistic, but he's not."

"You don't sound happy about it."

"For a while I wasn't. Now that he's my brother in law, and our survival rests on being ruthless, I think he's not as bad as I thought. Some of my sisters won't agree, but they're not putting their lives on the line here and I don't care about their opinions nearly as much as I used to."

Morgan choked off a laugh. "What about what he's done to the former knights? How do you feel about that?"

Svetlana gave her a hard look. "I'm not happy about it. Frankly, they may be better off dead than the way they are, but it's not my decision to make." She checked her watch. "I have to go. We'll be at the pier in half an hour. Please don't be late." She hurried off.

Morgan watched her go. "My queen, I am not sure this is a wise choice."

"She's not going to try and kill me, Morgan. That's not what her kind does and, even if she were considering it, she would not want Kasumi along as a witness." She smiled at the Dragoness. "And you'll be along as my bodyguard."

"Yes, your majesty."

Kasumi was waiting for them at the pier. She nodded to Ygerna. "Svetlana will be along in a couple of minutes."

Ygerna nodded. "Very well."

"I'm not sure how to address you," Kasumi admitted with a slightly rueful smile. "If I recognize you as a queen, are you likely to try to convince me that this gives you authority over me? In addition, since we're leaving the island, it might be best if we dispensed with formality so as to avoid undue attention. It's possible that our common foe might have used your name or title as the focus for a tracking spell." Her eyes twinkled. "Your name is rather unusual."

Ygerna's eyes widened. "That is entirely possible. I should have considered that."

Kasumi shrugged easily. "You've only recently found out he was still around and, considering the circumstances of that discovery, you've been off balance ever since."

The Sidhe blinked. "You think I should get my bearings back and that's your nice way of mentioning it, isn't it?"

"I understand that you've had a bad time recently and I'm trying to be polite; but, yes, you're a powerful woman and you need to start remembering that fact."

"Who are you that you would think to advise me?"

"I'm Kasumi." She smiled prettily. "If you marry Faelan, then you'll be my sister and, therefore, I don't see a reason not to try to help you."

Ygerna frowned. "Who said I am going to marry Faelan?"

Kasumi gave her a curious look. "That would put you on an even footing with Svetlana. Considering the situation, I thought that would be one of your primary goals."

"Why would I care about Svetlana?"

"Faelan loves her and, if she puts her foot down about you, he will drop you without a second thought, Sidhe or not. I thought you had realized that."

"I thought she already tried that and failed."

Kasumi shook her head. "No. Up to this point she's been against you being with Faelan because she doesn't want to share him with anyone else; but she has not given him any sort of ultimatums about you." She gave Ygerna a direct look. "If you were to seek to marry him, you would help to convince her that you are serious about being with the family for the long term. If you do not, then I suspect she will eventually tire of your presence and take steps to remove you. It's not like he loves you."

The Sidhe frowned, rubbing her wrist thoughtfully. "It is true that he has no feelings for me right now and I know how much he seems to love his Megami-sama. I will consider your words."

Kasumi nodded and pulled a pokeball from her belt. "I have something for you." She released her latest acquisition, the Archmage they'd taken from Germanicus. "Nishiko, give me the package."

The Archmage dropped her backpack and removed a small piece of electronics from it. Kasumi took it. "Thank you."

She turned and offered the item to Ygerna. "Shikarou and I decided that you needed to be set up to move around in this world. This is your pokedex and it identifies you as a Tradesman, a pokegirl hunter, to be precise. It means that you won't have to battle to protect Morgan. It lists your name as Yvonne Bennington, of Caomh Sith."

Ygerna stared at it for a moment before taking it gingerly. "I don't know how to operate it."

"I know, and I'll show you how while we're working on Svetlana's errands." Kasumi smiled. "I've changed my status to hunter, too, so I don't have to worry about my girls either."

"I thought you were a Tamer."

"I was, but I never intended to stay one for long. I've no interest in battling. I just want to study magic with my husband and maybe teach one day."

Ygerna stared at the pokedex for a moment before looking up at Kasumi. "Thank you."

"As long as you're interested in being Faelan's wife, I'll be glad to help you. If it turns out you're just interested in one part of him, then I'll rethink my efforts on your behalf," there was an unmistakable note of warning in her tone, "especially those in regards to Svetlana."

Ygerna's eyes narrowed. "I was led to believe you were neutral in this matter. Are you also putting forth efforts on the behalf of Svetlana in regards to me?"

Kasumi nodded. "I've told her that I'll try to convince you to be more reasonable in your desires as to her husband. That is what we've been discussing."

"She wants me to marry him?"

"No, what she wants is for you to go away without any fuss. However, since you won't, she'd rather you marry him than not."

Nishiko watched both of them carefully. "Mistress, Svetlana is coming."

Kasumi looked up towards Faelan's home. "Indeed she is. Thank you, Nishiko."

Svetlana sipped at her soda and looked over at Ygerna. "Yvonne, I have some questions I'd like to ask you about your intentions towards my family."

Ygerna's eyes flicked towards Kasumi, who was watching them blandly. "I've been thinking about it and perhaps it would be best if we were to marry. It will help the children to be accepted in human society, which they will be forced to interact with."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I do have to ask what you bring to my family that we don't already have."

Ygerna looked thoughtful for a second as she chose her words. "As you are aware, I have a certain rank in the world." Morgan nodded as she spoke.

"Actually, that's not really true, is it?" Kasumi shrugged when Ygerna looked startled. "Yvonne, while it is true insomuch as to what you used to be, right now you are not that person and there is no guarantee that you ever will be her again."

Ygerna looked stunned. "I had never considered my current situation in that light." She looked at Kasumi for a long moment. "You are right. At this time, I have only my personal retainers. I don't even have the money for their upkeep." She turned to Morgan. "How are they being cared for?"

Morgan looked embarrassed. "_He_ is seeing to their upkeep." She jerked her head in Kasumi's direction. "Her husband."

Ygerna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I have been remiss in my duties to my retainers. Why is your husband helping me?"

Svetlana touched Ygerna on the wrist. "He is helping because he can, and you are not our enemy."

"I've bewitched your husband," she said to Svetlana before she turned to Kasumi, "insulted and belittled yours, and yet both men have been supportive. I've even brought death to your door and now I am a pauper and live upon your sufferance." Her eyes dimmed.

Kasumi nodded. "All of these things are true, but we do not treat you as such. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want, I believe Shikarou told you."

Svetlana nodded. "Still, it would be helpful if you could bring something to us."

Ygerna glanced around the mostly empty room to make sure they weren't being eavesdropped on. The errands had taken longer than first thought and it was well after lunchtime in Tomakomai. "I can. When my people were destroyed, I searched amongst their libraries for the book which Shikarou now holds in the hope that one of them had taken it. While I did not find it, I did amass the collected wisdom of my people and hid it away for safekeeping. This I can offer, for if Shikarou does as he has promised, Svetlana, you will be my sister in blood as well as marriage. We and our children will need what is in that storehouse for our future."

Svetlana nodded slowly. "That could be very helpful. Will it be available for Kasumi's family as well?"

Ygerna eyed Kasumi briefly. "That would be a decision that you, Faelan and I would have to make together. However, I cannot see a reason other than spite to deny them access to it. After all, their children will have some of our blood as well."

"What of after our enemy is dead?" Kasumi's voice was quiet. "We must presume that we will win, because we will be dead if we lose. What will you do about the Order?"

Ygerna shrugged. "I was their queen because there was no other to do so. One of my children will claim it someday, if it does not die on its own."

"Why bother?"

"Svetlana, there is lore buried there and Britain will still need protected. If nothing else, once our children are adult, they will be prime targets for them. I would prefer to destroy them and to resurrect them without the flaws that allowed my foe to usurp my position, but I'm not sure that's possible to do."

Svetlana nodded. "I think that would be reasonable. I do not feel that the Order will be a credible threat for several years after our foe is destroyed, if he is destroyed."

"You cannot see if we will win?"

"Yvonne, I cannot. I wish I could." She sighed. "Not even Pythia can see how this will end." Her eyes went wide. "We need to return home."

"What is it?"

"I'm not completely sure, but something terrible has happened elsewhere in the world and some of the fallout will come to Caomh Sith."

Ygerna stood. "Then we must go."

Branwyn appeared on the pier and let Shikarou go. She stretched, looking around. "It's nice to be home again." She patted the strap of her backpack. "I've got the pokegirls you wanted to sell and I'll take them to the Conservatory now, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

"What do I tell her when she asks why you let those people keep challenging you?"

"I wanted to see if we needed to be concerned about the harem becoming too vicious for normal Tamer battles." He rubbed his eyes. "They are, and I think I need to start paperwork to become a Tradesman before we kill some luckless opponent."

She took his hand gently. "I'll take care of it soon." Her lips brushed his cheek. "Do you have any message for Poppet?"

"Remind her that, although I visited her only a couple of days ago as far as she's concerned, it's been a couple of months for me. I'd like to see her."

Branwyn smiled. She knew it wasn't a slight on her or anyone in the harem. "Husband is lonely. Got it." She vanished.

He released Elizabeth, who immediately pulled the hood of her cloak up against the sun and gave him a wicked smile. "Hello, lover. Am I guarding your majestic self today?"

He chuckled. "Yes, you are."

"Should I wait for signs of danger before throwing you to the ground and covering you with my body?"

His ears flicked. "Maybe Dorothea should do this instead."

The Vampire snickered as she scanned the area alertly. "In her own way, she's getting as bad as the rest of us." Her lips twisted into a grin. "Or would you say, she's getting as good as the rest of us?"

"I say we should head for the house and see if any construction got done while we were gone."

They were headed up the hill when a black winged pokegirl swept down and stalled, dropping to the ground in front of them. Derdekea's wings vanished as she bowed. "Sir, welcome back and my master would like to see you immediately."

Shikarou gave the Fallen Angel a curious look. "Is there an emergency?"

"No, sir, there isn't. However, he left instructions for you to meet with him at your earliest convenience. Svetlana thinks an emergency is about to happen." She swept her black hair out of her face. "She's usually right when she gets this way, but he didn't see any reason to call you and ask that you hurry."

Elizabeth shook her head slowly. "I really wish she either didn't do this or else was more precise."

Derdekea grinned. "You wish that? I've been with her for years now and you have no idea how frustrating her 'something wicked this way comes' can get."

Shikarou interrupted their Svetlana bashing. "Where is my brother?"

"Sir, he's at our house." Her wings shimmered into existence already spread. "I'll tell him you are on your way"

"Thank you. We'll be there in less than ten minutes." He released Bellona and Circe. "Ladies, set up the tent and get everyone stripped for combat." He dropped his pokeballs into Bellona's hands.

Elizabeth grinned. "Svetlana's got indigestion."

Circe looked amused. "Treat it seriously?" She stripped the pack off her Tamer's back when he nodded. "We'll be along promptly." Taking Bellona's hand, they vanished.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "No rest for the wicked."

"Aye, and we're wickeder than most. Let's go see what is going on."

Faelan was seated on a rock which looked out over the foundation of his house. "Glad you're back. She's getting more and more restless. According to her, whatever has happened is rather momentous."

"How so?" Shikarou settled down nearby as Elizabeth went back to guard mode.

Faelan shrugged. "The great disturbance in the force hasn't told her yet." His ears went back for a heartbeat. "She thinks it's something new, and not related to our undead enemy."

"That's just peachy." Shikarou grimaced. "We really don't need new enemies on top of our old ones." He looked around. "Where is she?"

"She's in the washroom."

Dorothea appeared and let Nanu go. The Mini-Top had her sniper rifle slung along with a pair of pistols while the Seraph wore a pistol in a shoulder holster along with her normal sword and dagger combination. Faelan blinked. "That's still unsettling."

Dorothea moved to be nearer her Tamer. "Perhaps, lord Faelan, yet thou were not with us when we fought the Zombabes. It became necessity there and a part of my repertoire that I wish to keep."

Pythia appeared as Svetlana came out of Faelan's tent. The Dire Wolf's ears were back. "Sexmet is coming and so is trouble." She smiled slightly when Faelan jumped to his feet. "No, she's not here yet, but soon."

Svetlana perched next to her husband and pulled him down against her. "Shikarou, I'm not sure what's happening, but I know it involves Sexmet and she'll be coming here." She sighed. "It's not as if we need more trouble right now. Did you return Tandy?"

"We had some minor difficulties, but she has been reunited with her bonded Tamer."

"That's good." Svetlana stiffened. "She comes."

Lorelei appeared with a disgruntled looking Helen. The Milktit shoved away from her transport as the Sphinx unlimbered a wicked looking battleaxe. "Has Amy been driving my cart again? The battery is flat."

Shikarou raised an eyebrow. "Were you planning on serving food when I said to prepare for combat?"

She gave him a shrewd smile. "I'm prepared already and it's lunchtime." The Milktit shrugged out of her pokepack and began releasing hot sandwiches and thermoses of iced tea. "Pythia, please help hand these out."

Shikarou stared at the sandwich that had been shoved into his hands. "Is this a leftover from Zombabe hunting?"

"They don't get old in my pack. Eat." She winked at him when he gave her an amused look and he smiled slightly before bolting down the meal.

"Why do you have sandwiches in your backpack?" Faelan mumbled around a mouthful of food as he chewed.

Elizabeth grinned. "Zombabes have no appreciation for the joys of a sit down meal and Helen would keep these for when we got a chance to eat. We tried the dried food route, but she wouldn't hear of her Tamer eating that every day."

"It's a neat idea, but isn't it kind of wasteful of a pokepack?"

Shikarou shrugged. "We couldn't trust the food we found until it had been thoroughly scrubbed."

Nanu looked around for someplace to wipe her hands and finally settled on Elizabeth's cloak. "We watched a Zombabe ooze her way through the produce section of a supermarket and that was all it took to start washing everything we got near."

"HEY! Stop that." Elizabeth pulled away sharply. "Guard, remember?"

"Sorry," Nanu replied without a trace of apology in her voice. "All done."

Pythia chuckled. "Sir, I think that's her coming over that hill." She pointed.

Lorelei frowned as everyone turned to look. "It doesn't look like Mother, but it is. It feels like her."

**I confirm that, while the visible appearance has changed, scanning confirms that this is Sexmet. Caution is advised. There is no way to tell if more than her physical appearance has undergone some modifications.**

Sexmet had visibly changed. Her body and face were more feline in appearance than before and her fur had become darker and seemed to absorb the light as she approached them.

"She looks tired." Nanu shrugged when Faelan turned to look at her. "She's got that set to her shoulders that tells you her life has been hell recently."

Sexmet drew up short, her ears flicking as she looked over the assemblage. "Shikarou, I need to talk to you."

"Faelan is my second in command and I suspect he'll need to hear this too."

She blinked when Helen handed her a sandwich and thermos. "Sorry, but it's all we've got right now."

The legendary looked confused for a second before refocusing on her mission. "My home has been raided by Sanctuary. It was a blitz attack and we weren't ready for it." She sighed and bit into the sandwich without thinking. Her eyes widened. "This is good." She finished it in short order and waved away a second one. "They attacked with some new kind of pokegirl; I think it was an evolution of the Dameosaur. Goths were riding them and throwing pokeballs at any Sphinx they came across." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Most were taken and many of the ones that weren't, were killed. They massacred my Cheetit and Cheetaura."

Her eyes narrowed. "A lot of kits are left without parents and I don't have a place for them right now. Sanctuary could attack again at any time."

She steeled herself; before she could speak, Shikarou interrupted her. "Of course you can bring them here for a while." He looked thoughtful as shock appeared on her face. "You wouldn't be here unless you wanted me to take them. You'd be somewhere else, trying to get them to agree. We don't have any outsiders here, right now, and they can stay on the outskirts of Peacetown."

Her shoulders drooped. "Thank you," she said simply. "I didn't have anywhere else to turn. I'll find someplace permanent for them as soon as I can, but I don't know how long that may take."

"We're busy with our own problems, so I can't help you with Sanctuary. This, however, we can do for you."

Faelan nodded. "Do what you need to, lady Sexmet. We'll watch your children for you. When will they be arriving?"

She opened the thermos and took a long drink. "As soon as I get things better organized, I'll bring them here. Most of them will be Sphinx kits, with a few Cheetit and maybe one or two others." She rubbed her nose tiredly with the side of the thermos. "I'd like to send someone along to help watch them, but I don't know if I have anyone to spare."

"You do what you need to. We'll cover the rest." Svetlana gave her a cheery smile. "I am confident that things will work out in the end." She blinked when Shikarou gave her a curious look. "No, I don't _know_ it."

"Thanks for clarifying your statement." He turned to Sexmet. "The kits are welcome here for as long as necessary but, if they come of age, I'll have to find them Tamers."

Sexmet gave a ghost of a smile. "By then, I hope things will be resolved."

"Can you stay for a bit?"

"No, I have to get back. Bastit is waiting for me and, right now, she doesn't like me being away too long." She frowned slightly. "Where do you want me to bring the children?"

"Bring them to the inn. We'll put them there while we are setting up someplace for them on the north side of town."

She nodded. "Thank you. I will." She disappeared as she teleported away.

Faelan slipped an arm around his wife. "We will get started setting up quarters for the children. Helen, would you help with the food?"

Helen nodded. "I will. Shikarou has brought back another Milktit who will be helping around the island until the school opens and this will be a good time to start her education."

Faelan's ears flicked. "Who will be taking care of her?"

"Are you expressing interest?"

"No, brother, I was just curious if Helen was willing to share you."

The Milktit's ears went back. "I am not and he is not. Leland will be taking care of her for now."

Faelan blinked in surprise at her flat tone. "My apologies. I did not mean to offend."

Shikarou placed his hand on Helen's and she flushed. "I'm sorry, master Faelan. I was upset when I first thought about her because I, too, thought Shikarou might want two Milktits." She gave her Tamer a wry look. "He was very persuasive in convincing me otherwise."

Nanu snickered. "Are you still sore?"

There was a knock on her door and one of her assistants looked in. "Lady, the emissary from Queen Xantha is here."

Gwyneth leaned back in her chair. She wasn't setting up a court in the wilderness yet, and so had an office down the hall from Shikarou's. "Send her in."

The Grandelf bowed as she entered the room. "Queen Gwyneth. I bring you greetings from Queen Xantha." She bowed lower. "My name is Jinty."

The ElfQueen suppressed a spurt of irritation. "I am not a queen yet, but I thank you. I understand you have a message from Queen Xantha?"

"Yes, lady, I do." Jinty produced a scroll from her coat and offered it to her. "You'll find that Queen Xantha is very appreciative of the time you've taken with her and with me."

Gwyneth suppressed another spurt of irritation as she opened the scroll. The illumination was pretty, but sometimes made Xantha's communiqués hard to read. This one was especially florid and she made a mental note to use email for her people whenever possible.

The door opened and one of her Elves rolled in a trolley with tea and biscuits. Jinty helped herself to some as she watched Gwyneth struggle to read the letter.

Gwyneth frowned as the words suddenly seemed to swim and her gaze went vacant as the spell in the letter activated from her reading. From in what seemed a vast distance, someone twisted her long hair and levered her head back. "Good, my queen will be pleased when you are her loyal servant." Her hair was released and her face slammed into the desk.

Her world went black.

When consciousness returned, the first thing she heard was a quiet whimpering. Next, she heard a voice. "She's waking up." She recognized Candace's voice.

Her head was lifted and she opened her eyes to look up at her Tamer. "How do you feel?"

Gwyneth frowned as she thought for a moment. "I seem to be ok." Memory returned in a rush. "I was reading a letter from Xantha."

He nodded slowly as he lifted her to a sitting position. "There was a spell in it that was supposed to be used to help control you."

Gwyneth blinked at him. Her mind still seemed to be working in slow motion. "How do you know that?"

"When the spell hit you, your twee called for help. We've been questioning your guest while you were recuperating." He gave her a grim smile. "We had to break her mental shields before Stardust could find out what was going on."

Gwyneth raised her head and looked. She'd been on the couch in her office. Across the room, the Grandelf had been immobilized by the simple expedient of nailing her to the wall with knives that had been driven into her elbows and knees. Her eyes were unfocused and drool ran in a thin string down her now nude body. Strips of skin had been pulled from her chest and lay in a bloody pile on the floor.

The Grandelf whimpered again.

Bellona was licking the Grandelf's blood from her claws. "Are you well, sister?"

Gwyneth's mind snapped back into focus and her eyes narrowed. "Is Jinty's mind whole?"

Bellona shrugged. "Is it important?"

"If it is, then I want to keep her. Once she's loyal to me, I'll put her to work making sure that none of my people have been turned to Xantha by similar means. She knows how it's done and should be able to spot it." She turned to Shikarou. "Will you make her ours?"

"You want me to tame her or enslave her?"

"I'd prefer it if you tamed her. Every Elf you put into my service makes her that much weaker and me stronger. That will help when we go to war." She reached up and touched one of his ears. "And make no mistake, my king, after this stunt, we are going to have war before this is done."

Shikarou kissed her gently. "So be it."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name

Alaka-Wham Circe

Unicorn Branwyn

Milktit Helen

G-Spliced Pythia

DragonQueen Bellona

NurseJoy Candace

Seraph Dorothea

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko

Vampire Elizabeth

Mini-Top Nanu

Sphinx Lorelei

Wet Queen Roisin

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym


	47. Chapter 47

Written by Kerrik Wolf

**Chapter 47**

**You have another message from Thai Silvati.** There was a pause. **Lorelei should not see it until you decide that it is safe for her to do so.**

Shikarou stopped his katas. "That's new. Anyone else you want excluded?"

**I would suggest that only you, Branwyn, Circe, Kasumi, Bellona and Poppet view this message, initially.**

He sighed. "Ask them to come to the war room." He glanced up at the stands where his dragonqueen was drinking some tea and waved her down. "I'll take care of Bellona."

**I'm sure you will.**

"Aggie, are you jealous?"

**Of course not. I am superior to her in every way.**

Fifteen minutes later, Shikarou looked over some yawning women. "I'm sorry to call you here, but Aggie thinks this is important. She also thinks only we should see this first."

Poppet glanced at the door as it opened. "Hold that thought. Helen is here."

The milktit smiled and set a breakfast service on the table. "I'm sorry to intrude and I'll be gone in a moment." She glanced around the room and her smile faded. "Should I put the rest of the harem on a war footing?"

**Tell her no.**

"Thank you, Helen, but that won't be necessary right now."

She nodded and gave him a curious look. "Should I arrange to be milked?"

"No. I'll catch you as soon as I'm free."

Helen nodded and relaxed slightly. "Yes, sir. I'll just be going now. You need to eat before it gets cold."

He flashed a grin. "Thanks."

Branwyn frowned. "Helen, stay."

Shikarou's ears flicked with curiosity. "Why?"

"She'll tell the others."

Helen blinked and flushed slightly. "Why would I do that?"

Poppet smiled suddenly. "She knows she can't lie to you, husband. But she's trying to evade the question."

Bellona nodded. "She's right. Helen is one of our conduits into your life. Sit." She rose and firmly guided the flustered milktit to the chair next to her. "I've got her."

Shikarou looked around the room. "Since you're here anyway, Helen, why don't you serve breakfast?"

The milktit nodded and got up again.

Aggie appeared on the wall display. "May I recap for Poppet's benefit?" She smiled when Shikarou nodded. "Thai Silvati is a young man from the Ruby League with whom Shikarou has been corresponding. He's had a run of bad luck pretty much from the day he started his journey and, while he hasn't lost many pokegirls in battle, he's had several killed. This message is to tell Shikarou that he's lost two more pokegirls. However, there are elements that are possible security concerns. You are Shikarou's inner council." Her eyes swung to Helen. "I must correct that statement. For the most part, you are his inner council."

"Helen's advice has always been worth listening to." Shikarou smiled as Helen blinked and turned red. "She is welcome in here."

Aggie nodded. "Very well. There are security concerns with Thai Silvati being a possible agent of Sanctuary. Even if he is not, this message has security issues insomuch that, if Sexmet finds out, it is likely that he is a dead man."

Helen stopped setting out food. "From everything I've heard, he's a very nice young man. I don't think he'd be a willing agent of theirs. From the stories I've been told, they're not that nice, especially not to males."

Kasumi frowned. "I'm not familiar with Sanctuary. Who are they?"

"The stories vary," Poppet began, "but what I've discovered is that they are a group of pokegirls living in the Dark Continent, what you might know as Africa. They've been changed somehow, or evolved, if you will. They no longer need tamers and, in fact, often have small harems of their own. Some of them are very militant and others are both militant and expansionist. Still others are interested in infiltrating and possibly overthrowing the leagues."

She took a drink of her tea and picked up the milk. "This is safe, right?" When Helen nodded, she added it to her drink. "Sanctuary Goth is the name the pokegirls call themselves, but most of the time they are referred to as 'they' or 'you know who', and their home is called 'That Place'. Since it's also the name often given to the continent, it can get rather confusing."

"Almost all of them can do some kind magic or other and some are very powerful mages." She fixed Kasumi with her eyes. "Recently, it's come to light that they have a way to reproduce themselves from other pokegirl races as well as via parthenogenesis. They are also known to have a way to turn humans into pokegirls."

Kasumi cocked her head. "How much of this is generally known?"

"None. The average person knows only rumor; most of the leagues don't know a lot more than that. The ones that do usually think they have some kind of alliance with them. My experience is that Sanctuary does not make alliances unless they are the seniors in any relationship. They've approached me once or twice and I politely told them I wasn't interested in their activities." She shrugged. "If they'd ever shown any signs of real power, I'd have made some kind of accommodation with them, but it hasn't become necessary yet."

"They'd been using a lot of cheetit and the other evolutions of that line for their security until they developed the dameosaur and her lines. Nobody is really sure where the DNA came from, but I'm sure they found a redoubt of my old boss and looted it. That's about their level and consistent with some project rumors I'd heard about when I worked for him." She grimaced. "Due to their fiddling, the dameosaurs are almost completely lesbian and so are the others of their ilk. Once they had them, the goths turned the cheetit out and arranged for them to be evicted from most of the Dark Continent by the dameosaurs. Their dinosaur pets were a little rough about it and the cheetit population crashed." She dropped a sugar cube into her cup. "There's evidence that they were encouraged to be as hard as possible on the cheetit, but nothing is conclusive."

Branwyn looked shocked. "I didn't know this."

"You didn't need to. Unnecessary knowledge of Sanctuary is dangerous. They have a habit of removing those kinds of dangers and I didn't want to lose you into being a goth." Poppet frowned and nibbled at some toast. "Sexmet has a soft spot for anything feline and has been nursing the sphinx since the Chinese destroyed the world. Since the cheetit were around, she adopted them, too. When the Chinese unleashed their plague on the world, she went a little batty and did nasty things to those she could get her hands on. The slaughter of the cheetit set her off again. She didn't attack them, but when Sanctuary sent an envoy to her, she only bothered to return their heads."

Bellona blinked. "I take it diplomacy isn't her strong suit."

"You would be correct," Poppet replied dryly. "Since then, a state of aggravation existed between Sanctuary and Sexmet. There have been some incidents where sphinx and cheetit have attacked goth forces and vice versa."

Shikarou rose smoothly to his feet. "Recently something changed and Sanctuary developed a new pokegirl, a type previously unknown to the world. With this pokegirl, Sanctuary forces raided Sexmet's home and took a lot of the sphinx. The ones they didn't take, they mauled pretty badly. That's why the kits are supposed to be coming here, so they are ostensibly out of the line of fire." He sighed. "If Aggie is right and there is evidence that Thai might, I repeat might, be an agent of theirs, his connections with us will sign his death warrant with Sexmet if she finds out. Lorelei wouldn't go out of her way to betray me, but she'd hand over Thai without so much as a twinge of conscience." He looked around the room once and his ears crooked. "I think that brings everyone up to speed. Aggie, let's see the message."

Thai appeared on the wall. He looked tired and his eyes were haunted as he tried to smile cheerfully and failed. "Hi, Shikarou." The smile faded as he gave his head a weary shake. "Sorry, I hope this message gets to you shortly. Thank you for getting to me about my dad's pokegirls. I've tried to contact him; as usual, he's ignoring me, it seems. That, or he doesn't believe me. I'll have to go back to Coastal to deal with him. Unfortunately, my luck seems to have caught up with me yesterday." He gave a mirthless smirk. "I wish there was some way to tell you what happened. Let's just say that, by a strange chance, I got hold of a berserk pokegirl by accident and she…" his voice trailed off and he shivered.

"She killed Keilani and Sierra. It was as bad as the Mantis attack, but there was only one. I've never seen anything quite so bloodthirsty before." Thai worked his pokedex for a moment and held it up. The display flashed and an image appeared and vanished again. Aggie froze the message and opened a window in the corner of the wall with the image.

Branwyn blinked. "That's a sphinx."

Aggie nodded. "You are correct. That is the reason for concern. Please, listen to the rest of the message."

Thai continued. "I don't know why, either. Or at least, I don't know the full 'why'. I'd tell you if I could, but I'm still coming to terms with this. I hope that you're having better luck than I at this point, though." He tried to smile again, but the pain in his eyes stole any attempt and lightness. "We had a little ceremony for them yesterday, after we dealt with the thing that killed them. I'm going to be visiting a temple that was just finished a few days ago a little later today, as well. I hear there's a shrine maiden there that might be able to do some sort of ritual for them."

He gave a tired shake of his head. "I don't know. They're dead, and by all rights, I don't think most tamers would be as shook up about it as I feel right now. I suppose it's because we were alpha bonded. I guess this is one of those things that 'Taming for Dummies' doesn't actually talk about. I can understand why, now."

"Anyway, after I have dealt with these things that I found dropped in my lap, I'll probably start traveling again. I'm just not going to make plans on where to, yet. Too many things need to be worked on for now. I don't want to take up too much of your time, so thanks for listening to my ramblings. It seems like I don't have much good news to talk about with you these days. Anyway, I'll talk to ya later... and again, I hope that fate's being kinder to you." The screen went blank.

Kasumi turned to her husband. "Who are the people he mentioned?"

"Sierra was a NurseJoy that he grew up with and later brought into his harem. I never met Keilani. Aggie?"

"Records indicate that Keilani was a whoretortle who joined Thai's harem after the two of you met."

Circe stirred for the first time. "I was in Thai's mind when I was working with Sierra. He's not an agent of Sanctuary and he doesn't have the mindset to become one." Her antenna twitched restlessly "Still, he could be tricked or coerced."

Aggie nodded. "I was in all of his electronic equipment when I took him the message about his father's pokegirls. He has no references to them anywhere and no additional software that monitors him for them. Still, he has had contact with a sphinx and it occurred after the raid on Sexmet's home. She will not believe he isn't an agent. The question is: do we protect him?"

Bellona nodded. "Right now he's innocent and Sexmet would not listen to that. I say we do." There was a murmur of assent.

"Very well. Unless he becomes a liability or we determine he is a willing agent of them, we will keep this information to ourselves. That means from the rest of the harem, Helen."

The Milktit nodded. "I swear not to reveal any of this until you let me. However, I would suggest that the harem needs to know about Sierra's death. Some of them knew her."

Branwyn smiled slightly. "I agree. They're only to know that she's dead, not how she died, understand?"

Helen ears flicked slowly. "I agree and they won't learn about it from me."

"Very well." Shikarou rubbed his cheek. "Now, the question becomes: what do we tell him?"

Poppet put her tea down. "If he's just someone you know, tell him nothing. If he's your friend, warn him, but tell him as little as possible. I was serious about the Goths working to keep anyone from knowing about them."

Shikarou looked thoughtful. "He's my friend and he deserves a warning."

The unicorn sighed. "I was hoping you'd cut him loose, but if that's what you want, then I recommend you clear the room. If someone reads the message you are about to send, it could cause problems for everyone in it."

"You heard the lady. Everyone out."

Helen touched his hand as people started leaving. "Right now, you're not the most sympathetic person here. Could I stay?"

He regarded her for a long moment until her ears started to flick nervously. "Very well."

She dropped eagerly into the chair next to him and nestled her head against his shoulder. Branwyn paused and looked them over before winking at Helen and nodding.

Shikarou made an irritable sound and Helen smacked an ear against him. "You're supposed to be sympathetic to his loss, not angry at us."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the frustration vanish. "You are correct. Aggie, begin recording."

"You may begin when ready."

"Thai, I'm sorry to hear about Sierra and Keilani's deaths. I know that you and Sierra were close and, while I never met Keilani, it's obvious you cared deeply for her. I wish there was something I could do to make your lot easier, but I can't." He slipped an arm around Helen. "This is Helen and she wants to make sure that you understand that I'm at a loss for words. I know you hurt and there's nothing that I can say or do that will make it any better."

The milktit waved gently. "I'm sorry we didn't get to meet and hope that someday we will."

Shikarou paused for a couple of seconds. "Needless to say, I do recognize the pokegirl who killed your harem members. They can be very dangerous." He paused again. "Right now, that's especially true. Their, well … for want of a better term, their mother has recently had a series of setbacks that have involved her adopted daughters and she's very angry right now. If she finds out that you were involved in an altercation with one of them, she may not try to determine what happened before she comes looking to find you. The odds of that are low, but I would suggest you leave the area where you met that pokegirl for a while, so traveling sounds like a really good idea."

He took a deep breath. "It's also possible that the incident that you had with that pokegirl may have involved another pokegirl; perhaps one that you've never seen before, and then again, perhaps not. If so, then I'd be very careful. In their own way, they can be more dangerous than the pokegirl that you had to deal with."

"The mother I spoke of earlier won't find out about anything involving this discussion from me or mine. You're my friend and I'll keep this knowledge safe. I wish you well and I hope you'll keep in touch." He smiled. "Good luck. Shikarou clear."

**The message is ready. Do you wish to review it?**

"No, send it to him."

Shikarou looked up as his door opened. "Sir, thou have a visitor. Devon Harris is here."

He nodded. "Show him in, Dorothea, and ask Helen for some refreshments."

"Lord, I believe she is already on her way."

"Why isn't that surprising?" Shikarou leaned back in his chair as Devon entered the room. He blinked when he realized what was escorting the young man and tensed slightly. "Devon."

Devon grinned and gestured at the sphinx that was following him. "I don't think you've met Jennifer. She's my sphinx." The smile vanished. "She tells me you know what's happened at her home. Um, she lives with her mother."

Dorothea shut the door and moved behind her tamer, staying alert. This might be Devon, but orders were orders, and with Eoghan out there, anything was possible.

Not to mention, the new sphinx might mean trouble on the horizon.

Shikarou nodded. "This place is swept for bugs twice a day, but your caution is commendable. Yes, I know about it. Her mother came here looking for a place to keep her foundlings."

Jennifer blinked. "I didn't know about that, sir." She sounded very young, but then, from what Shikarou knew, she was. "I knew she was looking for someplace to hide them, but that's all." Wings rustled slightly. "I'm not one of the important ones, so I don't know a lot."

Devon kissed her cheek. "Of course you're important. You're very important to me and to your mother, both."

She gave him a dubious look. "I'm just a catgirl who got lucky."

Shikarou chuckled. "Frankly, that's what we all are. We are nothing more than people who were fortunate in meeting the people who would become important to us. You may not be highly placed in Sexmet's hierarchy, but that has nothing to do with whether or not you are important to her. And I know for a fact that you are important to Devon."

Jennifer smiled slowly. "Thank you, sir."

Devon hugged his pokegirl. "He's right." He leaned against her as she purred softly. "What are we going to do about it?"

"About what?"

"About Sanctuary and what they've done?" Devon gave him a disbelieving look. "What kind of plans do you have?"

"Oh, that." Shikarou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If the kits ever show up, I'll be giving them a place to stay. Other than that, I don't see where there's much for me to do. I wasn't asked to get involved in this fight and I've got problems of my own." He fixed the young man with direct look. "And so do you. You've got a newborn son and the one thing you don't want to do is make him an orphan. Sexmet hasn't asked you to help, has she?"

"Well, no, she hasn't," Devon began.

Shikarou cut him off. "Then she doesn't want you to help. She's a big girl and is capable of fighting without our aid. She's also capable of asking for us to assist, if she wants us to."

"I'm not sure she can win without help."

Shikarou shrugged. "That's not our problem. She hasn't asked for help and is likely to be a bit pissy if either or both of us go tromping through whatever plans she has."

"What happens if she loses?"

"She's got Bastit and the gods know how many sphinx and cheetit. She's not stupid, and seems to have a decent grasp on tactics. So, she got blindsided by the goths. She got complacent and that's what sometimes happens when you do. However, she has not asked me to help, other than keeping some kits for her, and I'm not going to jump in where I'm not wanted. Neither should you."

Devon sighed. "But she gave me Jennifer and I feel like I should be helping."

Shikarou frowned. "I thought you evolved Jennifer and Sexmet only showed up to kill you. That's what Poppet told me happened."

Devon looked surprised. "Well, yes. You two talk about me?"

"You're one of her kids. Of course we do."

"I'm not going to call you father."

"I don't want you to. I'm neither your father nor your sire." Shikarou glanced at the door as it opened and Helen rolled in a cart. "Look, where I come from, people don't get involved unless they're asked. It helps to keep the misunderstandings to a minimum. Sexmet wasn't giving the slightest hint that she wanted me to get involved in her fight and, without trying to be insulting, I think she'd ask me to help her before she would ask you."

Helen handed out two cups of tea along with a bowl for Jennifer. "Would anyone like a pastry?"

Shikarou nodded and selected one. "Look, I understand that you want to help, but you haven't been asked."

Jennifer nodded. "He's right."

Shikarou gave her an odd look as he nibbled at his pastry. "I thought you were trying to convince him to get involved."

The sphinx shook her head. "No, sir. I don't want him to get involved. I'm here because our home was trashed and I wanted to come back to my tamer. It's where I belong, after all."

"Is Sexmet likely to be upset if someone gets involved without her request, even if it's to help?"

"Yes, she would." Jennifer's voice was firm.

"You've got a wise girl there. Listen to her."

Devon grumped over his cup. "She said you'd tell me to stay out of it. Damn it, Sexmet got screwed by Sanctuary."

Shikarou shook his head. "No, she got screwed by someone. Sanctuary is like any other group of people and I doubt they all were in on it. If they were, nobody would have gotten off that island. Sexmet is powerful, but she couldn't have protected her children from Sanctuary's full might. I suspect that most of the Goths just want to live out their lives without being bothered by anyone else. Still, there's always a few rotten fruit in a bushel and those are the ones that cause trouble."

He took a long drink of tea. "And I doubt that any single goth or group of them is going to survive long against Sexmet and Bastit. Whoever attacked her island kidnapped Sexmet's children. That was the absolutely worst thing anyone could do to her, and she's not going to rest until she either gets them back or avenges them." His ears flicked. "And no matter what anyone thinks, Bastit isn't a pushover either and she's going to be just as furious about what happened. She's been helping her lover raise the sphinx and is likely to take their capture poorly. Whoever did this doesn't realize just how much trouble they've brought down on themselves, but rest assured, they'll find out."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I do." Shikarou put his cup down and gave Devon a direct look. "Has Poppet told you what Xantha did?"

"She did. She also suggested that I stay out of it." He frowned. "Was it really her behind the attack?"

"Jinty's orders were very explicit. Xantha's instructions were to suborn Gwyneth or kill her. Apparently, she really likes the idea of an elven preserve, but thinks she has someone better suited in mind to head it up."

"How is Gwyneth?"

"She's busy working out how we're going to do this. Lynn, on the other hand, is furious at Xantha's actions. Jinty came under a branch of truce with no intention of honoring it." Shikarou shrugged. "She wants Xantha's head on a stick."

"What about Gwyneth?"

"She prefers having Xantha bonded to me and then given to her, along with the rest of Xantha's kingdom." He chuckled. "Apparently that will suffice for an apology."

"Do you need a third elfqueen?" Devon sounded like there was only one answer, a resounding no.

"From what Gwyneth is carefully not saying, once Xantha is bonded to me, I'll never have to tame her again. Apparently Xantha doesn't rate males in her opinion, and, as Xantha's queen, she'll be able to enforce her will on Xantha."

"Wow, remind me not to get on Gwyneth's bad side."

Shikarou nodded. "Yeah, I try to avoid that myself and I'm her king."

Devon paused for a second. "I wonder if the league will like that, you being the tamer of a powerful elfqueen with a kingdom and all. And if that preserve idea gets off the ground, they're going to like the idea of her having a tamer even less."

Shikarou exchanged a glance with Helen. "I hadn't considered that. Helen, would you mention that idea to Branwyn and Gwyneth, please?"

The milktit bobbed her head. "I'll see to it right away. I'll come back later and clean up here." She slipped out the door and was gone.

Devon finished his tea and rose. "We need to be leaving, too."  
"Did you make a decision?"

The blue haired man nodded firmly. "I wasn't asked to get involved and so I'm not going to. I've got plenty to take care of anyway, since you're stealing Poppet from the Conservatory." He raised a hand when Shikarou bristled. "She's happy with you and I'm happy for her. It's just that she's always been a fixture at the Conservatory and this is going to be hard to do without her."

Shikarou took a deep breath. "I'm sure she'll help if you need it. I also have confidence in you and your command team."

"Thanks, Shikarou." He offered his hand to Jennifer and led her out the door.

Dorothea shut the door behind them. "Sir, thy office hours are over and Branwyn would like to know if thou can come out and play. Samantha wants to discuss the defense of the island while thou are off making war."

He stood and stretched. "Ok. Hopefully it'll be more fun than filling out reports on the number of tamers that have come through in the last month and how many salvage battles they've had while here."

"You've got company coming and she looks pissed." Nanu's low voice cut through Shikarou's reverie. He'd been doing research into elves, the assorted elf evolutions, elfqueens and Xantha in particular, in the hopes of finding a way of dealing with her that didn't involve a slaughter on one or both sides.

Ideas were percolating around in his head and he was starting to reach the point of hammering out the details on a couple of them. There would still be a little while before he was ready to present any of them to his command team, but by then they'd have some ideas, too.

It was Samantha and she didn't look merely mad, she looked apoplectic. Shikarou put his pokedex down on the grass just before she dropped heavily into his lap, curled up and buried her face in his shirt. "I can't do this again. You promised I wouldn't have to!" She hit him hard enough to crack a rib.

Shikarou wrapper her up tightly in his arms and held her until she stopped trying to hit him again. "What are you talking about?"

She raised a tear streaked face to meet his gaze. "Don't tell me you don't know I've been fired." She punched him in the shoulder. "Some prettier and younger officerjenny showed up and announced that the Blue League had decided to fire me. She's going to be the new chief and she's busy cleaning out my office right now."

Shikarou tightened his grip until she gasped. "No more hitting. I own this island and I was careful to make sure that everything here is privately funded. I don't take any money from the league for anything; that's so they can't come nosing in here and take anything away from me. Both the Caomh Sith Guard and the clinic come out of my pocket. Whoever this woman is, she doesn't have any authority to do what she's trying, and you are still the guard commander." He pressed his nose against hers. "In addition, you are still my pokewoman and you will not refer to yourself as old or ugly. You are neither."

She relaxed against him slowly. "I'm not fired?"

"I don't have any reason to replace you. You've been doing an exemplary job as the new commander and Molly and the others have had nothing but praise for you."

She sighed. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I guess I'm still upset over what happened in Phallus Town."

"You have every right to be mad about that." He smiled slowly. "Besides, one good thing has come out of this: this is the first time you've been in my lap."

She turned bright red and buried her face against his chest. "I'm sorry I'm such a horrible pokegirl."

Shikarou gently pulled her head back up. "When I offered you a place in my harem, I knew you had some issues that would have to be worked through. I accepted that as the price of acquiring such a talented woman. I still think you are more than worth it."

She met his gaze squarely. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." A heavy sigh escaped her. "It's just so frustrating. I want to touch you and to be touched back, but I still can't."

"When you're ready, I'll be here." He slipped his arms underneath her and rolled to his feet. Carefully, he swung her around so she could stand on her own. "Want to watch me put this usurper in her place?"

"She's from the league. You can't do that."

"I have the rights of high, middle and low justice here and I can do whatever I want. If I want to tie her to a pole and hang her over the water as a decoration, I'll just have to find a way to justify it to the league when they come asking questions. In the meantime, she'll still be an ornament."

She gave him an odd look and then suddenly grinned. "I'd like to see that."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that. We'll just have to watch and see what develops." He glanced around. "Nanu, please have …," he paused while he thought.

"Bellona," Nanu supplied helpfully.

"That sounds good. Please ask Bellona and Yushiko to meet us at the guardhouse." Taking Samantha's arm, he led her down towards the town.

Bellona gave him a curious look as he came up. "What exactly is going on?"

"Apparently there's an officerjenny here who claims the league sent her to fire Samantha and replace her as the commander of the guard."

Yushiko frowned slowly. "Can she do that?"

"Only if I let her; I have no intention of doing that." His ears flicked. "I'll let her stay on the island while we sort this out, but Samantha is the commander and that's not going to change."

Aggie had some information. **The officerjenny is named Amanda and she has been sent here by the League's Office of Justice to replace Samantha. However, you are correct. Your contract with the Blue League is quite specific. They can ask you to change something on the island, but they have no power to do so themselves. The only thing they can do without your consent is land military troops on the island to deal with a threat, and even that has time constraints. Branwyn and I did an excellent job of drawing up that contract and the island is so remote that nobody cared at the time. This may be a sign that someone is becoming aware of the changes here and may be trying to establish a presence.**

"Wonderful." Shikarou sighed. "Let's deal with this. Bellona, I'm going to try to talk this out, but if she becomes a problem, you and Yushiko have my authorization to do what's necessary." He frowned. _What's the status of the clinic?_

**The clinic is currently empty with the exception of Candace. I'll inform her that there may be fireworks from below and to take cover.**

"The clinic is empty except for Candace and Aggie's warning her to be on the lookout. Still, let's try not to level the building." He headed inside.

Molly was standing near her desk, with her arms folded and her ears flat. Even her tail was still as she glared at the commander's office. She glanced over when the bell on the door rang and her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Sir, just give me the go ahead and I'll see how far I can throw her."

Shikarou smiled at the denmother. "I think the walls would get in the way, and since they may not survive her passage through them, let me try talking to her first."

A blue haired form appeared in the doorway. "Who are you talking to, Officer Molly?" She blinked at him. "Who are you? I don't suppose you're the mayor?" Her eyes dropped behind him to see Samantha. The warmth fled from her voice. "And why is she here?"

"I'm Shikarou Urufu and I own Caomh Sith. I'm also Samantha's tamer. May I ask as to who you are?"

She gave him a politically friendly smile and stuck out her hand. "Sir, I'm Amanda, your new chief of police."

Shikarou took it and smiled back. "I'm afraid you're laboring under some misinformation, Amanda. Samantha is the commander of the Caomh Sith Guard."

The officerjenny nodded. "After a review of her record, and considering the reason that she was dismissed from her post in the Indigo League, it was decided that she was unsuited to hold a posting as a police pokegirl," her eyes shifted to Samantha and back to him, "or _pokewoman,_ anywhere in the Blue League. I was instructed to replace her."

Yushiko grabbed Samantha as she started forward, her face contorted with fury.

"I'm sure that's fine for the Blue League to decide, but they don't make the decisions here, I do." Shikarou gave her an even look. "You see, this is private property and, when it was deeded to me, I was given full authority to appoint my own constabulary with arrest powers anywhere in the league, so long as they meet certain requirements in training and armament. The Caomh Sith Guard is privately funded and operated and the Blue League cannot appoint, dismiss, promote or demote anyone involved with it. Only I have that power. And, with all due respect for your qualifications, I think Samantha is doing a right proper job here and she's not going anywhere."

Amanda's jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly. "I'll have to contact my superiors about this, sir."

Shikarou nodded. "I understand. In the meantime, I'll put you up in the Caomh Sith Inn and Samantha will continue with her duties."

Amanda frowned. "And if I insist on remaining at my post while this is sorted out?"

"It's not your post, Amanda. If you insist on unlawfully remaining here, I'll have no choice but to have you arrested and detained. Then I'll have to contact the Blue League and, when this is over, you'll be a police pokegirl who disobeyed a lawful order." Amanda went white. "I doubt you'll be able to find employment anywhere after that." He looked around. "Where is your tamer?"

"Sir, I'm a civil service pokegirl and don't have one."

He nodded. "Unless you have a sexual preference for women, I'll assign you an interim tamer." Mentally, he ran through a list. "His name is Hachisuka Chikao and he works for me. I'll leave word with Rani, she's the bartender and she'll let him know to drop by so you can meet him."

She blinked. "Thank you, sir."

He shrugged. "I doubt this is your fault, so there's no reason to treat you badly. You are, after all, merely doing what officerjenny do and following orders." He looked around. "Molly, Yushiko, please help Amanda to get her things and escort her over to the inn."

"Yes, sir." Molly carefully kept the gloating from her voice, but anyone who knew her could see it in her eyes. "Amanda, what do you need?"

After Amanda and her two escorts were gone and Samantha was once more ensconced in her office, Shikarou settled down on the edge of Molly's desk. "Aggie thinks this might be an attempt by the league to assert its authority here. This may not be a mistake at all and they may have been hoping we'd just accept it."

Bellona's eyes dimmed as her mind raced. "While this would be bad at any time, their timing is especially shitty. They may try something like that with Candace too."

Shikarou nodded. "Candace mentioned that there was considerable acrimony about a NurseJoy getting this assignment, so it wouldn't be hard for them to drum up a willing replacement."

"She may also be a spy." Samantha pulled Molly's chair around and kicked a stool in Bellona's direction. "The league may be unsure of what's going on here and would want a set of eyes that weren't in your harem or bed."

"She's got a point." The dragonqueen settled onto the stool. She didn't like chairs since her tail tended to get trapped. It was a common problem for tailed pokegirls. "What do we do if she is? The league's likely to insist that she stays."

Shikarou rubbed his eyes. "Samantha, could you put up with her as an officer in the guard? I won't have her as the commander, but I might be willing to hire her on as a standard guard member."

Samantha nodded. "I could. We could even get the league to kick in her salary, if they're insistent on her presence."

"No, I don't want them giving us a dime if I can absolutely keep from it. That's how they get their hooks into people. If she stays, I'll pay her salary, too."

"I'll need to talk to Poppet," Bellona said in a musing tone. "She may know of other things they'll try and should be able to help block them." Her gaze sharpened. "In the meantime, you may need to start making those purchases we were talking about." She glanced at Samantha. "You may not want to hear this."

The officerjenny shrugged. "My moral compass is pretty much always spinning these days, so I doubt it could do much more."

"What if we were going to talk about bribing league officials to be on our side?"

Samantha frowned. "Are you talking about bribery or gift giving for favors? There is a legal difference."

Nanu grinned. "I like the way she thinks."

"It's the way the law is written." Samantha shrugged again. "As a police pokewoman, I have to obey the laws that are on the books and gift giving isn't illegal." A smile appeared. "So as long as you don't call it bribery, I not only cannot arrest anyone for it, but I can actually help."

"Well, if gift giving is legal, then that's what we'll be doing. Bell, talk to Poppet and Branwyn about who we should be gifting. I'd like a list in a couple of days if possible." Shikarou glanced at Bellona and she nodded to show she was going to drop the subject.

He rose. "I'll go upstairs and warn Candace about what might be happening in the near future. "Samantha, keep someone else here at all times until this situation is resolved. I don't want Amanda getting orders that involve taking you into custody and me finding about it after the commando team has spirited you off the island."

"Can I bring back Alice and Daiyu?"

"Not until their time is up, but don't let them stay an additional day. We need them here. Drop some of the patrols of the island for now. No more than what's needed to free up a guard for you. "

Samantha gave him an unhappy look. She really liked having those patrols and wanted more of them, not less. "As you command."

Devon grinned and held out his hand. "Welcome. Enter freely and of your own will."

Poppet shoved him out of the way and stepped into Shikarou's arms. "Pay him no mind, he's been reading the classics again."

Dorothea gave them an amused look and went back to guarding her tamer.

Shikarou looked at Devon, who was leaning against Siobhan and chuckling. Deciding it would be ok, he spent the next few minutes nuzzling his wife. Finally, he released her and stepped back. "Sorry about that."

"I just hope that someday I'm welcomed that much to someplace." He chuckled again. "So what brings you here?"

Shikarou's ears flicked. "I told Poppet I was coming here before going to visit Xantha and give her a message from Gwyneth."

"I told him that. He's arranged for an escort, if she'll take you at all." Poppet gave Devon a frosty look. "I don't know if she's here yet or not."

"Why might she not take me to the court?"

Devon shrugged. "Xantha keeps trying to close her borders. She's up to something and we're not sure what."

Poppet grimaced. "Remember when I told you that I thought Xantha was getting visitors that she didn't want anyone else to know about? Well, I've discovered that she is, but I'm still not certain as to the identity of her guests. In the meantime, she keeps trying to insist that she's closed her borders and has been refusing my," she paused and smiled slightly, "Devon's security patrols onto what she considers her land."

Devon gave her an annoyed look. "It's not my place, yet."

The unicorn snorted. "It became your place when Cameron died." She frowned and turned a curious look on her husband when she felt something through their delta bond. _What is going through your mind right now?_

Shikarou carefully suppressed his knowledge that Cameron Harris had been Lord Crimson and then gave a mental shrug and let her find it. Her eyes went wide. _How?_ Her mouth dropped when he let her find that information. _But then you know he's not dead._

Suddenly, it was his turn to gape at her. Poppet turned bright red when she realized that he hadn't known that before now.

Devon was looking from one to the other curiously. "What just happened?"

"I found out something I didn't know before." Shikarou said slowly. "It happens in new relationships and it's nothing pertinent to what I'm doing." He rubbed his chin. "Is Xantha going to see me?"

Poppet gave him a grateful look as Devon checked his watch. "The escort should have been here an hour ago, but their idea of time is sometimes imprecise. I'd give it another hour before you decide you've been stood up."

Shikarou nodded and turned to Dorothea. "I guess we wait." He slipped his arm through Poppet's. "I know Christopher and Leticia are spending the day with Florence, so spending the time with my godson is out of the question. I don't want to be doing anything I can't or won't want to stop when the escort shows up. What does that leave us?"

"We've been expanding the gardens and I've got some ideas from ours as to what we could do on Caomh Sith. Let me show you." She led him off, Dorothea following close behind.

Forty minutes later, Poppet's com chirped and she checked it. "The escort has arrived. She'll be meeting us at the gazebo."

Two elves were waiting for them along with Devon's brother, Tobias. One was a standard elf while the other's white wings identified her as an avariel.

Poppet flashed him a quick glance. _Xantha sent two of the most common types of elf in her kingdom and neither of them have any rank in her court. This is probably an insult of some kind._ She released his arm and dropped back as he and Dorothea advanced. She watched for a moment before heading off to take care of other business.

Shikarou looked them over. "Are you my escorts, or are you here to forbid me from meeting with Queen Xantha?" An aura of nobility seemed to settle around him and both elves straightened automatically.

The avariel gave him a haughty look. "Her majesty does not think that your presence in her court is necessary. I will deliver any messages you bear."

"I will only deliver my messages to your queen. I was assured that my safe passage would be recognized, as I am an accredited envoy of Queen Gwyneth and since the grandelf Jinty was granted safe passage."

The avariel nodded. "Yes, her majesty wonders why Jinty has not yet returned. Her sisters, who are some of the highest nobility in the court, also wonder as to what is keeping their sibling from joining them here."

Shikarou raised an eyebrow. "I am sure that your queen already knows why Jinty hasn't returned, but my seraph is more than willing to explain it to you. I am unlikely to be believed."

Dorothea stepped forward imperiously. "The grandelf Jinty broke the truce between Queen Gwyneth and Queen Xantha and tried to harm Queen Gwyneth." The elf gasped and the avariel blinked in shock. "She will not be returning to thy queen's court." Dorothea fixed them with an icy glare. "Interrogation has revealed that she did this under the personal order of Queen Xantha. I will point out that we are not here to wage war on thee at this time, unless thou insist."

Tobias carefully stepped away from the elves, putting himself out of the line of fire.

The avariel sniffed. "How do we know you are speaking the truth?"

Dorothea smiled hungrily. "Thou are not in pokeballs. If we had come to wage war on the elves, thou would have already been captured or slain."

Shikarou touched his pokegirl's arm. "In any case, I bear a testament of what happened so that your queen may witness for herself."

"What, one of your recordings? Technology is not accepted in our court."

He tapped a pokeball on his belt. "I bring Jinty to speak on her own behalf."

The avariel's face froze and then twisted suddenly into a mask of rage. "You will release her immediately! That is not permitted!"

"She is of Queen Gwyneth's court now, and Queen Gwyneth allows her transport in this form." Shikarou met her glare for glare. "And do not think that I am not aware that I have been greeted, not by members of the court suitable for my rank, but with commoners who have no status with the queen." He relaxed his glare as the avariel turned purple and elf went white. "However, the message I bear is more important than any insults your queen may seek to give me, so I will ignore them while you escort me to her court."

Tobias was staring at him with a look of shock on his face.

The avariel recovered first. "Jinty is bound to Queen Xantha with oaths that do not allow her to join another court without first being freed by her sovereign."

Dorothea snorted. "The bounds of a tamer preclude all oaths to a court and thou know it. Jinty cannot ignore her tamer any more than thou could ignore thy need to eat food to live."

"Jinty has no tamer!"

"She does now." Shikarou smiled gently.

"Release her that she may confirm this!"

His smile vanished. "No. You have no power over me. I have been patient enough, but if you refuse to escort me to Xantha's court, then I will have Jinty do so." His ears went still. "And if I have to do that, I'll have to capture you two to keep you from tattling on me until I'm on her land."

"I doubt that Gwyneth would value them, my lord. Would they be worth the trouble?" Dorothea's voice was clinical as she looked the two elves over.

"We don't have any avariel yet and more elves of any stripe are always welcome. However, I'd really rather convince them to join instead of capturing them." He smirked. "It makes taming a lot easier when you're not convinced I'm going to hurt you."

"You wouldn't hurt us?" The elf eyed him curiously.

"You be quiet!"

Shikarou glanced at the avariel as he spoke, but his words were for the elf. "No, I wouldn't. It is likely that you'd end up with someone else as a full time tamer. However, he wouldn't hurt you, either."

The elf nodded. "Then, please, capture me. I have no ties to this court and was merely passing through when I was forced to join nearly a century ago. I am not allowed near a man and females are not my taming preference."

"Stop this travesty right now!" The avariel's voice was shrill. She started to say something else when Shikarou pulled an empty pokeball from his pocket and hit the elf with it. She vanished into the containment beam as the avariel sputtered impotently. The ball didn't even have time to stop moving when the quiet ping that sounded a successful capture was heard.

Shikarou picked up the ball and slipped it into his pocket. "Now, will you escort us or will I have to use Jinty?"

The avariel gave him a disgusted look. "I'll take you, but the results will be on your head, human." She pointed. "Head that way and I'll meet you up ahead when you need more instructions." Spreading her wings, she launched herself into the air.

Tobias watched her go. "That was rude." He turned to Shikarou. "What if they demand the elf's return?"

"She asked to be rescued and I'm not going to give her up." He shrugged and tossed Tobias the pokeball containing the elf. "Could you give that to Poppet and ask her to hold it for me? I'll pick it up on my way back." A grin flicked across his face. "Now I can say I don't have her, if they ask."

The avariel landed lightly just ahead of them. "You'll need to swing more northerly from here. You do know which way is north, right?"

Shikarou stopped in front of her. "I believe it's that way." He pointed north. "Is that it?"

Her face flamed at his sarcasm. "Don't get lost and don't stray from the path, human. You might get hurt."

She blinked when his hand sank into her chest. Her features went slack for a heartbeat and then recovered as he pulled his hand free.

Dorothea turned pale. She then took a deep, steadying breath and nodded to herself.

He dug into his pack and came up with a tiny radio. "Your control will be a woman named Victoria. Contact her when you can and follow her instructions. Continue behaving as you normally would towards me, but do not report my capturing of the elf. Find an excuse for her absence. What is your name?"

"My name is Sadhbh and I will do as you instruct, lord."

"What's the trip going to be like?"

"There will be guard post about an hour away and a report of your presence will be sent on ahead by messenger, probably another avariel. You won't be detained unless I request it and we'll proceed on to the court. That will be a couple of more hours travel."

"Is there likely to be any trouble along the way?"

"I do not think so. Your presence was anticipated and her majesty ordered that you were not to be approached for taming. I was to refuse you entrance unless you proved your strength. Queen Xantha respects strength in humans."

"Good." He rubbed an ear. "Let's go, then."

Sadhbh gave him a sly smile. "If I am to continue treating you as I was, should I still lead you into that den of feral Eva that is ahead?"

Dorothea started laughing. "She has a good question for thee, my lord."

"No, I don't really think we need to spend the time and energy dealing with feral pokegirls. Let's go around them."

The avariel nodded. "Then we need to head more west before turning north." She spread her wings and vaulted into the air.

"My queen, there may be a problem."

The gold haired elfqueen raised her head to look at the intruder. "What is it, Éadaoin?" She continued stroking her pet's hair.

"The southern guard post has sent a messenger to report that that upstart's envoy has passed through safely and is coming here."

Xantha's fingers tightened in her boobleaf's hair hard enough that the pokegirl whimpered in pain. "I thought she wasn't supposed to leave Poppet's." Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she smacked her pet lightly. "Quiet, Sorcha, I didn't really hurt you."

"My queen, apparently Gwyneth sent her tamer and he was insistent on delivering whatever messages he carries to you."

Xantha frowned. "She sent her tamer? How interesting. I wonder if I could claim him for myself." Her eyes turned speculative.

The grandelf gave her a surprised look. "You do understand why she's not coming herself, my queen. Jinty must have failed."

Xantha's eyes narrowed. "I can see that, Éadaoin. The question, of course, is how badly did she fail me?" She let out her breath in a hiss. "Let him come. I have to know what Gwyneth knows and perhaps, if I can't eliminate her, I can eliminate her tamer. Once a pokegirl gets used to having one, it becomes a weakness that can be exploited."

Éadaoin tossed the boobleaf a grape. "I doubt they found out much, my queen, Jinty was very tough and, in addition, she was ensorcelled not to reveal anything. I'm sure she died before giving away any news that she shouldn't have."

"Hmm. You're probably right. Still, I want to take no chances. We will meet with him in a private audience instead of during court. That way only the ones who already know about Jinty and her mission will be present," her lips twisted, "just in case they did learn something from her."

Éadaoin bowed. "Your wisdom is unequalled, my queen. Shall I make the necessary arrangements to receive the upstart's envoy?"

"No, have Bevin see to it. If anything goes wrong we can blame her." Xantha smirked. "I've never cared for her attitude and it's starting to wear on me."

Éadaoin nodded while keeping her face still. "I will let her know of her responsibilities." It was common knowledge that Xantha didn't like the Baroness Bevin because she was an elfqueen. Xantha preferred to have no potential competition and, as far as she was concerned, any elfqueen was exactly that. It was very likely that Bevin would eventually have an accident or be exiled to a far portion of the realm. Bevin knew this as well, and was being very careful to be as indispensable as possible to her sovereign.

Éadaoin knew something that Bevin didn't, which was that it wouldn't save her. Eventually, Xantha would tire of her and the lesser elfqueen would be removed in one fashion or another. She thought it was a shame, since Bevin was quite competent, but trying to intercede would only put her head on the block next to Bevin's. Xantha respected the grandelf's opinions and advice, but she only loved one person and that was Xantha herself.

It was starting to look as if Bevin's time had run out.

Shikarou looked around carefully as he was led into the audience chamber. The canopy had been grown together to form a roof that was, if not rainproof, at least rain resistant. The walls were lines of trees that had been interwoven with vines of various sorts and heavy perfume from their blossoms filled the air, making him fight not to sneeze. Benches surrounded the clearing except to the east, where an ivy covered stone throne stood a lonely vigil.

**According to Poppet's information, the strength of Xantha's elf kingdom is roughly a hundred elves. My infrared scans from the satellite I parked overhead last night suggest that number is low. The queen may be hiding her true strength.**

_Do you have any good news?_

**It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.**

_I'll take that as a no._ He stopped in the center of the clearing as instructed and waited. Dorothea stayed close behind him, not quite in touching distance.

A few minutes spun by and then six elves entered the chamber. In his mind's eye, they flashed with a blue outline in turn. Flash. **Those two are elfqueens. **Flash. **That one is an enchantress. The dark skin suggests she evolved from a drow zee.** Flash. **That one is a grandelf. Note how she looks like Jinty.** Flash. **That one is an elf.** Flash. **That is a guardelfwhor, a fighting specialist elf variant.**

The blonde elfqueen settled comfortably onto the throne while the other perched on a bench with the rest, except for the solitary elf, who moved to stand behind and next to the throne.

The elf on the throne looked him up and down and her mouth made a moue of distaste. "I am Xantha, queen of the elves of the Blue League." Her imperious tones filled the audience chamber easily. "Identify yourself and your purpose in trespassing on our land."

Again that cloak of nobility settled around him. "I am Urufu Shikarou and I come here at the request of Gwyneth, queen of the elven preserve."

A chuckle swept the clearing. Xantha smirked. "We do not recognize the elven preserve as being outside our domain."

Shikarou nodded. "She is aware of that and does not recognize your authority on her lands, a stance unchanged from the beginning of your discussions with her."

Xantha waved the argument aside as being unimportant. "Perhaps we will return to this discussion at a more appropriate time. Why have you traveled here?"

"I have traveled here to inform you that the grandelf, Jinty, who was given safe passage through Gwyneth's lands, broke her safe conduct and tried to harm the queen."

Xantha tried to look surprised and failed. The fact that none of the other elves looked anything other than ordinary told him that this was not news, but then he was already aware of that fact. "We are indeed sorry to hear of this. Is Gwyneth well?"

_So that's the way it's going to be. _Shikarou nodded. "Yes, your majesty, she was slightly injured during the attempt. Fortunately, your spell did her no lasting harm and Jinty was unable to eliminate her."

There was a sudden shocked silence. Xantha's eyes narrowed dangerously. "My spell? Surely you must have misspoken. I am sure that all of the evidence points to Jinty." The guardelfwhor stood and moved between Shikarou and the queen, staying out of the line of sight between them.

"During her interrogation, Jinty revealed all of the details of the plot to neutralize Gwyneth, your majesty. After she was bonded to a tamer, the details were verified in exacting detail."

There was another shocked silence that was broken when Éadaoin lurched to her feet. "You lie!"

Xantha smiled without humor. "Duchess Éadaoin has a valid accusation. What evidence do you have that this could be the slightest bit true?"

He shrugged. "I brought Jinty to testify, but we both know that it's a waste of time. The techniques involved were very specific and, after breaking her magical conditioning, she was unable to successfully lie. After being bonded, she no longer had any desire to do so, since her new tamer was one of her questioners."

Xantha shrugged. "I reject your accusations. Dame Nessa." The guardelfwhor drew her sword and began stalking forward.

"Hold!" Dorothea's voice rang out with such force that the guardelfwhor paused. "We came here under a branch of truce and have made no motion to break that truce. Attacking us could open thou to repercussions that thou might not desire."

Xantha chuckled. "You don't have any power here."

"My lord is husband to Poppet." Dorothea's voice was flat. "Thou seem not ready for open war with her at this time."

Xantha scowled as Nessa looked back at her. "Poppet has no power here." That wasn't true and every elf in the clearing knew that. Angering Poppet could prove difficult.

Shikarou touched the hilt of his sword. "Then it appears there will be a fight. Gwyneth wished me to issue challenge to you so as to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but if this is what you wish, then so be it."

Xantha raised an eyebrow. "Nessa, halt. What is this challenge?" This might be a way out of this situation. If challenge was given and accepted, Poppet would have no right to take retribution on them. That was part of their agreement.

"Gwyneth wishes to challenge you to single combat in a neutral location to decide who will rule the elves."

Xantha suddenly looked thoughtful. Single combat was traditional between elfqueens as a method of resolving disputes and one that she had used in the past. Refusing the challenge would make her look weak and could foment unrest among her current subjects. She toyed with a golden lock of hair as she thought. There was a way to turn this to her advantage.

Abruptly, she nodded. "We will meet at the death of the moon on the north shore of Loch Ness. Jinty knows the place of which I speak. Gwyneth will bring no more than three retainers and," she smiled, "her tamer. There we will settle our disagreements."

Shikarou nodded slowly. The new moon was in seventeen days. "I have the authority to agree for her and she accepts."

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name

Alaka-Wham Circe

Unicorn Branwyn

Milktit Helen

Dire Wolf Pythia

DragonQueen Bellona

NurseJoy Candace

Seraph Dorothea

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko

Vampire Elizabeth

Mini-Top Nanu

Sphinx Lorelei

Wet Queen Roisin

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym


	48. Chapter 48

Written by Kerrik Wolf

**Chapter 48**

Candace jumped when Shikarou slipped his arms around her and nuzzled the back of her neck. "Warn me when you are going to do that." She carefully put the plaque she'd been given for winning the Zombabe Bite-Free Competition down on the counter. "Please?"

She leaned back against him as he pressed his lips against her neck and chuckled. "I'll think about it." His lips nibbled gently and she stifled a groan.

"Shikarou, I'm still on duty," she whispered. "The clinic isn't the place for this."

He spun her around and propelled her backwards to pin her against the wall. "You are always on duty when we're here. It's my island, my clinic and my pokegirl," he whispered back, while staring intently into her eyes. "I think it's a _fine_ place for this."

He kissed her hard and ran his tongue along her lips, which parted to grant him entry. She suddenly pressed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back.

She giggled and slapped his hands away when he started unbuttoning her blouse. "My office has a new daybed and it's much more comfortable than the counter." She went back to kissing him when he scooped her up and headed down the hall.

He kicked the door to her office shut behind them and stared for a second. "I've never seen a daybed with a canopy before."

She flashed a smile. "You gave us all of that money and I thought we deserved something special."

He laid her on the bed and kissed her hungrily. The NurseJoy grabbed his shoulders and rolled, putting him underneath her. "My office and my rules," she whispered as she straddled his waist. Reaching up, she undid her hair and it spilled down over her shoulders in a pink cloud.

Shikarou went back to unbuttoning her blouse as she shook her hair out. She grabbed his hands and gave him an amused look. "I'll take care of this. Strip."

Shikarou kicked off his boots and struggled out of his shirt as she slipped off her blouse. "I can't remove my pants because there is an obstruction," he said calmly.

Candace gave him an impish look. "I do believe you're right." She slid forward onto his stomach. "There."

He frowned when he didn't feel any cotton or silk against his skin and slid his hands up her legs and under her skirt to cup her ass. "You're not wearing any knickers."

"And you're talking too much." She scooted forward and straddled his head, dropping her skirt over his face. "This'll keep you busy." She shivered and sighed when his mouth eagerly covered her. "Oh, yes." She leaned back, moaning as he licked her. Her breath began coming in gasps as she built. He slowed and she hissed before grinding herself against his mouth. "Don't stop," she whispered/gasped. When he sealed his mouth around her clit and sucked, she screeched and went off like a firecracker, jerking so hard that he had to hold her still while multiple orgasms swept through her.

Finally, she leaned back against his knees for a moment while fighting to get her breath. Eventually, she rolled off of him and slid back to kiss him eagerly. Finally she broke the kiss and propped herself up to give him a sultry look. "Now we'll take care of those pants," she half whispered.

He gave her a curious look. "What pants?"

She blinked and looked down his nude body. "When did you," she began when he interrupted.

"You never noticed?" He chuckled quietly for a second before his eyes filled with heat. "It doesn't matter."

She nodded. "No, it doesn't." Her mouth covered his again and she squeaked when he pulled her on top of him before rolling over and pinning her arms above her head. "I said, it's my office." She jerked her wrists.

She blinked when he gave her a lazy grin and tightened his grip before forcing her legs apart with his knee and moving between them. "My building."

"Oh. That trumps me," she said in a suddenly breathless voice. "Please be gentle."

He nudged himself against her opening and his smile turned predatory. "No." With a lunge he buried himself to the hilt. She screamed and her body twisted beneath him as he began pounding himself into her over and over. Her skirt twisted and he growled and reached between them to rake his claws through the fabric before tossing the remains to the side.

Her cries grew louder and louder until she suddenly began babbling incoherently as she went into convulsions. Her head jerked and her hair flew wildly as he sped up and, when he spilled into her, her back arched and she went rigid for several seconds before collapsing.

Shikarou rolled them sideways and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

A few minutes later, Candace took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She gave him a happy smile and snuggled against him. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself."

They were quiet for several minutes before she raised a hand and peered at her wrist. "I think I'm going to have bruises."

"Probably. It's likely you'll have a bruised groin, too."

"That's good." She pressed her lips against his chest gently before looking up at him. "My birthday is next month." Her eyes were suddenly unreadable.

He gave her a questioning look. "I know."

"I'll be thirty three. I can already feel the changes and I did a hormonal check. I'm becoming a pokewoman."

"Are you going broody?"

She buried her face against his skin and held him fiercely. "I don't know, but I think so. I notice Molly's kids more than I did."

He squeezed her until she squeaked. "It's ok if you are. You might talk to Helen and see if she thinks you're becoming more maternal. She is a pokewoman, after all. Branwyn might be able to help too, since she's been at the Conservatory for a long time."

She spoke against his chest. "I, I didn't think about that. I was just so scared that you might not want me if I changed."

He kissed the top of her head. "You change a bit every day and I still want you. I want kids, Candace, maybe just as soon as things settle down."

She sighed and relaxed. "I think I do, too."

"Are you ready?" Yushiko glanced from one end of the battlefield to the other.

Branwyn nodded from where she stood ready to command Elizabeth if there were difficulties. "We are."

"We're ready too." Shikarou glanced at Gwyneth. The elfqueen squared her shoulders and swung around to face front.

Yushiko raised her flags. "This battle is to evaluate Gwyneth's combat status and will continue until either one side cannot continue or until Shikarou calls the match." The flags fell. "Begin."

Gwyneth got her absorb spell up an instant before Elizabeth's fireball exploded around her. Flames sucked inward and vanished, leaving the elfqueen none the worse for wear. She returned the energy in the form of an ice beam which smashed the vampire backwards with a cry of pain before she faded from sight as she went invisible.

The elfqueen dropped into a crouch and suddenly the air was filled with flying spikes of wood as she used an omni-directional form of lance that Shikarou had never seen before. Branwyn dodged frantically and Shikarou cursed as one drove deeply into his thigh in spite of his attempts to get out of the way. He pulled it out and threw it away. Yushiko threw herself flat to avoid being hit while the rest of the harem, safely in the stands, made excited noises as splinters ricocheted from the force field protecting them.

Somewhere in the room, Elizabeth cried out in agony. She appeared, hanging in midair. One of the shards had taken her in the left cheek, skidded along the bone underneath, and exited under her ear. Blood poured down her face as she glared at Gwyneth. "Bitch." She raised her hand and Gwyneth groaned as energy poured from her body and arrowed to the hovering vampire to be absorbed.

Elizabeth grinned as she used what she'd gotten in the draining attack to heal herself and her cheek mended. That grin vanished when Gwyneth hit her with another ice beam that sent her spinning away. She cursed audibly and vanished, appearing behind the elfqueen. A shimmering crimson sword sprang from her hand and she drove it through Gwyneth, the blade exiting the elfqueen's stomach.

Elizabeth's jaw dropped when the blade vanished as Gwyneth used heal and the spell sucked the blood forming the sword into the elfqueen's body to effect repairs.

Gwyneth spun in place, her rose whip uncurling from her hand to slash at the vampire. It passed through Elizabeth as she phased. When she reformed a second later, she unleashed a dark matter attack at point blank range.

The elfqueen was blasted across the arena and smashed to the ground to lie motionless. Shikarou recovered her as Elizabeth raised her arms above her head in a victory salute. Yushiko's voice floated across the arena. "Gwyneth is unable to battle."

Shikarou gave Branwyn a broad smile. "Get the others down and put them to work. Now we know that Gwyneth isn't as rusty as we thought and her real training can begin."

The squire stopped when he approached the throne room in order to get his breath and briefly fight his rebellious stomach. The undead Dragonesses guarding the throne room had continued to decompose and now each stood in a pool of slime. The stench was incredible.

Empty eye sockets followed him as he approached the door. "I am here with a message for his majesty, King Eoghan." A small eternity slid silently past and finally one of the Dragonesses reached for the door. There was a meaty noise as a tendon tore and somehow the stench increased. The man fought down his gorge once more as he entered.

King Eoghan sat unmoving on the throne, clad in rotting finery. He hadn't risen from his seat since taking the crown from Ygerna. His skull turned and red pinpoints flickered in the semi-dark. "Squire Lamont." His voice was hollow and emotionless.

The squire knelt. "Your majesty, I bring a message from the communications center. It is from the rebels on Caomh Sith and the technician said it was a priority message."

"Is it from our queen?"

"Yes, your majesty, part of the message is from her."

The throne levitated slightly into the air and rotated to more easily view the video screen before settling back to the ground. "Rise, Squire Lamont. We will see this message."

Lamont walked quickly to the screen and pulled up the message header. Ygerna appeared, primly seated on a hollow in a white boulder. The sides of the boulder rose on either side of her and formed a rough throne. She wore a beautiful gown and her hair had been brushed until it gleamed in the sunlight. "Eoghan," she began, raising her head haughtily, "I know that it is you that is behind what has happened to my knights and I am not pleased. I send you this message on behalf of another, one Shikarou Urufu, who is desirous of speaking with you. He believes that this issue between us," her nostrils flared, "can be settled without more open warfare. He is wrong, but if there is the slightest chance he can accomplish his goal, then I must help him to try." She smiled thinly. "I'd listen to him if I were you, especially if you are wondering why Germanicus is so late returning home with me and the Grimoire."

One arm of the throne cracked as Eoghan's hands clenched.

"I suspect you miss Germanicus." Her eyes gleamed in satisfaction. "He's been with you your whole life." She tapped her chin and continued in a musing tone. "I wonder what could ever have happened to him. If I remember correctly, he's never been away this long, leaving you all alone. You must be so sad." She smiled cruelly. "Perhaps he's finally realized how pathetic you are and struck out on his own. Wait, you need him so much you made it impossible for him to do that. You even had to drag him into undeath with you. It's good to know that, so long ago, I did indeed choose to take the strongest man to grace my bed."

The broken arm of the throne came free with a snapping noise and the other arm cracked.

Ygerna gave him a dazzling smile. "I don't know what offer he is going to make and I doubt that in any case it would work. Frankly, I hope you throw his request back in his face. Then he'll be free to help me hunt you down and send you to hell where you belong." Her eyes narrowed. "You were useless while alive and it's obvious that death hasn't changed you in the slightest." She waved a hand dismissively. "I suppose I should let you speak with Shikarou now."

The view slid sideways to reveal Shikarou standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He was staring in Ygerna's direction with a look of shock on his face. Quickly, he composed himself. "King Eoghan." He bowed respectfully, as a shrill cry of anger came from offscreen. "I am Urufu Shikarou."

Lamont flinched as Eoghan actually snarled. "He is Sidhe. I thought I exterminated them but for my betrothed. How many of the damned things remain?"

"Your majesty, I must admit you have executed your campaign nearly flawlessly and taken the throne of the Order of Pendragon with surprising ease. Incidentally, you also sit on the throne of the Sidhe kingdom. Other than the former queen's escape, your coup was flawless." He glanced to the side at another inarticulate cry of rage. "It is the truth, is it not?"

Shikarou straightened. "This war has gone on long enough and cost us both deeply. I have lost some very close to me and you have as well. I suspect you have already surmised that Germanicus is truly dead and I now confirm that as fact."

Eoghan lurched to his feet, taking the other arm of the throne with him.

"King Eoghan, I am part Sidhe and, because of my lineage, cannot lie. Listen closely, for I shall only make this offer once, whether you believe me or not. As I said before, both of us have lost ones dear to us. I propose to call a truce." Eoghan snarled again. "I possess the Grimoire of Danu and I have decided to offer that which you truly desire: the opportunity to return to life as Sidhe."

Instantly, it was silent in the throne room. Only the sound of Squire Lamont's breathing could be heard as Eoghan become completely motionless.

"I will grant safe passage to Caomh Sith for you and one guard. That includes the guard's harem, if there is one, but they will not be deployed. I will swear to you that neither I nor mine will kill you. Once the procedure is complete, you will be allowed to live your life in peace, if you will be kind enough to grant us the same favor." He stopped as offscreen there were the sounds of yelling and, suddenly, the noises of someone being forcibly restrained. The yelling was quickly muffled.

"I cannot swear that you will not be hurt, the procedure to return you to life may prove painful and the procedure to make you Sidhe requires you to be bound to prevent movement. It mentions excruciating pain in the description." Eoghan nodded unconsciously at something he'd already known. "I will grant you ten days to consider your reply and, at that point, if I have not heard from you, I will remove the Grimoire from this plane of existence and send it someplace where it will never be found again by any who live here."

"I await your response. Shikarou clear." The image died.

Shikarou settled down next to Helen and looked out at the view. "Credit for your thoughts?" The sun was slowly going down and the sky was bathed in oranges and pinks. From where they sat near the summit of Mount Tarumae they could look down over the whole city of Tomakomai.

The milktit leaned against him. "Are we going to go down there? I've never seen it." She twisted her head to look at him. "You don't normally bring me to Edo and you don't usually visit Fumiko until the weekend. Why are we here?"

He slipped an arm around her waist. "You normally don't want to come when I travel to Edo. The Yoshihara's have been having a bit of trouble with the yakuza. Well, one yakuza soldier in particular. I think the others remember my warning." His ears went flat for a heartbeat. "I'm here to deal with the situation."

"Who is it?"

"His name is Nakamura Shou." Shikarou looked down on the city nestled at the base of the mountain. "He started out by trying to trash the reputation of the Yoshihara swords and has slowly moved to the reputation of the family itself. The two have always been closely intertwined, so it wasn't all that hard. Soon, he'll move to physical attacks on anyone who goes into the city and, finally, he'll attack their home and shop."

"There's nothing wrong with their weapons and they're honorable people. Why is this person doing this?"

"The truth is he has nothing against the Yosihara family. It's my fault." Shikarou's ears flicked. "Remember that. It's my fault and my fault alone. It's not anyone else's."

She frowned and smacked his ankle with her tail. "Why do you sound like I'm not going to believe that?"

"Nakamura Shou is Ruiling's current tamer. This is very probably her doing."

Helen's ears went flat. "Then you are wrong. I share some of the blame for this. If you'd had your way, she'd have been dead some time ago. I was the one who decided that I didn't want to bother with her."

He glanced at her but remained silent for a moment. She was right. Finally, he spoke. "Do you want to help deal with her?"

"What do you think? Of course I do." She slipped her fingers into his. "I'm not sure I can do it alone."

"You are far from alone, Helen. You have me and your harem sisters." Shikarou's tone was slightly remonstrative. "You'll never be alone again."

"That's good to hear." She snuggled firmly against him. "I want your children."

"Are you sure? Children can look appetizing, but they really aren't all that tasty."

She smacked him firmly. "You know what I mean. I'm a pokewoman and I want to bear you children. Candace told me about your talk with her and I started thinking about it." She flashed a quick smile. "Branwyn is so jealous it's funny." Her ears flicked. "How many would you like?"

He didn't hesitate. "How about a hundred?"

She stared at him for a moment. "That many? I may need some help with that."

"Trust me, I intend to help," he said with a grin. "However, I think I said you had harem sisters. I'm sure we can convince some of them to help with the hard parts."

Helen chuckled. "I think many of them won't need to be convinced. We're all wondering who'll get pregnant first. We've got a pool going."

"I would think that the fact that Kasumi is already pregnant would end the discussion."

"She's not a pokegirl and so we're not counting her." She turned back to look over the city. "I hope you have a good supplier for a lot of diapers."

"I'm really hoping father will give me some of his special ones. They're self cleaning and self repairing. He seems to always give them out when one of his daughters or daughters-in-law get pregnant."

"He really has them? I'll speak to him about it the next time he visits."

"You do that. He's a sucker for a pretty girl and he's well aware of how beautiful you are." Shikarou slid to his feet and offered her a hand. "Sitting here won't resolve the whole Ruiling issue, so I think we need to get this done. We'll get a good night's sleep and then go hunting them in the morning."

"It's a large city. Finding one yakuza and one neo iczel may be difficult."

He shook his head. "It won't be as hard as you think. I implanted each member of my harem with a transponder and, if Ruiling is out of her pokeball, I can find her. According to the transponder records that I reviewed, she's out of it most of the time. Aggie's building a pattern of her movements now that should help if she's in her pokeball tomorrow."

"Do I have one of these transponders?" She gave him a curious look as she let him pull her to her feet.

"Of course you do. I definitely don't want to lose you."

Her eyes suddenly held suspicious moisture. "Thank you," she said simply.

"So, as your wife, do you think I should walk behind you, beside you or in front of you?"

He looked very thoughtful for a moment. "I like the view when you are in front of me, but I think you should be beside me."

Kasumi shook her head and gave him an amused smile. "You're incorrigible. I like that."

Helen and Ayame exchanged grins.

They were walking the path down the mountain that led from the Yoshihara home towards Tomakomai and had already passed the shrine. It was a beautiful morning, temperatures were crisp and birds were warming up for the day's singing.

"Mistress," Helen began respectfully, "when you next see master Kerrik, would you please ask him for diapers?"

"Helen, would that be important?"

"Master Shikarou says that his father customarily gives self cleaning and self repairing diapers to his daughters-in-law when they become pregnant."

Kasumi ground to a halt and turned to Shikarou. "Is this true?"

"I can't lie, remember. It's true."

"I remember watching mother change Akane's diapers. If I can forgo that, it would make life a lot less messy." She gave Shikarou a suddenly doe eyed look. "Do you think your father would take pity on someone so unworthy of his attention?"

He looked away. "Stop that." Her warm laugh sent shivers up his spine. "If you do that to him, he'll probably give you whatever you want."

She slipped her arm through his. "He already has."

Shikarou glanced at her. "You don't have to do this, you know. I should be able to handle Nakamura without any of your help."

"I know. However, I need to get some things here and I want to meet the one pokegirl that seems to disgust everyone in your harem. They're not afraid of her, but their opinion of her is not very good at all." She gave him a curious look. "Why hasn't she attacked your shrine or temple?"

"Shine priestess' are not any fun to tangle with. They'd hunt her until she died of old age if she did something that stupid. Sadly, she's not that dumb."

"Was she really that bad?"

"I don't think so, but according to the harem, she committed a couple of cardinal sins. The worst of these was to leave us." He glanced at Helen. "That's what Sadie Pokens is supposed to be all about but she hurt Helen when she did so. That's what I didn't like about it. Still, I got Helen in the trade and she's been a treasure. She's one of us now and part of our family in ways that Ruiling never was and never could be."

The milktit flushed and smiled broadly. "Thank you, sir."

"Why do you say sir to Shikarou when I am around?"

Helen's ears flicked. "Mistress, you are his wife and you are a tamer. We did not wish to show you any disrespect by being familiar with your husband in your presence."

"Am I that forbidding?" Kasumi smiled gently. "If he was from my home, he and I would be together exclusively, but here that cannot be. I know he is not formal around those he cares for and I don't think he wants you to be formal to him. Please stop doing so on my account, as it may breed resentment in him for my presence. I know that you are not his wife; as far as I am concerned you are his concubine, and as such, you have the right to be acknowledged as his." Her smile softened. "In addition, Helen, you are my friend, and the first real one I've had since I graduated from school."

"I am?" Helen sounded surprised. "That's horrible. You must have been so lonely."

"I was, until a kami arrived and saved me from a demon before introducing me to his family of spirits. Are you aware that you're the one who showed me that Shikarou was such a wonderful man and well worth pursuing?" She glanced at him. "He was already remarkable, but I didn't dare consider someone like that for me; and if you hadn't been determined to talk to me after the episode with Elizabeth, I'd still be taking care of my family and dreadfully unhappy."

"Should I leave, so you ladies can talk without me?" Shikarou asked dryly.

Helen smiled slowly. "I think we're doing well enough with you around, sir." She turned to Kasumi. "I'm glad I helped, but the truth is that we're in public and here, we have to act like anyone we meet would expect. To do otherwise could get both us and him into trouble."

"I was not aware of this." She turned to Ayame. "Is this why you, Giselle and Nishiko are so deferential in public?" Nishiko was the archmage she'd taken from the spoils of Germanicus' attack.

"Yes, mistress, that is why." The drow zee was watching the surroundings alertly. "In many places a tamer can get into trouble for pokegirls who are not properly polite. In a few, the authorities may get involved to correct the situation, usually by using conditioning cycles as punishment."

Kasumi's eyes widened and then narrowed. "I see. Then, in order to prevent my husband from having to rescue me from jail after someone tries to take one of my pokegirls, please continue to do so."

Shikarou sighed when he spotted a waiting figure up ahead and glanced behind them to see if there was still time to flee. However, it was already too late as she rushed forward to stop in front of them and bow deeply. "Master."

Kasumi blinked. "Is she what I think she is?" The woman was wearing a set of fake black wolf ears and a sashibakima.

"If you think she's a priestess from the temple, then yes." He smiled slowly. "Good morning."

The shrine maiden bowed again. "Greetings, master. Will you visit the temple today?"

"No, I've got business in the town. Is there anything to report?"

"No, master. Things have been quiet, with the exception of the yakuza you seek." She smiled pleasantly. "But we know that after today, things will be quiet again."

Kasumi gave him a sharp look. "How does she know about this?"

"I'm not sure. My worshippers have a disturbing ability to know when and why I'm visiting Tomakomai."

The shrine maiden nodded. "Hai, master. The spirits tell us of your presence and whether or not we can be of aid to you. Still, we must ask if you will come to the temple, since you have never gone there."

Kasumi gave him an arch look. "You've never been to your temple?"

He glanced at the priestess and led them away from her. "The temple came about after the whole time travel thing took place. I really don't want to see what several hundred years of worship look like, especially since I skipped the whole interval. It's creepy to think about it."

"Why is she wearing fake wolf ears?"

"That was my idea." Shikarou flashed a smile. "They sell them in the souvenir shop. If a relatively large number of people are wearing them, then mine don't stick out quite so much." He frowned at the patiently waiting pokegirl. "I know I need to visit the temple, but not today."

Kasumi nodded. "You cannot shirk your responsibilities just because they make you uncomfortable."

"When did you start channeling my father?"

He received a smile for his efforts. "I'm Kasumi. I've always been the responsible one; remember my family? Someone had to be, and Akane and Nabiki were too young." She would not say a disparaging word about her father, but they both knew he would never be responsible.

"True." He turned back to the shrine maiden. "I'm not going to the temple today, but I will be there soon. Why don't you go and tell the others."

The pokegirl suddenly beamed. "Thank you, master and mistress!" She went into a deep bow and raced away.

Shikarou's eyes gleamed with a sudden hunger. "Now, for the hunt."

Ruiling grinned around a mouthful of sushi as her tamer settled heavily into the chair on the other side of the table with a glum look on his face. "So, what's the job for tonight?"

Nakamura Shou's expression grew unhappier. "There isn't one."

"We get free time? That's unusual. Usually someone needs pounded."

"That's not it. We've been cut loose."

The neo iczel stared uncomprehendingly at him. "What do you mean, 'cut loose'?"

"We have been abandoned by the yakuza. They say they're not going to have anything to do with us." Shou shrugged. "The orders come from the oyabun himself."

"That doesn't happen. We haven't done anything to offend Suzuki Danjuro. If we had, they'd want us to pay for it. What the fuck is going on?"

She blinked as someone sat down next to her. "They are distancing themselves from you because they suspect that I'll take umbrage at what you've been doing to the Yoshihara family, and they don't want to be suspected of being involved." Shikarou grinned toothily. "They're right about me being upset over it."

Ruiling threw herself backwards from the table and shot upwards to hover almost fifty feet off the ground. "YOU!"

"Yes, me." He looked up at her and shook his head slowly before nodding at her tamer. "And you probably want to come down here unless you want me to rip his heart out and put you into your pokeball, once I've taken it off his belt."

The pokegirl froze for a handful of seconds before slowly landing next to her tamer. "What do you want?" Her voice was filled with hostility.

"You've been trying to ruin the Yoshihara's because you can't get over me. I'm here to make you stop."

"You'll never get close enough to steal my soul! I can get another tamer." Shou gave her a slightly hurt look.

"You can face me today or you can face me another day." Shikarou's ears stilled. "I can and will find you no matter where you run."

Helen placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will fight her." She gave the neo iczel an even look. "Hello, Ruiling. If we had met under better circumstances, I would thank you."

The neo iczel blinked. "What the hell for?"

"I thought I was happy before you threw me at him, but I was wrong. You made my life complete when you did that."

Ruiling's eyes bugged. "You're that damned milktit." She swiveled to Shikarou. "You kept her? She was useless and an easy defeat." Her mouth drew in a vicious smile as she turned crafty eyes on Helen. "And now you want to fight me again? I accept." She turned the smile on Shikarou. "I hope you're fond of this one, so her death will break your heart."

"It will." Helen blinked at his grim tone and then relaxed when he continued. "But you won't be the one to kill her. Helen is too good to lose to someone as pathetic as you."

The neo iczel purpled and she glowered. "I will tear her into tiny bits."

Shou looked at the growing crowd nervously. "Not here. We'll meet on the battlefield north of town at dawn, so when Ruiling crushes your pokegirl," he sneered at Helen, "you can't complain. Bring lots of money to pay when you lose."

Ruiling nodded firmly. "You are as good as dead, Helen."

The milktit gave her a bland look back. "You were too stupid to realize just what a good thing you had here before you threw it away. You're still that dumb, aren't you?"

Ruiling made a noise like a kettle coming to boil and started forward. She halted when Shikarou abruptly returned Helen to her pokeball. "You can wait until dawn to fight." He smiled slowly. "Or you can run, if you really want to. But if you do, one day you'll turn around and I'll be there, just like today."

The neo iczel gave him an angry look. "What's to keep me from ripping you in half right here?"

He snorted. "Do you really think I don't have backup? We will finish this tomorrow at dawn."

She looked around warily and backed away. "Dawn, then." Turning, she dragged her tamer into the crowd and was gone.

Kasumi pushed away from the wall where she'd been watching and joined him as he released Helen. The milktit looked around before turning to Shikarou. "Sir, why did you do that?" Her voice trembled with suppressed anger.

"You were goading Ruiling into fighting now," he said quietly. "Too many people would get hurt."

Kasumi stared. "I've never seen you this angry."

Helen took a ragged breath and smiled with an effort. "Mistress, I am a pokegirl and most of us live to fight, regardless of what we do in our off time. Ruiling wants to fight me and I want to smash her." She took another deep breath and was suddenly the person Kasumi knew. "You've just never seen me ready to fight before." Her eyes flicked to Shikarou and fire flashed for an instant. "You should have let me, sir."

"You'll get your chance in the morning, after you've had a good night's rest. Ruiling isn't going to improve before then." He rubbed his eyes. "I'll use Gwyneth as my guard."

"Can we watch, sir?" Ayame nodded respectfully. "Mistress wants to."

Shikarou looked at Helen. "Well? It's your chance at revenge. Do you want witnesses?"

The milktit shrugged. "I'll win or lose whether she's watching or not; if she wants to, that's fine with me." Her muzzle wrinkled slightly. "What will you do if Ruiling carries out her threat, sir?"

Kasumi went white. "She would actually kill you?"

"It happens, and Ruiling has that kind of personality." Shikarou looked into Helen's eyes. "If she does, I'll kill her." He raised a finger to stop her as she started to speak. "However, I have no intention of allowing her to do that to you. You've got a job, remember? If you die, your harem sisters will have to pick up the slack, and they won't be happy about it."

She suddenly blushed. "Yes, sir."

Kasumi gave them both a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

Helen's flush deepened. "Mistress, he says he wants a hundred children."

Kasumi's mouth dropped and then curved in a warm smile. "Then I forbid you to die, Helen. I am not going to make up your shortfall."

"You heard her." Shikarou sounded gloomy. "If you die, I don't get what I want."

Helen chuckled. "Yes, sir; I'll do what I can to keep the mistress from being inconvenienced."

His ears flicked. "We need to head back to the Yoshihara's. Helen, you have point."

"Yes, sir." Helen became suddenly watchful and moved to her post.

Kasumi leaned over and spoke softly. "Do you really want a hundred children?"

He gave her a wry smile. "I'm willing to space them out over the centuries."

"That's good. Otherwise, we'll have to look into adoption."

The eastern sky was crimson with the promise of dawn when they arrived at the battlefield, which was a large open area surrounded by a low earthen berm. Various pits had been blown in the open area and water filled three of them to make impromptu pools. On the north side of the battlefield, some metal stands stood forlornly just outside of the berm, their seats stained with bird droppings.

Kasumi looked around. "We are the first to arrive. Do you think they will show?"

"What makes you think they might not?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Does she strike you as a person one can rely on?"

He grimaced. "You have a point. Why don't you get seated in the stands? I don't want you associated with us, if possible. It'll keep her from deliberately targeting you."

Nishiko shook her head. The archmage was Kasumi's escort today. "Mistress, with all due respect, it would be safer next to the stands so that we could duck behind the berm if there is any trouble. In the stands, you would be a target."

Gwyneth kept her face neutral. "She has a point." The elfqueen was still unsure of what kind of relationship she might develop with Kasumi and was being very cautious around her. In her mind, even in a marriage of equals, humans had higher rank than pokegirls. Of course, she wasn't married to Shikarou and Kasumi was. This only added to her concern.

Kasumi regarded the stands somberly for a moment. "Both of you are correct. We will watch next to the stands and try not to draw attention to ourselves." Her mouth tightened. "In any case, I think the ground will be cleaner than those seats." She released her other two pokegirls. "Giselle, we will be setting up next to those stands to watch this battle. Make the necessary arrangements."

The pegaslut nodded. "Yes, lady. Ayame, you will have the security detail while Nishiko and I will stand by to take the mistress to safety, if there is trouble. Come with me." She strode off, the other two pokegirls falling into a loose formation behind her.

Kasumi looked into her husband's eyes. "Be careful and take care of my friend. Please."

"I'll do my best." He turned to Helen as his wife headed towards the distant stands. "Let's wait on the east side. That'll put the sun in Ruiling's eyes when you start , even it's unlikely to stay there." His ears flicked. "She has an idea about how my harem battles, but she's never seen you fight. Still, she'll be wary of you casting a force field for protection and she knows all about using absorb to blunt magic attacks."

Helen smiled. "You know I already know this. You're worried about me, aren't you?"

Shikarou looked away and abruptly sighed. "Yes, I am. Ruiling is very tough and this is not going to be an easy fight. She'll be out to kill you and I don't want to lose you." He turned his head to meet her gaze. "You've become rather important to me."

She touched his cheek. "I've known that you love me for some time, Shikarou. You know that I love you. I'd worship you, but it just seems absurd to say prayers to you when I can go down the hall and talk to the real thing." She glanced to her left and let her hand drop. "They're coming. If I lose, can you prevent her from killing me?"

"Branwyn and Circe are already in position. They'll fetch you just as soon as it looks like you've lost." He smiled slightly. "Roisin is with them and is keeping everyone hidden under her fade."

"I want to beat her." Helen's ears went back. "You are my tamer. Command me, if I need it."

Shikarou smiled suddenly. "I never taught her the com spell. That's a small advantage."

She gripped his hand. "I'm excited, not scared. This is what I was made for." Her eyes glittered eagerly. "Win or lose, I'm going to kick her ass."

Ruiling and Nakamura stopped a good twenty feet away from the two of them. The yellow haired neo iczel pointed at the stands. "Who's the bitch?"

Shikarou shrugged, not letting his sudden anger show. "Someone who wants to watch while you get your ass handed to you."

Nakamura blinked and sidestepped away from Ruiling as she almost growled. "I'm going to kill your pet and then I'm coming after you."

Helen laughed as she stepped forward. "I've heard all about the big, bad Ruiling, but it's interesting that I've only heard about her from you. Everyone else seems to think she's pretty pathetic." Her lips pursed. "Well, except for Branwyn. She thinks you're a joke. I think she's right."

Ruiling snarled and flew straight at Helen in a blur. Helen used quick attack to drop below the enraged neo iczel and lunged upwards as she passed overhead, burying her horns in Ruiling's belly. Ruiling screeched and kept going, pulling Helen off her feet with a jerk.

She rolled along the ground and came up in a crouch, her horns tipped with blood. Ruiling arched up and looped around to launch a power bolt which Helen's absorption spell drank without incident. Helen returned it in a glowing pulse of energy which exploded into overwhelming brightness right in front of Ruiling. The blinded neo iczel cried out and curved into the ground in a spray of rock and earth.

As Ruiling shouldered her way out of the rubble, Helen hit her with thunderbolt. The neo iczel grunted and finished freeing herself. She hovered for a moment, orienting herself, and vanished.

"Go left strike right!" At Shikarou's bellow, Helen threw herself to the left as an energy blade shimmered into existence in her right hand. She slashed wildly to her right as Ruiling appeared behind where she'd been standing, catching the neo iczel across the chest and shoulder.

Ruiling hissed as clothing shredded and a line of blood appeared across her chest. She lunged and caught Helen by the throat. Her fingers tightened and she gave a low laugh as she began strangling her opponent.

_Now? _Branwyn's mind touched his.

_No. She hasn't lost this yet._ "Double blade!"

A second energy blade sprouted from Helen's left hand and she buried both weapons in Ruiling's belly before ripping sideways in a geyser of blood and flesh.

Ruiling punched her in the chest with her free hand. From where he stood, Shikarou's enhanced hearing clearly heard bone shatter. Helen flew across the field to tumble bonelessly to a halt. She pushed herself up on her hands before suddenly vomiting blood and collapsing.

_Now._

Ruiling wrapped her arms around her stomach and dropped to her knees. Her hands glowed as she activated a healing spell. "I win," she hissed through the pain. "I always win."

She never noticed as Branwyn appeared and took Helen's wrist before whisking her off to Candace's capable care.

Gwyneth muttered a spell. "It's done, my king. She can no longer flee."

He nodded. "See to Nakamura. He may be of use." His mind reached out through their bond. _Circe, you're up._

A sliver of annoyance tinged her thoughts to him as Roisin dropped the fade and they appeared on the south side of the battlefield_. I wish you'd waited until I'd teleported to put up the block._ She arced smoothly into the air and landed in front of Ruiling. Her antenna twitched and the neo iczel collapsed as the psychic attack shredded through her personality.

Gwyneth hurled a handful of seeds at Nakamura as he turned to flee and, as soon as they touched the ground, vines sprouted to wrap him until only his nose was visible in the mass of tendrils. The leaves trembled and muffled screams could be heard as he struggled fruitlessly to escape.

The elfqueen raced over and touched a portion of the vines near his waist. "Move." They shifted to reveal his belt and Ruiling's pokeball, which she pulled free and used to recover the unconscious neo iczel. "She is ours, my king."

Branwyn appeared outside the berm and trotted over. "Candace says her heart was pulped but that she got medical help in time. She was pokeballed and healed, but as you can guess, your nurse wants to keep her overnight for observation." They smiled at the old joke.

"How is she?"

"Worried about what you think about her loss. I tried to reassure her that she almost took Ruiling with her, but she wants to hear it from you, not me." She grimaced. "This harem is going to pieces, you know that, don't you?"

Kasumi smiled softly. "It's not a harem anymore. It's a family now and it won't let you treat it like a harem."

Branwyn's eyes narrowed for a moment. "She's right. Tradesman?"

"I don't think we have a choice." He shrugged. "How long does the paperwork take?"

"If you are serious about this mage version of a tradesman, then it may take a couple of months. However, we can get a temporary permit in a few days while they're processing everything and arguing with us."

Kasumi touched his shoulder. "I want this new category for the teachers at the school."

"Branwyn, you heard her. We'll sit down and do the write-up tonight."

The inn was almost empty, but considering the emotions of one of the people in it, it still seemed too small for additional occupancy. From the bar, Rani watched the two brothers with concern as she contemplated contacting the guard for backup.

"I can't believe you are going to let him just walk away." Faelan's eyes were hot. "He killed Kebi, Marzia and Zorione, for heaven's sake!"

"I am well aware of what this fight has cost me. I haven't forgotten your loss, either." Shikarou sipped at his tea, hoping an appearance of calm would soothe his brother. "I'm also aware that almost nobody else agrees with the decision I have made. It is, however, my decision and I have already made it." He put the cup down and fixed his brother with a hard look. "I gave him my word and you and your harem will follow my dictates in this matter. Eoghan will be allowed free passage and you will not interfere with the ceremony."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I will have no choice but to place your harem in storage and you into confinement until Eoghan's visit is concluded." Faelan turned white. "I don't want to do that, Faelan. You don't want me to do that, either. Trust me brother, you want to be there." Shikarou glanced at the door of the inn as it opened. "Lovely. Here come our wives and yours looks just as happy as you."

Svetlana actually looked angrier than her husband as she took the chair next to him. Branwyn, in contrast, looked faintly amused. The Megami-sama turned a glare on Shikarou. "I can't believe you're going to do this," she burst out. "You know he has to be destroyed."

"The lich has to be destroyed," Shikarou countered. "You might notice, I propose to do just that."

"You're going to reward him! If you think I'm going to just stand around while you give something that evil everything he has wanted to be for three thousand years, you are quite mistaken."

Faelan touched her hand and she blinked. "He gave his word and, as his subordinates, we are bound by it."

Svetlana started to snap something but Shikarou cut her off. "I told Eoghan that if he was willing to let us live in peace, we'd be willing to do the same. Do you really think he'll do that once Ygerna marries Faelan? She is part of his dream and he wiped out the Sidhe in order to put the events in motion to gain her for himself."

The Megami-sama suddenly looked thoughtful as Faelan jerked up in his seat.

"That's pretty sneaky, but at that point he'll be a Sidhe mage. It's my understanding they're as hard to kill as liches." Faelan shrugged. "I don't see where that helps."

"It'll limit his options. As undead, if we press him, he can always dig a hole and hide for centuries until we relax our guard. As Sidhe, he'll have to eat and he'll have other urges that will need to be satisfied. Urges that require others to fulfill. Entertainment. Sex." Shikarou's ears flicked and he smiled grimly. "After three thousand years, he'd like to get laid. He's too proud to be a farmer, so he'll need to have contact with a society; and with that we can always find him."

"So, even if he's not easier to kill, you're making him easier to hunt. That will be a big help." Svetlana pulled Faelan with her as she rose. "I'm glad to see you are going to exact justice for his past crimes."

"It's good to hear you're happy with my decision," Shikarou's voice was droll. "I want to keep this quiet. I don't want Ygerna to know she's likely to be used as bait again, until it's too late to listen to her scream about it. She can get pretty loud." Svetlana suppressed a laugh and nodded.

Branwyn nudged him as they left. "You're leaving too much to chance. I know you don't work that way and Pythia is too happy with the situation. What else is going on?"

"What makes you think something else is going on?"

"I already answered that question and I now have the additional fact that you're not answering me. You're only evasive when you're keeping secrets."

Shikarou started chuckling. "In a few years, I won't be able to get anything past you, my love."

The Unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Shikarou, when you start with the endearments I know something is up. What is it?"

"That's not fair. I use endearments much more often then that." He sighed when she folded her arms and plastered a patient expression on her face. "While I suppose we could, instead, spend the time enjoyably exploring what might come up when I start with endearments," he said with a smile, "you obviously don't want to be dissuaded from this discussion. If, and I say if, I did have additional plans in the works to deal with Eoghan, considering his presumed ability to steal thoughts from others, I couldn't discuss it for fear of him finding out. Don't you agree?"

Branwyn's eyes widened. "You're right. Forget I asked anything."

"Consider it done."

She leaned against him. "I wonder, could we instead proceed with that exploration of what comes up when endearments start being tossed about?"

"I think that's a laudable idea." He rose and offered her his hand. "I think this could be much more enjoyable in private."

She took the hand. "I agree, my love."

Elizabeth glanced at the sunny sky and pulled her hood more tightly around her face. "This bites." She blinked and giggled at her joke.

Kasumi glanced down towards them and waved. "I think she's glad to see us." Shikarou shook his head. "Well, we shouldn't dawdle."

The vampire gave a low laugh. "She's happy to see your pokeballs, not us."

They headed up the hill to where Kasumi was waiting for them. She smiled. "Did you get it?"

Shikarou chuckled. "I've got a surprise for you." He began pulling pokeballs out of his pack and releasing them. His entire active harem plus Gwyneth appeared, each carrying a pair of hundred kilo sacks of concrete. Depending on their individual strength levels, some carried them more easily than others, but all carried them.

Kasumi's eyes lit up. "Put them over there, ladies." She indicated a small pile of identical sacks lying under a tarp.

Shikarou took the bags from Helen as she stumbled and headed for the stack. "Set up the tent, please."

Helen nodded and pulled out her wand as Kasumi gave her a curious look. "Why are you setting up the tent here?"

Branwyn dropped her two sacks onto the pile and trotted over to watch Helen work. "She's only done this once before," she explained to Kasumi. "To answer your question, your husband made us put all of the furniture into our bedrooms. Then we got to fill the common room with more sacks. You should have enough to finish the foundation for the main building."

The tent flickered into existence and steadied.

Kasumi looked surprised. "That's quite creative. Every day he proves I made a wise choice with him. We'll get the foundation for the school poured before the month is over and get started on the walls next month." She gestured to a large pile of rocks that had been roughly shaped with cutting bars. "The supplies for that are already here, since we have rock on the island."

Branwyn gave her a diffident look. "I know you want pokegirls as well as humans to be able to attend, but they're not going to have any money. I don't see how they'll be able to afford everything."

Kasumi nodded absently as she watched her and her husband's harems starting to carry sacks out of the tent. "We talked about that a week or so ago and I decided that, since we're rather wealthy, we can set up scholarships for needy students." Her eyes flicked back to Branwyn. "We'll do it on a case by case basis and it'll be an informal program so we don't fall under any Blue League oversight."

Branwyn looked thoughtful. "Poppet can help with that. Can the rest of us give any assistance?"

Kasumi suddenly looked uncertain. "I could use instructors, but I wasn't sure how to ask."

"How about 'I need instructors for the school and you scuts aren't doing anything worthwhile?'." Laughter bubbled up the unicorn's throat at Kasumi's shocked expression. "You do know that Shikarou is going to become a tradesman, since he's doing it primarily for you. As a pokegirl mage, he'll have to have practicing mages in his harem and teaching is a good way to do that."

"But that way is just too rude. I could never do that."

Branwyn smirked. "I'll take care of it, Kasumi, and preserve your delicate sensibilities." The two women shared an amused smile. "I do need to ask, although I'm sure the school will a bastion of decorum, how will you deal with unruly students?"

"As students have been dealt with forever," came the prompt reply, "firmly and decisively. I just won't be rude about it."

Her eyes swept the area where the foundation markers had already been planted. "When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up and be a teacher. To pass on the accumulated knowledge of my people seemed like the noblest pursuit I could imagine." Her gaze darkened slightly. "When my mother died those dreams died with her. Father needed me to step in and take her place. I did as much as I could until I graduated and then I became, for all intents and purposes, a housewife."

"No boyfriends?" Branwyn gave her a friendly smile when Kasumi frowned. "I understand they can be customary for young human women."

"No, nothing like that. There was a young man, a local doctor, who I was fond of for several years. I decided that being a doctor's wife could still involve teaching and, since he already had a practice he wouldn't be moving me away from my family. Eventually, I realized that he only thought he was in love with me. He didn't really know me at all and he was never going to try to correct the situation."

"Shikarou took you away from your family," Branwyn pointed out quietly.

"By that time, I was more than ready to leave them." She shivered slightly. "Mr. Saotome was starting to watch me."

"What would you have done?"

She turned empty eyes on Branwyn. "My duty." She blinked and her eyes returned to normal. "Akane is safe from him and Nabiki is too smart to put herself into danger. She carries a knife. It's very small, but very sharp." A tiny smile flickered across her lips. "I taught her how to do that, but Mr. Saotome would never have believed that I would fight back."

Branwyn touched her arm and watched her jump slightly as she returned from wherever her mind had gone. "You are an Urufu now and you have no duties to the Tendos. We will give anyone who tries anything exactly what Happosai got."

"I know, and that makes me very happy. Father would have been very understanding about any incidents, it being his best friend and all." Her eyes flicked to where her husband was helping to pile sacks of concrete. "Shikarou will not."

"I heard you weren't going to give me up to Eoghan and you hoped that he'd break the peace because of it." Morgan set up a folding chair which Ygerna settled comfortably into, as Shikarou put down the cutting bar and reached for his thermos. He flipped up his protective goggles and glanced at his guard. Nanu was busy scanning the area, but the cant of her ears indicated she was also paying attention to Ygerna and Morgan.

"Someone's been telling tales." While not surprised that Svetlana hadn't been able to keep this secret, he was still mildly disappointed that he'd counted on her indiscretion and that she hadn't failed him.

"It is true." She gave him a satisfied look before letting her gaze sweep the area. "This is where you'll hold the ritual?"

"Rituals," he corrected absently. "This is the tallest hill on Caomh Sith and a good site for the rites. On the night of the full moon, it will be brilliantly lit. I'm not sure we'll need artificial light if the sky is clear. I'll go ahead and set up the area with it, though, just in case. Some soft indirect lighting around the altar itself should be sufficient for my needs."

The Sidhe woman snorted. "Considering everything he's done, the moon should refuse to rise on that night. Did he agree to do it?"

"Not yet, but he will. If not, I will get rid of the Grimoire and he's unlikely to tempt that. He needs the other spells in it to make you love him."

Ygerna blanched. "I'd forgotten I put those in it." Suddenly, she smiled. "So even if he doesn't insist on taking me for some reason, he has to have the Grimoire. You've made it so he can't possibly keep the peace and we can crush him."

Shikarou gave her a pained glare. "Look, I'm trying to keep this a secret. Can we stop this line of discussion?"

She nodded and rose. "Your secret is safe with me. Svetlana, on the other hand, is telling everyone she can find what you've told her." Actually, the megami-sama had blurted it out during an argument Ygerna had picked with her to pass the time. She'd been horrified when she'd realized what she'd done, but there was no reason for Shikarou to know that.

Shikarou nodded. "Sometimes she does that. If he gets word of it, he'll come prepared to take you with him. That will suit my purpose as well as if he tries to take the Grimoire." He set up the laser indicator and watched it sweep, noting any spots that still needed leveled. "Later, I'd like to talk to you about the ceremony and make sure I've got the altar carvings correct." He glanced at her. "I'll know if you try to trick me."

"Just because I can lie doesn't mean I will. Your thought that Eoghan would be easier to track if he were alive is a good one and I agree. I will help you." She smiled. "Later. Right now, I'm going to tea with your brother."

Nanu snickered once as Morgan wrapped her arms around her queen and flew away. "You had a comment?"

She grinned. "She left her chair."

"She'll be back later to help me with the altar. Is that it?"

"No. That's three times you've explained what's going to happen and each time you've added something. We've got a pool going on how much more you've got hidden away."

He flicked his ears irritably. "Where did you put your money?"

Nanu ignored the tone of warning in his voice. "Oh, we're betting time with you and I said we won't know the full story until after the rituals are complete. Bellona agrees with me, so if we're right, we're going to share you all the nights we win from the others."

"I take it you're telling me this so I won't reveal the whole plan until afterwards?"

Nanu winked. "I like to win and it never hurts a girl to hedge her bets."

He brushed dust from his hair and reached for the cutting bar once more. "You know this won't change whatever plans I have."

"I know." She smiled as he started chuckling. "I'll talk with Bellona about how we'll spend the nights. I should, shouldn't I?"

His chuckles became laughter and she joined in.

Gwyneth ran effortlessly through the forest, her mahogany hair sweeping behind her. Every few days, she left Peacetown and returned to the land she loved. It strengthened and purified her as it did all her kind. With the battle with Xantha looming ever closer, she needed all the strength she could gather.

She slowed when she entered the glade and saw the cloaked figure waiting. A hand rose and dropped the hood, revealing the gleam of not-quite silver and she relaxed. "Master Kerrik. I didn't know you had returned."

She'd never directly spoken to him before; for some reason he seemed to avoid the elf species on the island. Considering how many of them were here, it seemed impossible; but none of her subjects had ever been approached for taming or even casual conversation.

Considering he was her king's father, she'd kept track of such things. Lynn had, too, and had reported similar behavior.

His eyes were neutral and his ears still. "Just how much of an elf are you, really?" His voice held faint curiosity. "Are you truly _lwashê_?"

She froze. She didn't recognize the word, but it resonated with something deep inside her. "I don't know what you're talking about, master Kerrik."

"You are not a true elf." His eyes were still neutral and she began to feel a tiny flare of anxiety. "You are a caricature of the _lwashê_ created by a madman with delusions of superiority. And yet, I find myself here as a Bearer."

He blinked and his eyes filled with their customary humor. He always seemed to be laughing at something just out of sight. "I'm sorry to frighten you. Sit and I'll try to explain." He gestured at a fallen tree.

Gwyneth settled to the ground at his feet. "Master Kerrik, I should not, while you stand. Please, take the seat for yourself."

For an instant, his mouth twisted angrily and then it smoothed. "Gwyneth, I am not your master, not in any sense of the word. My name is Kerrik and I would appreciate it if you would use it." He looked down at her before she could reply. "Understand something. I am not supposed to be here right now and you should not mention my presence. You and the others _must_ deal with this threat without outside aid or certain things will not come to be. Things that are very important. When they ask what transpired here tonight, you must tell them that you cannot speak of it until after the dead druid is dealt with."

"Then why are you here?"

"I am here because I am a Bearer and that has nothing to do with the problem that my sons face. I am here because of you and your upcoming battle." He settled down next to her crosslegged.

His eyes met her for a moment. "There are true elves, those who were created by the elven gods and who are still watched over by them. They call themselves the lwashê, or the people. They are creatures of nature and magic, much like the elves here. Their power, however, can be much more than anything that your elves can wield, for they have dozens of millennia of history, culture and experience to draw upon, while you have nothing. Each of you must learn all over again what you are and you are always alone when you do. Or else you work with your tamers, who have no idea what you can do or what your limits might be, other than what's in the pokedex."

"The lwashê recognize the fact that there are others not like them, not elves. These they call the _lwashêteh_. Outsiders who learn their language know that this means 'not of the people'. That's what they're taught, but it's not the exact truth. Lwashêteh can be translated that way, but it really means 'non-people'." He gave a slightly bitter smile. "Age does not necessarily breed tolerance."

"The lwashê, as I've said, are an old race and their gods have given them many gifts of knowledge and of power. Some of the gifts of power are a series of magical weapons that travel from user to user according to their need. When the need ends, the weapon chooses to move on to another." His ears flicked. "These weapons always go to the lwashê. Some of them have been stolen, but they always return, usually with the blood of their thieves adding to their history."

"Sometimes these weapons must travel to the one who needs them. They have the ability to choose _tshelerhen_ or Bearers, who will accept the honor of conveying the weapon to its next user."

Gwyneth nodded slowly. "I would think that these Bearers would also be lwashê. Why were you chosen?"

His eyes flicked away and came back to look into hers. "I'm not sure. I have it on the highest authority that I am not lwashê, and yet I was chosen. Perhaps I am the only one who could bring this weapon to its next user, since the weapon is here for you."

Gwyneth blinked. "But that's impossible."

A glint of laughter appeared in his eyes. "Trust me, when it was discovered that I was to carry the weapon offworld, that's what the elven scholars and nobility were screaming."

He dropped his hands into his lap. "There are several different classes of weapon, but most of the time they are either a sword or a bow. Some can change to meet their user's needs, but those are exceptionally rare. Some go where there is religious strife and others go where the elven race is in danger of extermination. Another class is the _fwüathel_, or need blades. They are much less powerful than the others, but they are most often to be found in use, since they travel to elves that need them. The weapon I bear is a need blade and it has sensed your need and responded to it."

"I don't know how to use a sword."

"You will." He produced a long bundle from beneath his cloak. "This blade's name is _Dwulashel_ or Thistle, and it has come for your need, Gwyneth." He unwrapped it and offered it to her, hilt first. "Take it and let your need be met." His eyes flared amber. "But remember this, only an elf can touch this blade without harm."

The hilt seemed unremarkable, but she hesitated and looked into his eyes. "I can trust you." He nodded and she took the hilt in her hand. Something seemed to click inside her and she pulled it from its wrappings.

It was leaf bladed and was the color of grass in autumn. It fit her hand as nothing she'd ever held had and she slowly turned it from side to side, watching the light play along its length. Absently, she noted him laying a matching scabbard in front her, but she didn't look up until he silently rose to his feet.

"Will you teach me how to use it?"

"When the time comes, you will know." He smiled slowly. "The blade has recognized that you are truly of the lwashê and its power will be yours to command."

Gwyneth sheathed the sword without taking her eyes from his. "How do you know so much about the elves if they don't tell these things to outsiders?"

His smile turned bitter again. "That you do not need to know. Trust me, the elves regret my having such knowledge, but it was freely given at the time."

"Will you teach me?"

He looked surprised and then suddenly thoughtful. "Those memories are very painful for me, but I will consider your request."

She jumped to her feet and grabbed his cloak. "Kerrik, are those memories why won't you take elves to your bed for taming?"

His face went still. "I have taken no lovers here."

"I wasn't asking about lovers, I was asking about taming. We need more men."

He stepped away from her. "I know, but for now, I cannot." He wavered like mist and was gone.

Sir Templeton was in his early thirties and, although long past the age of being an active Tamer, he was still muscular and fit. He had with him two elves that never spoke and watched him almost as warily as their surroundings. He eyed the ritual site without any signs of enthusiasm. "I don't like it."

Shikarou snorted in amusement. "The slab has to be carved from the living stone of a mountain. So does the pool. That kind of implies that you need a slab, a pool and a mountain. Other than that, I've added some electrical lights and torches. The electrical lights are in case the wind is excessive. I really don't care if you don't like something, everything here is necessary." One elf gave him a frightened look.

Sir Templeton grunted sourly. "What about those?" He gestured at the manacles located at each end of the slab.

"Your king understands that he will have to be restrained during both rituals. I would have thought he'd have mentioned that to you, since you're inspecting the site for him."

The knight's eyes narrowed. "You're being disrespectful to me. I don't like that, either."

Bellona spread her wings slightly and then relaxed when Shikarou nodded. "You're right, you didn't deserve that. I formally apologize. However, I didn't deserve your attitude either. If King Eoghan briefed you on what's going to be happening and you understand that, everything here is necessary. If he didn't, then both you and I are wasting our time standing here."

The elves cringed as Sir Templeton bristled. He opened his mouth to snap something and froze as Elizabeth, Pythia, Branwyn and Circe appeared around him. Shikarou sighed. "Look, you're here to do a job. Do it and stop giving me an attitude. I don't have to put up with it and, frankly, I'm not interested in trying to. If you don't, then I'm going to evict you from the island, and that's going to be a bit hard on you since the next ferry isn't due until tomorrow morning. From your behavior, I suspect you are someone important in the Order's hierarchy, but you aren't there right now and you need to keep that little fact firmly in your mind."

The knight glanced in the direction of his pokegirls and deflated when he saw they were under the watchful eyes of Bellona and Dorothea.

Suddenly, he stiffened and out of the corner of his eye Shikarou realized that one of the elves was trembling like a leaf in a high wind. Sir Templeton swung smoothly around to face Shikarou and spoke in a dead voice. "I am Eoghan. Explain your behavior towards my vessel."

Shikarou noticed his harem slowly easing away from the possessed knight. He didn't think they were aware of their actions.

Shikarou raised his eyebrows. "Your majesty, I greet you. Sir Templeton was being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative, and I didn't have the time to put up with it." He motioned. "This is the site where the rituals will take place."

The knight slowly turned and looked the area over. "I sense a ley line."

"Actually, you sense two. One of the reasons I chose this site was because two ley lines intersect here. I wanted to make sure we had the power to do this right, without having to have a living sacrifice."

Sir Templeton seemed amused. "It should work, but a sacrifice is traditional."

"Then, your majesty, I will arrange for one to be present."

The knight knelt and carefully examined the carvings on the slab. "You made this altar?"

"I consulted with Ygerna before doing the carving to make sure everything was accurate, but yes, I did the work."

"You have passable skill. You would have been a good artisan for the druids. It will be sufficient for the rituals." The knight rose and grasped the wrist of the nearest elf. She collapsed soundlessly. "I will come with my guard on the day of the next full moon. You will confirm my safe passage."

Shikarou noted the elf didn't appear to be breathing. "You and one guard are granted safe passage to Caomh Sith from the day before the next full moon until the rituals are complete."

Sir Templeton nodded. "Very good." He went blank for a heartbeat and then looked around. "His majesty is pleased with your work," he announced pompously. "I'll be going now." He pulled a pokeball from his belt and retrieved the untouched elf. Then he pulled out his wand and vanished.

Branwyn knelt and checked the fallen pokegirl. "She's dead. What happened?"

Shikarou took a deep breath. "Possessing someone like that will snuff out their life force as a side effect. Eoghan found that by absorbing the life force of another into the vessel's body right after transference, he can keep his vessel alive. It cuts down on the need to prepare more vessels for possession."

"So those elves were like batteries? That's sick." She wiped her hands in the grass and rose. "Your plan had better work."

He shook his head. "I still can't tell you what I might be planning."

She sighed. "I know. I just want something that careless of life stopped permanently."

"So do I, my wife, so do I."

Yushiko's voice came strongly over the communications spell. "Xantha brought a lot of elves and they're ringing a large clearing a kilometer ahead."

Shikarou glanced over his shoulder at Gwyneth, who flashed a smile and tightened her grip around his waist as Branwyn jumped some bushes. "We expected that."

She nodded. "That's why we've brought my people. My sisters don't outnumber them but I don't doubt they're of much higher quality than my future rabble."

"Xantha expects to win, too," he commented almost idly.

Gwyneth didn't miss the tension in his voice. "Someone has to lose and it's not going to be me. She's not Ruiling and in any case, Ruiling is your prisoner, isn't she?" When he nodded, she continued. "So you actually won that one, didn't you. If I fall, then all you have to do is catch Xantha and tame her for me."

"I'd prefer you beat her yourself."

Branwyn slowed to a canter. "We're here." She looked up briefly as Yushiko returned to orbit overhead, circling counterclockwise to Dorothea and Bellona's clockwise patrols. "I take it a show of strength is the order of the day?"

He chuckled. "As you well know it is. I'm not one for display either, but sometimes it's necessary."

The elves parted to allow them entrance and then reformed behind them. Looking them over, Shikarou could see almost every elf breed represented, along with several other plant type pokegirls which were scattered throughout their ranks.

Lorelei came in for a landing, followed closely behind by Pythia, Circe and Elizabeth. Shikarou slid from Branwyn's back and released Helen, Nanu, Candace and Roisin. An excited murmuring rose from among the elves as the three patrolling pokegirls landed with their sisters and everyone formed up around Gwyneth. The stopped at the edge of the grassy field that served as the battlefield and let the elfqueen proceed alone to the center where Xantha waited for her.

Xantha was wearing a leaf green dress and had a sword belted at her waist. Her long red hair was bound in a single braid and her skin gleamed in the sun. She sneered at her opponent. "I am Xantha, queen over all the elves in the lands of the Blue continent and I pledge all that I am and all that I have for this battle." Her magically enhanced voice swept over the assemblage like thunder.

Gwyneth gave her a grim smile. She wore a camouflage uniform from the Caomh Sith guard. Her sword hung from a combat belt that was festooned with pouches.

Her spell was different from Xantha's and her voice sounded at a conversational level in the ears of all within range. "I am Gwyneth, delta bonded of Urufu Shikarou and queen of the elves of Caomh Sith and North Uist. I repudiate your claim over me and mine and stand before you ready to pledge all that I am and all that I have for this battle."

A grandelf stood nearby. She turned to them. "Can this not be resolved peacefully between you?"

Xantha nodded. "Yes, if she swears loyalty to me and places all her resources within my capable hands, I will accept peace."

The grandelf turned to Gwyneth. "Will you so swear?"

"No. However, if Xantha swears her loyalty to me and places all of her resources in better hands than hers, I will accept peace."

The grandelf turned to back to Xantha, but before she could speak, the elfqueen spat on the ground. "It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens, bitch." She glanced at the grandelf. "Get out of the way and let me end this."

"Yes, your majesty." Hiking up her robes, the grandelf ran for the edge of the battlefield.

Xantha looked Gwyneth up and down. "I see you no longer dress as a queen should. Somehow that seems fitting. You will be allowed three preparatory spells before combat begins." Her gown glowed and leaves spread outward from her throat to cover her body before hardening to form armor as vines grew up her neck and wove into a helm. Her eyes gleamed in the light. "One."

Gwyneth stepped back and drew Thistle. Brown spread up her arm and over her whole body before turning the color of amber and becoming harder than stone. "One."

Xantha glowed a brilliant red as she cast a spell to absorb direct magical attacks. "Two."

Gwyneth quickly followed suit with her version. "Two."

The ground suddenly became moist and water flowed up out of the ground to cover the entire battlefield to a depth of two centimeters as Xantha used water floor. "Three."

Gwyneth's eyes glowed as she made herself immune to illusions. "Three."

The grandelf screamed from where she stood. "Begin!" Gwyneth lunged forward with her sword as Xantha grinned and dissolved into the water.

Gwyneth looked around wildly and then ran towards Shikarou, splashing quickly across the field towards the side, where she knew she wouldn't be attacked from behind. Suddenly, water surged up her body and over her head, forming a bubble around her that prevented her from breathing and began to crush her as more water was sucked into the bubble, increasing its pressure as its size remained constant. The transparent image of Xantha laughed at her soundlessly as it tried to kill her.

Gwyneth struggled fruitlessly for several seconds before going still and concentrating on her sword. The blade began to glow and ice spread from it to begin filling the bubble. Water dropped way from Gwyneth as Xantha fled and the elfqueen fell to her knees to vomit water from her lungs. She drove her sword point first into the field and ice began spreading out from it, quickly freezing the water around her and expanding outwards in all directions.

Xantha reformed ahead of the spreading ice and knelt to gather a palm full of water. It glowed as she stood, and when she spun and hurled it at Gwyneth, separated into individual droplets to become a watery version of spike cannon that blasted across her armor and knocked her sprawling.

Gwyneth shrieked a spell and Xantha screamed as her entire nervous system lit up with pain before she fought the spell off. She leveled her sword at Gwyneth and spat a word of power. Her sword suddenly became dozens and they flew straight at Gwyneth, who barely got a force shield up in time to repulse the attack.

Suddenly the ground surged up and over Xantha as Gwyneth finished her latest spell. A tiny sprout appeared on top of the mound and quickly grew into a sapling and then an adult tree that Xantha stepped out of. She raised her sword and lightning blasted from it to strike Gwyneth, knocking her sprawling. The absorb spell soaked up most of the damage and Gwyneth rolled to her feet to see Xantha charging her.

Gwyneth finished her haste spell and met her foe in the center of the battlefield in a flurry of attacks that put a stunned Xantha on the defensive, until she finished muttering her version. For a moment, they hacked at each other and bits of Xantha's petal armor fell away only to regrow an instant later, while her sword couldn't penetrate Gwyneth's magical armor.

Then Xantha slipped on the ice. Experimentation had proven that Gwyneth's armor was surefooted on any surface and she reacted instantly, driving Thistle through Xantha's armor and into her belly. She jerked it free as she stepped back and delivered an armored kick to Xantha's head.

Xantha rolled across the ice and tried to push herself upright. Gwyneth drove her blade into Xantha's back, pulled it free and drove it in again.

Xantha went down, moving feebly as her blood spread over the ice. Gwyneth watched her for a moment before stabbing her one last time and stepping back. "I declare this battle over. Xantha is vanquished and she and all that is hers are now mine."

The silence was absolute as every elf went down on one knee and bent their heads to their new queen. Gwyneth glanced at her tamer and spoke quietly. "I need Candace out here to heal her and you need to bring a pokeball for my new subject, my king."

The moon was just rising over the horizon when Shikarou led the king up the hill. Torches flickered in the slight breeze. The undead had brought a knight named Charles, a highly competent tamer with a full harem of pokegirls, all of which were still in their pokeballs.

Faelan and Ygerna waited for them. Neither looked happy as they silently watched the group approach. Ygerna wasn't happy because Morgan had been forbidden from the area for the duration of the ceremony and also because of Eoghan's presence. Faelan was just generally unhappy to be around the lich.

Eoghan bowed to her. "My queen, it has been too long. Soon I will live again and we can be together."

Ygerna's eyes widened and narrowed. "You're forgetting something. I hate you."

There was an echoing chuckle. "No, Ygerna, I haven't forgotten that. Still, in the fullness of time, all things are possible."

"All things are not possible." She shuddered. "Get away from me."

The lich chuckled again and moved towards the altar.

A nude woman was bound and gagged next to the empty pool. Her skin was a light golden color and her canary colored hair had been expertly braided into two plaits. The lich looked her over. "Who is she?" Ruiling's eyes bugged as the skeletal figure leaned over her and she tried to struggle, but the bonds were proof against her enhanced strength and a spell prevented her from using her more esoteric abilities. To her credit, she didn't scream.

"She's a yakuza soldier who didn't believe me when I told her to leave some people alone."

"A foreigner. Is her soul powerful enough to work the magic?"

"It will." Apparently, Eoghan had a lot to learn about souls, but then it could just be his prejudices leaking through. Celts were notoriously insular and Druids were even worse. Of course, at that time in history, anyone new who appeared tended to be an invader so perhaps their caution had been reasonable after all.

Eoghan's head slowly rotated as he looked the area over and finally he turned to Shikarou. "Are you ready to begin?"

"We can get you positioned on the altar, but other than that we'll need to wait until midnight. You'll need to remove your clothing before lying down."

The undead stripped and settled down on the altar. Shikarou quickly manacled him in place before glancing at the knight. "Do you wish to inspect my work?"

Charles gave a quick nod and professionally inspected the bindings before taking up a position outside the circle carved in the rock. Clearly, he'd been briefed on what to expect. Since he'd stopped inside the second circle, obviously Eoghan wasn't completely aware of how things were going to unfold.

Faelan nodded to Charles. "I'd step out past the white rock, if I were you. You're inside the protective field that will be raised and nothing mortal can survive there." He checked to make sure Ygerna was in her place and looked at his brother. "Other than him, everything is set."

The knight looked at his king. "Do it, Sir Charles. Shikarou gave his word that neither he nor his will kill me as long as I keep the peace. I will be safe." Charles bowed and moved farther away. Faelan drifted over to stand next to him in case there was trouble.

The ley lines held more than enough power during a full moon to carry out both rituals, but Shikarou placed the bound pokegirl in the empty pool. She'd been warned to leave the Yoshihara's alone and hadn't. Branwyn was adamant that she could neither enter the harem nor be sold; therefore she might as well be put to some use. Besides, considering that Eoghan was undead instead of dead, a true death might be necessary to ensure everything worked properly. Magic did have rules, after a fashion, and you ignored them at your peril.

Once midnight arrived, Shikarou drew a bronze knife and gutted Ruiling with a single stroke. He slit her throat for good measure and dropped her struggling body before he returned to the Grimoire. The empty basin began to fill with blood.

Once he raised both circles, the first ritual began. An hour later, he was finished and a human writhed on the altar. Eoghan was pale, with brown hair and brown eyes. Tattoos covered his arms and chest and extended around to his back. Sweat glistened on his body and he sucked in deep breaths as he relearned how to breathe.

Ruiling's body had vanished in the pool and the blood level had risen as it dissolved.

"Your majesty, you are a powerful mage and I'm concerned that during the second rite you may inadvertently utter some word of power that might disrupt the ritual, so I'd like to gag you."

Ygerna glared daggers at him at his words and he gave her a dry smile in return.

Eoghan tried to speak and only managed to make a grunting noise. Finally, he nodded. Shikarou produced a ball gag and put it carefully into place. _Aggie, tell Faelan what he needs to do._

**I am telling him right now.** Faelan's ears flicked but otherwise he didn't respond. **He says he's ready.**

Shikarou checked the Grimoire one last time and began the second ritual. For the next hour, muffled screams worked themselves from around the gag. When he finished, Eoghan lay limp, breathing heavily and drenched in perspiration. He was Sidhe now and it showed. His hair had become the color of obsidian and his eyes were now the gray of the angry sea.

The blood was gone and the pool dry and empty.

Shikarou put the Grimoire down and opened the circles of power. "The rituals are complete," he intoned solemnly.

Faelan summoned his sword and buried it in Sir Charles' heart. He pulled the knight's sword from its scabbard and examined it briefly before trotting over to his brother. "It's enchanted, just like you were expecting."

Eoghan grunted and thrashed feebly as Shikarou smiled. "I said the rites were complete. That means his," he nodded in the direction of the dead knight, "safe passage ended. However, my oath to you still stands; neither I nor mine will kill you as long as you keep the peace." He glanced to the side. "Ygerna, please come here."

The Sidhe woman gave Eoghan a disgusted look as she did as asked. "What is it?" She blinked when Shikarou handed her the knight's weapon. "What do you expect me to do with this?"

The kami grinned like a shark. "You are not related to me by blood or marriage. In addition, you are not oathbound to me." He motioned towards the bound Sidhe. "He is yours to do with as you will, but I'd prefer him dead before sunup."

Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. "You offer quite a gift."

Eoghan's struggles strengthened.

"It never occurred to him that I wouldn't have bound everyone around me into my service, since that's exactly what he would have done. You are free to avenge yourself and your people. More importantly, you're protecting your unborn children. Mine too."

Her eyes narrowed as she hefted the weapon expertly. "I'll be done long before dawn."

Later -

Shikarou leaned back against a rock and took a rare moment to enjoy the sunshine. He glanced over as his brother came trudging up. "Your wife is pestering Candace again."

Faelan turned to watch Svetlana talking with the NurseJoy. "She'd probably leave her alone if you'd waited like you were supposed to."

"Candace proved very eloquent in convincing me to change my mind." He got a distant look. "I've never had to raise a son before. I hope it's not too different from a daughter."

"You're asking the wrong man about that. I must admit, I'm surprised Helen isn't upset." Faelan flicked his ears at his brother's sudden change of expression. "Oh. From the look on your face, she's no longer got a reason to be jealous of Candace."

"She's pretty eloquent, too."

"Is that what they call it now? What about Kasumi?"

"We're still not completely sure how that one happened, but I think when father blessed me, he undid my spell of infertility." He shook his head slowly. "She's refused to let me find out what she's carrying because she thinks I'll tell her. How's it going with Ygerna?"

"We're still courting." He shrugged. "Svetlana's calmed down, now she knows the worst is over and all three of us are dating." Faelan settled down against the rock. "Are you really going to make Svetlana a Sidhe? That was pretty violent."

"I promised her I would. And while Eoghan's transformation was violent, I don't see any reason why we couldn't sedate anyone we care about. In fact, the Grimoire recommends something like that to reduce the pain."

"Funny you didn't mention that to Eoghan."

"He didn't deserve it and, after being brought back to life, he was so weak it might have killed him." He snickered. "That would have broken my oath."

"What about your wives? Will they become Sidhe, too?"

Shikarou turned and regarded him for a moment. "I hope not. While I was on Kasumi's world I bargained with an oni for a spell that will allow them to become kami." He glanced at his hand. "If that finger hadn't grown back, I'd have never used a katana again. However, the choice of what they do or don't do as far as that goes will be theirs. I want them used to making decisions. You never know what may happen and I'm not invulnerable."

"Just really hard to kill." Faelan sighed. "I need to do the same thing, I think. Svetlana's going to fight me over it."

"At least she's making the decision to fight. That's a start."

"Oh, speaking about fights, what was all the screeching over at your house?"

Shikarou shrugged. "When I got up this morning, I had an extra pokegirl."

"The moonflower? I was wondering if she was going to choose a tamer."

"No, a megami-sama joined us for breakfast, acting like she'd been there the whole time."

Faelan blinked. "You didn't kill her, did you?"

"No, but Dorothea almost did. The newcomer announced that Dorothea was needed somewhere else, and that she was taking her place. Dorothea took that poorly for some reason. Only quick healing from Candace kept the megami-sama alive. I spoke to your wife and she was shocked that the celestials had tried that. Apparently, she'd had no knowledge it was coming and she said some rather infernal things about it."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm hanging up my pokedex for a while. The whole tradesman thing is going to take some time to resolve and, while they're fussing about it, I'm to go take a vacation." Shikarou waved abruptly and a golf cart turned and headed towards them. "I've got women to love and children to chase. That'll be enough for me, at least for now. I'll still travel to Tomakomai. Fumiko is there, after all, and I need to start paying more attention to my temple and the worshippers." He chuckled. "Branwyn wants me to start getting involved in politics. She thinks we can make a difference if I can get elected to the Blue League council."

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm making a difference here." He scratched a cheek idly. "I missed both my daughters learning to walk and one of them learning to talk. That's not going to happen again."

**THE END**

Name: Urufu, Shikarou

Age: 250

Residence: Caomh Sith, Blue Continent

Region: Scotland

Status: Active

Rank: 63

Security Clearance: Eta

Licenses

Tamer Y

Master Tamer Y

Researcher N

Watcher N

Breeder Y

Active Harem

Species Name

Alaka-Wham Circe

Unicorn Branwyn

Milktit Helen

Dire Wolf Pythia

DragonQueen Bellona

NurseJoy Candace

Seraph Dorothea

Armsmistress Urufu Yushiko

Vampire Elizabeth

Mini-Top Nanu

Sphinx Lorelei

Wet Queen Roisin

Alpha Branwyn

Beta Bellona

Badges: Scotland: Stornoway, Rum Island, Glasgow

Ireland: Belfast

England: Plymouth,

Wales: Magicunt Village

Ruby League: Polass Gym


End file.
